PDF417 Scanner
Read PDF417 — the wide stacked barcode on driving licences, boarding passes and identity documents.
Scan a code with your camera, drop in an image, or paste one with Ctrl + V.
How to use the PDF417 Scanner
- Point your camera at the code, drop in a photo, or paste one with Ctrl + V.
- PDF417 is wide — get the full width in frame rather than filling it with the middle.
- The decoded contents appear, with the raw text one click away.
About the PDF417 Scanner
PDF417 is the wide, stacked barcode that looks like several rows of a linear code piled on top of each other — which is exactly what it is. The name is structural: each pattern is made of 4 bars and 4 spaces across 17 modules, hence 4-17. It holds far more than a linear barcode, up to roughly 1.8 kilobytes, and that capacity is the whole reason for its existence.
It is the symbology of documents that must be readable without a database. A driving licence carries the holder's name, address, date of birth and licence details inside the barcode itself, so a roadside check works with no network connection. A boarding pass carries the passenger name, flight, seat and sequence number the same way. The document is self-contained.
That property has a consequence worth stating plainly: a PDF417 on your own documents contains real personal data in plain form. Anyone who photographs your boarding pass can read your booking reference and passenger name. This scanner decodes entirely on your device and uploads nothing, which is the only sensible way to handle that — but the caution applies to every other scanner you might use, and to posting photographs of your boarding pass.
Read one with your camera, from an image, or by pasting. For the denser square alternative see the Data Matrix scanner.
Frequently asked questions
What is stored in a driving licence PDF417?
Typically the holder's name, address, date of birth and licence details, encoded in the barcode itself so a check works without any database connection.
Is it safe to photograph my boarding pass?
Be careful. The PDF417 carries your name and booking reference in readable form, so a posted photograph exposes them. This tool decodes on your device and uploads nothing, but the risk lies in the photograph existing at all.
How much data can PDF417 hold?
Up to roughly 1.8 kilobytes, far more than any linear barcode. That capacity is why it is used for self-contained documents.
Why is it so wide?
It is a stack of linear rows rather than a square grid, so capacity is gained by adding width and rows. A square symbology like Data Matrix is more compact for the same data.