Add offline barcode and MRZ scanning to Windows desktop, kiosk, POS and industrial applications. The barKoder barcode reader SDK for Windows has a native C interface with C++ and .NET integrations, and decodes images and raw pixel buffers from webcams, document scanners and video frames.
Pick the barKoder SDK that matches how your Windows application is built. All four use the same decoding engine and decode on the machine, without sending images to a remote service.
Writing Python? The barkoder-python-sdk README on GitHub also covers Windows 10 and 11. See the Python Barcode Scanner SDK.
The native SDK doesn't own the camera. Your application captures the image from any source, hands it to barKoder and receives the decoded results, so it fits existing desktop, kiosk and POS software without changing how you capture images.
The C# SDK follows the same pattern in a .NET console app: install the NuGet package, initialize with your license key, configure the decoder and pass the image file name as the only command-line argument.
using BarkoderNET;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Drawing.Imaging;
Config.InitializeWithLicenseKey("YourLicenseKeyHere");
config.SetEnabledDecoders(new List<DecoderType> { DecoderType.IDDocument });
The last line enables MRZ decoding. It needs a license key with MRZ enabled. The System.Drawing imports are for the sample code that converts a Bitmap to the grayscale array the decoder expects.
Where Windows teams put the barKoder SDK to work.
The Windows SDK uses the same decoding engine as barKoder's mobile and web SDKs.
A kiosk operator, a logistics software vendor that moved off ZXing.NET, and a parcel locker company that scans on laptops in the browser.
Verified credentials
Certified information security management built around internationally recognized controls.
Official Solution Provider supporting standards-based barcode and data-capture workflows.
Solution Provider listing covering barcode, mobile application and 2D barcode capabilities.
Discover the barKoder Web SDK listing and connect through Microsoft Marketplace.
Registered Independent Software Vendor in Zebra's PartnerConnect ecosystem.
The barKoder decoder in the Windows SDK also ships as native, web and cross-platform SDKs, so desktop, mobile and browser scanning behave the same way.
Direct SDKs for mobile, browser, desktop and server environments.
Official integrations for teams building one application across platforms.
Install the free barKoder demo app, or open the web demo, and scan your own barcodes before you integrate the SDK.
iPhone and iPad
Scan with your camera, or point it at the QR code to open the App Store.
Android phones and tablets
Scan with your camera, or point it at the QR code to open Google Play.
Any modern browser
Runs the Web SDK in your browser, on desktop or mobile, with nothing to install.
Test with known samples. Print or display the testing sheet and scan each 1D and 2D barcode with the demo app. The data sheet summarizes the SDK for your team.
The native Windows SDK supports Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Embedded/IoT on x86 and x64. The C# Barcode Scanner SDK needs .NET 6.0 or newer on Windows 10 or newer, or Windows Server 2019+, built for x64 or ARM64, or for x86 with the Lite package, which has no MRZ.
Yes. The native Windows SDK has a C interface you can call from C or C++. The download includes the .dll libraries, headers and code samples, and it works with Visual Studio and other native toolchains. Register on the Developer Portal to get it.
Yes. For desktop, back-office and server apps, install the BarkoderSDK NuGet package and follow the C# SDK installation guide. For an app that also ships to Android and iOS, use the .NET MAUI Barcode Scanner SDK, which includes a Windows target.
Yes. The native SDK works with any camera or image source, including webcams, document scanners and video frames: your app captures the frame and passes it to the decoder. The .NET MAUI plugin scans with the camera on Windows, and the Web Barcode Scanner SDK uses the webcam inside a desktop browser.
Yes. The Windows SDK decodes Machine Readable Zones with MRZ OCR, offline. In the C# SDK, enable the IDDocument decoder and use a license key with MRZ enabled. See the MRZ Scanner SDK for the supported document formats.
Yes. The SDK checks the license key with the barKoder licensing server when it initializes. Decoding runs locally, and each machine must reach the licensing server at least once every 30 days. The SDK doesn't store personal information retrieved from scanning a barcode.
To read a few barcodes without writing code, open the free online barcode scanner in your browser and upload an image. To add scanning to your own Windows software, start a free 30-day SDK trial.
A trial license runs for 30 days on up to 25 devices with unlimited scans. Desktop, server, white-label and redistribution projects are licensed on custom terms, so request a quote and describe your deployment. See SDK pricing for the standard plans.
Get a free 30-day trial key and decode your own images on Windows, or talk to an SDK expert about desktop, kiosk and server licensing.
