--- title: "Scan a barcode to add a product in Jovvie Point of Sale" description: "Scan or type a product barcode in the register to find the product or add it to the cart." url: https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/sell/scan-a-barcode/ section: "Jovvie Point of Sale > Take payments" last_updated: 2026-10-26 --- # Scan a barcode to add a product in Jovvie Point of Sale Section: Jovvie Point of Sale > Take payments > Scan or type a product barcode in the register to find the product or add it to the cart. This page shows you how to scan a product’s barcode to find the product or add it straight to the cart. You can also type the barcode number. To find products by tapping tiles or searching by name, see [Find and add products](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/sell/add-products/). ## Before you start - Sign in to the register. See [Open the Jovvie Point of Sale register and sign in](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/sell/open-the-register/). - Your products need barcodes. See [Add barcodes to products](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/set-up/product-barcodes/). - For a hardware scanner, use hardware with verified support for your operating system. An administrator or shop manager sets the station’s scan defaults. See [Set up barcode scanning](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/set-up/barcode-scanning/). - The top bar above the products can be expanded or collapsed. When it is collapsed, you see a single search row with an expand button at the right end. The steps in [Open the scan field](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/sell/scan-a-barcode/#open-the-scan-field) start by expanding it. - If you still do not see **Scan** after you expand the top bar, either your station uses unified search (use **Search** instead) or an administrator or shop manager has turned **Scan** off for this station. See [Show or hide register buttons](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/set-up/register-buttons/). ## Open the scan field Scans work while a list of products is open. Unless your station uses unified search, a scan does nothing on the home screen, and there is no **Scan** button on a list of categories, tags, or brands. 1. Tap a product tab that shows products, such as **All**. 2. If the top bar is collapsed, tap the expand button at the right end of the search row (**Expand top bar**). 3. Tap **Scan**. If your station uses unified search, tap **Search** instead. The **Scan** bar has a **Barcode** field. On unified search stations, the bar has one **Search or scan** field for names, SKUs, and barcodes. ## Choose what the next scan does **Scan Adds to Cart** decides whether a matching scan goes straight into the cart. When it is cleared, a scan only finds the product so you can tap it. 1. Select **Scan Adds to Cart** if you want the scan to add the product. Clear it if you only want to find the product. To add more than one with the next scan, set the quantity: 1. Tap **Quantity**. 2. Enter the quantity on the keypad. 3. Tap the checkmark button. After each scan that adds a product, **Quantity** goes back to one and **Scan Adds to Cart** goes back to the station’s default. If the default is off, select **Scan Adds to Cart** again before each scan. To make every scan add to the cart without this step, an administrator or shop manager can turn on the default. See [Set up barcode scanning](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/set-up/barcode-scanning/). On a unified search station, **Quantity** and **Scan Adds to Cart** appear in the **Search or scan** bar. If they are missing, **Scan** is turned off for the station. The field still accepts barcodes, and scans follow the station’s defaults. ## Scan the barcode 1. Scan the barcode with your scanner. Many scanners enter barcodes like a keyboard, one character at a time, and the register checks after each character. If one product’s barcode is the beginning of another product’s barcode, a scan can match the shorter one first. When **Scan Adds to Cart** is selected, check that the item added to the cart is the one you scanned. To avoid this, make sure no product’s barcode is the beginning of another. See [Add barcodes to products](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/set-up/product-barcodes/). ### Type a barcode instead The register checks the barcode after each character you type. If **Scan Adds to Cart** is selected, a shorter barcode that belongs to another product can match and be added before you finish typing. To type a barcode safely: 1. Clear **Scan Adds to Cart**. 2. Type the complete barcode in the **Barcode** field (or the **Search or scan** field). 3. Tap the matching product tile. On a unified search station where **Scan Adds to Cart** is not shown and the station default adds scans to the cart, ask an administrator or shop manager to change the default before you type barcodes. See [Set up barcode scanning](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/set-up/barcode-scanning/). In the Jovvie app on an Android or iOS device, you can tap the camera scan button next to the field and scan with the camera instead. ### When the product is added automatically The register adds the product to the cart only when all of these are true: - **Scan Adds to Cart** is selected. - Exactly one product or variation has a barcode that matches the scan exactly. - That product or variation has a price. The product is added with the quantity you set, and the field clears. ### When you need to pick the product In every other case, the register shows the products whose barcode contains what you scanned or typed. On a unified search station, it also shows products whose name or SKU matches. This happens when **Scan Adds to Cart** is cleared, when more than one product shares the barcode, or when the barcode belongs to a product with variations rather than to one variation. 1. Tap the matching product tile. If the product has variations, choose one. See [Choose a variation](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/sell/add-products/#choose-a-variation). If no products show, check that the product has that barcode. If the product shows but is never added automatically, check that it has a price. See [Add barcodes to products](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/set-up/product-barcodes/). ## Scan several items in a row After a scan adds a product, the **Scan** bar closes. On a unified search station, the **Search or scan** bar stays open. If your station allows repeat scans, the bar has a repeat button. Turn it on to keep the **Scan** bar open and ready for the next scan. Turning repeat scanning on or off resets **Quantity** and **Scan Adds to Cart**, so turn it on first. 1. Tap the repeat button. 2. Set **Quantity** and **Scan Adds to Cart** for the next scan, as described in [Choose what the next scan does](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/sell/scan-a-barcode/#choose-what-the-next-scan-does). Tap the repeat button again to turn repeat scanning off. **Quantity** and **Scan Adds to Cart** still go back to the station’s defaults after each scan that adds a product. ## Adjust Inventory If you can manage inventory, the scan bar also shows **Adjust Inventory**. When it is selected, a scan changes the product’s stock instead of adding it to the cart. Leave **Adjust Inventory** cleared when you are ringing up a sale. To change stock by scanning, see [Adjust stock by scanning](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/sell/adjust-stock-by-scanning/). ## Next step [Edit items in the cart](https://docs.jovvie.com/point-of-sale/sell/edit-the-cart/)