Managing inventory can feel overwhelming if you’re still counting items manually or updating spreadsheets by hand. To make this process easier, Sheetgo offers an Inventory with Barcode Scanner Template. With it, you can track stock in real time, scan barcodes for faster updates, and receive low-stock alerts - all inside Google Sheets.
Unlike its simpler version, Inventory management, this Inventory management template with barcode scanner has more features and automation to manage your stock.
How the Workflow is Structured
The workflow is built with three simple forms and two Google Sheets.
Register Item Form – Add new items to your system.
Check-in Items Form – Record items coming in (increases stock).
Check-out Items Form – Record items going out (decreases stock).
Inventory Management Sheet – Your all-in-one master sheet with registered items, check-in and check-out logs, and current stock levels.
Print Labels Sheet – Generate barcode labels for your items, ready to print and stick on products.
Along with the forms and sheets, the template comes with two automations for smooth operations:
Items to Print Labels – This automation transfers registered item data from the Inventory Management Sheet to the Print Labels Sheet, so you can generate barcodes for your products.
Low Stock Notification – This automation monitors your stock levels and sends you an email alert whenever an item’s available quantity drops below its threshold (minimum stock balance) limit. This ensures you can reorder in time and avoid stockouts.
Using the inventory management template
Step 1: Install the template
To get started, Install the template from this link: Inventory Management with Barcode Scanner.
Once the installation is complete:
The new workflow will automatically open up on your screen.
You’ll also find it saved in left-side panel of your Sheetgo workspace at app.sheetgo.com for easy access anytime.
You’ll see helpful notes in the right-side panel of your workflow, giving you an overview and quick tips.
All your form inputs go into one master sheet (Inventory Management Sheet), and the Dashboard shows you a quick snapshot of what’s happening.
Delete sample data – Clear out the example rows in the Items, Check-in, and Check-out tabs of the Inventory Management Sheet to get started with your own data. (Keep the headers as they are).
Step 2: Register your items
There are two ways:
Using the forms
Directly making entries in the Items tab.
Just click once on the Register Item Form Icon inside your workflow to open it. This is how the form looks:
Here are the fields you’ll fill in:
Stock keeping unit (SKU) – A unique code or number to identify the item (e.g., 1001 for a specific product). If you don’t have an SKU system, you can start with simple codes like 1001, 1002, 1003.
Status (Autofill) – This field is auto-filled and read-only. It tells you if the SKU you entered already exists. If it shows “SKU exists,” you must choose a different number.
Item name – The name of your product
Unit of measure – How you count this item (piece, box, kg, no, etc.).
Low stock threshold – The minimum quantity you want to keep before reordering. The system will send you an email alert whenever the stock falls below this number. (e.g., 10).
Cost price – The purchase price of the item (optional, for expense tracking).
Tip: On the upper right corner of the form, there’s a small blue button 
(Duplicate group). You can click this button to add more items in the same form. This way, you don’t have to submit the form repeatedly if you're registering multiple items at once.
Where this data goes: Every response from the Items Form is automatically recorded in the Items tab of the Inventory Management Sheet.
Step 3: Generate Barcode Labels for Items
After registering your items, the next step is to generate barcode labels so you can scan products quickly later.
In your workflow view, click the blue Run all automations button (see screenshot above).
This will run all the automations.
All the items listed in the Items tab of the Inventory Management Sheet will be transferred to the "🖨️Print options" Tab of the Print Labels Sheet.
Allowing Access in the Print Labels Sheet
When you first open the Print Labels Sheet, you’ll see this warning:
⚠️ Warning: Some formulas are trying to send and receive data from external parties.
This is normal. The system generates the barcodes, is asking for access to run properly. Here’s how to give access:
Click on your workflow's Print Labels Sheet icon to open it in the canvas.
You’ll notice the Allow access button is greyed out (not clickable).
To enable it, click on the three vertical dots (⋮) beside the sheet name.
Choose Open in new tab.
The Allow access button will be active once the sheet opens in a new browser tab.
Click Allow access to enable barcode generation.
Please refer to the attached video below for a quick walkthrough of this step:
Print Labels Sheet Structure
The Print Labels Sheet is where you create and preview barcode labels for your products. It has two tabs at the bottom:
Print options – Where you select the items and the number of labels you want.
View print labels (Don’t edit) – Where the actual barcodes are generated, and are ready for printing.
Tab 1: Print options
In this tab, you’ll see these columns:
SKU – This field is read-only. It fills in automatically based on the item name you select in the next column.
