Ensure your Microsoft Office architecture matches the compiled database or workbook. If your company relies heavily on legacy .ocx controls, deploying the 32-bit version of Microsoft 365 is often highly recommended. 3. Security Warning Blocks
You may need to adjust your Office Trust Center settings to allow ActiveX controls to run, otherwise the barcode will appear as a static image or a broken link.
ActiveX is an aging, legacy technology that Microsoft is actively phasing out due to security risks. It does not work on Excel for the Web, Mac, or 64-bit Windows environments. Consider these modern alternatives for a future-proof setup. 1. Barcode Fonts (Recommended)
Click (in Excel) or the Controls group design view (in Access). Microsoft Barcode Control 16.0 Activex Download
BarcodeTools.com provides various ActiveX controls.
This occurs due to security restrictions or bitness mismatches between Office and the control.
Using pure VBA code to "draw" the barcode using box elements, which works in both 32-bit and 64-bit Office. Security Warning Blocks You may need to adjust
Here is why:
How to Use Microsoft Barcode Control 16.0 in Excel or Access Once installed, you can add it to your Office application. 1. Enable the Developer Tab
Because Microsoft has moved away from supporting ActiveX, many developers now use modern methods for barcoding in Office: Consider these modern alternatives for a future-proof setup
Microsoft Barcode Control 16.0 is an ActiveX component bundled with specific Microsoft Office desktop editions, rather than available as a standalone download, with 2025 security updates blocking default ActiveX usage. The control, used for generating barcodes in Access and Excel, may be installed or repaired via the Access Runtime, or replaced by third-party tools like ActiveBarcode or font-based encoders. For details on this, visit Microsoft Learn .
Requires an active internet connection to load the images. 3. Office Add-ins
Select the icon (looks like a screwdriver and wrench).
Since the control is deprecated, use these instead:
