Home inventory by barcode: scan a serial number or UPC

Manifest reads barcodes, UPC codes, ISBNs, and serial number plates with your phone camera, so a home inventory doesn't have to be typed by hand. The scanner lives on the add-item and edit forms, in the ID Codes section, and works on iPhone, iPad, and in the browser.

How to use it

1. Open the add or edit form for an item.
2. Find the ID Codes section and tap the camera icon next to it.
3. Point the camera at the code. Align it in the guide box and tap the shutter.
4. Manifest sends the image to AI to read the code and fills in the matching field (serial number, UPC, or ISBN) automatically.

If the image contains more than one type of code, Manifest fills in all of them at once.

What a barcode fills in

A UPC is the retail product code on the box. The ID Codes scanner reads it and saves it on the item. To have Manifest look the product up, take a photo with the barcode in frame. It then fills in the name, brand, and category, which is the part of a home inventory most people skip. It doesn't know your purchase price or date. Those come from the receipt, which you can forward by email or snap.

A serial number identifies your specific unit. Warranty claims, police reports, and insurance adjusters all ask for it. It's what turns "a TV" into "this TV." Serial plates are usually on the back panel, the underside, or inside the battery door.

An ISBN is saved the same way. A photo of the book with the ISBN in frame fills in its title and author.

Scanning a serial doesn't count against your monthly AI actions.

Which items have a code to scan

Electronics, appliances, cameras, tools, and most things that shipped in a box have a UPC, and many also carry a serial plate. Books have an ISBN.

Furniture, jewelry, art, clothing, and anything secondhand without its box usually has no code. For those, take a photo and let Manifest identify the item from the picture, or type the description. The photo inventory guide covers which apps can do this and how to shoot the photo.

If you're choosing an app based on this feature, the home inventory apps roundup has a section on which ones scan barcodes.

Good to know

• Worn, curved, or glare-covered labels are harder for the AI to read. Better lighting and a square-on angle help.
• The barcode scanner in the search bar (on the inventory list) works differently. It looks for items you already own instead of filling in a form. See Scan to find something you already have.