– Google Drive has a built-in OCR tool that can extract text from images and PDFs.
– The OCR feature is accessible by right-clicking on the file in Google Drive and selecting “Open with” > “Google Docs.”
– The text extracted from the image or PDF will appear in a new Google Docs document.
– The OCR process is not perfect and may require some manual corrections.
– This feature is useful for digitizing printed documents, making edits to scanned documents, or extracting text for other uses.
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Ever stumbled upon a scanned document or image and thought, “If only I could edit this text without retyping the whole thing”? Well, Google Drive has a nifty trick up its sleeve that can save you from the drudgery of manual typing. It’s like having a little text-extracting elf in your computer—except it’s not magic, it’s optical character recognition (OCR) technology.
Here’s the lowdown on how to transform those pesky images and PDFs into editable text:
Step right up and find your image or PDF file lounging in Google Drive. Give it a right-click, and a menu will pop up. From there, you’ll want to select “Open with” and then click on “Google Docs.” Voilà! Google Drive will work its OCR magic, and a new Google Docs document will appear, with the text from your file nestled comfortably inside.
Now, before you get too excited, keep in mind that this OCR wizardry isn’t always letter-perfect. Sometimes it gets a little overzealous and makes mistakes, so you might need to roll up your sleeves and do some manual corrections. But hey, it’s still a lot faster than starting from scratch!
This feature is a godsend for anyone looking to digitize printed documents, make edits to a scanned contract without the hassle of retyping, or simply extract quotes from an image for a presentation. The possibilities are as vast as your imagination—or at least as vast as the number of documents you need to digitize.
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In summary, Google Drive’s OCR feature is a handy tool for converting images and PDFs into editable text. It’s easy to use and can save a ton of time, although it may require some cleanup to get the text just right.
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Now, for my hot take: Google Drive’s OCR is like finding a twenty-dollar bill in an old pair of jeans—unexpected and delightful. It’s a game-changer for anyone who deals with a lot of paperwork, especially in the IT industry where documentation is king. Imagine the time you’ll save digitizing old records or making quick edits to a scanned document. This feature can streamline workflows, improve document management, and even make your content more accessible.
So, how can you leverage this in your business? Start by going paperless with your archives, or use it to quickly pull quotes from printed materials for your research. It’s a simple, yet powerful tool that can boost productivity and efficiency. Just remember, while Google’s OCR is pretty smart, it’s not infallible—so give it a quick proofread. Happy digitizing!
Original article: https://zapier.com/blog/google-drive-ocr-image-to-text