Free tool
GTIN Checker for Google Shopping
Check one GTIN or thousands at once. See which EAN, UPC and GTIN codes Merchant Center will reject, why, and what to do about each one.
How it works
From a list of codes to a fix list in three steps
Paste or upload
Paste one GTIN, a list, or a column straight from your spreadsheet. Or upload a CSV or TSV export and pick the GTIN column.
Every code is checked
Length, check digit, spreadsheet damage, placeholder values, reserved prefixes and duplicates. All in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere.
Fix the ones that matter
Filter on invalid codes and warnings, download the list as CSV, and follow the fix for each problem in your shop or feed.
GTINs and Google Shopping
Why GTINs go wrong so often
A GTIN is the number under the barcode, issued to the brand owner by GS1. Google uses it to know exactly which product you sell, so a correct GTIN helps your products show for the right searches. A wrong one gets the product disapproved, or matched to something you do not sell. These are the mistakes behind most GTIN errors in Merchant Center.
Spreadsheets
Open a product export in Excel and a GTIN like 8712345678906 can turn into 8.71234E+12, lose a leading zero, or get .0 added. The damaged value then goes back into the shop or feed.
Internal store codes
Codes starting with 02, 04 or 2 are made for use inside one store, for example on weighed products or a shop's own labels. They are valid barcodes, but not GTINs Google can use.
Made-up numbers
Filling the GTIN field with 0000000000000, 1234567890128 or a random number to get rid of a warning does more harm than leaving it empty. Google checks GTINs against brands.
One GTIN on several products
Variants copied from one product often keep the same GTIN. Every size, color and pack size needs its own number, or Merchant Center treats them as one product.
When a product really has no GTIN
Custom-made products, your own brand without GS1 barcodes, vintage items and spare parts often have no GTIN. Then leave the field empty, send brand and MPN where you have them, and set identifier_exists to no when there is neither a GTIN nor an MPN. The identifier_exists page in the Error Decoder explains when that is allowed.
Honest limits
What it does not check
Whether the GTIN is yours
A GTIN can pass every check and still belong to a different product. Use the link to Verified by GS1 to see which company registered it.
Registration with GS1
The tool does not connect to GS1 or any other database. It checks the structure of the number, not whether someone has registered it.
The rest of your feed
Images, prices, availability and titles are outside this tool. The Product Feed Checker covers those for a whole feed at once.
Already seeing a GTIN error in Merchant Center? Look it up in the Error Decoder. Want to check every product at once? Use the Product Feed Checker.
Questions
GTIN checker questions
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