Select your registered items for printing labels – A dropdown menu where you pick from the items you registered earlier.
Enter the quantity of labels needed – Type how many barcode labels you want for that item (e.g., 2, 5, 10).
👉 Example: If you select “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” from the dropdown and type “3,” the SKU will be auto-filled in the first column, and the system will prepare 3 barcode labels for that book in the other tab.
Tab 2: View print labels (Don’t edit)
This tab shows the barcodes that are ready for printing. Each row has:
Product name
SKU code
Generated barcode image
💡 You can adjust row height and column width here to align the barcodes properly with your label paper or thermal printer. This is usually a one-time adjustment.
⚠️ Important: Don’t edit any data directly in the View print labels (Don’t edit) Tab. Always use the Print options tab to make your selections.
Step 4: Check-in items.
Whenever new stock arrives, you need to check it in using the Check-in Item form so the system updates your available quantity. To open the Check-in Items Form, click once on the Form inside your workflow.
Here are the fields you’ll see:
Stock keeping unit (SKU) – Enter the SKU of the item you want to check in.
Notice the barcode scanner icon next to it. Clicking this will open your device’s camera, allowing you to scan the item’s barcode instead of manually typing the SKU.
If you’re using a barcode scanner gun, scan the product directly—there's no need to click the icon. Just click in the SKU field so the cursor is active, then scan the product.
Item name – This field is auto-filled and read-only. It appears automatically when you enter or scan a valid SKU.
Quantity – Enter how many units you add to stock (e.g., 25, 50, etc.).
Note: Fields marked with * are mandatory.
Where this data goes: Every response from the Check-in Items Form is automatically recorded in the Check-in tab of the Inventory Management Sheet.
Step 5: Check-out Items
When items are sold, used, or removed from stock, record them with the Check-out Items Form. This will automatically decrease the quantity in your inventory.
This form looks exactly the same as the Check-in Form and follows the same guidance:
Stock keeping unit (SKU) – Enter or scan the SKU of the item you’re checking out.
Notice the barcode scanner icon next to it. Clicking this will open your device’s camera, allowing you to scan the item’s barcode instead of manually typing the SKU.
If you’re using a barcode scanner gun, scan the product directly—there's no need to click the icon. Just click in the SKU field so the cursor is active, then scan the product.
Item name – Auto-filled and read-only. Shows up automatically once you enter a valid SKU.
Quantity – Enter how many units you’re removing from stock.
Where this data goes: Every response from the Check-out Items Form is automatically recorded in the Check-out tab of the Inventory Management Sheet.
Step 6: Understanding the Inventory Management Sheet
The Inventory Management Sheet is the master sheet where all your data comes together. It stores your registered items, tracks every check-in and check-out, and updates your inventory in real time.
This sheet has four main tabs:
1. Current inventory list
This is the summary view of all your items.
It shows SKU, item name, unit of measure, check-in totals, check-out totals, current inventory, threshold, status (in-stock/low-stock), last out date, and for how long an item has been low.
Important: This Current inventory list tab is powered by formulas. Please don't edit it unless you know what you are doing. It’s designed only to view your current inventory status.
2. Items
Stores all products you register through the Register Item Form.
Each new item you add via the form will appear here automatically.
3. Check-in
Logs all stock entries recorded through the Check-in Form.
Shows the item SKUs, names, and quantities checked in with date/time.
4. Check-out
Logs all stock exits recorded through the Check-out Form.
Works just like the Check-in tab, but for outgoing stock.
5. Customisation
This tab is where you add the email addresses to receive low stock alerts. There are three columns in this tab:
Email for sending low stock report (Column A) – Enter the email address(es) of the person(s) who should receive low stock notifications. These addresses will appear in the TO section of the email. Your registered email id is automatically added during template installation.
BCC recipients for low stock report email (Column C) – If you want additional people to get the same alerts without others seeing their addresses, add their emails here. These addresses will appear in the BCC section of the email.
Unit dropdown values - Add units required to measure your inventory.
Important note about Items, Check-in, and Check-out tabs:
These are all response sheets for the forms (Register Item, Check-in, and Check-out).
Don’t change or delete the headers.
The headers are connected to the form fields; editing them wrongly will break the form.
Please refer to our guide on Configuring Forms in Sheetgo, if you want to customize form fields.
Step 7: Share files with your colleagues
Learn how to share any file that is connected to your workflow.
You can also share this workflow to collaborate with other Sheetgo users.
Step 8: Automate the workflow
Learn how to automate your workflow to always have the most recent data in your master sheet.