
Google Drive OCR is a powerful tool that allows you to extract text from images, making it a game-changer for anyone who deals with a lot of scanned documents or PDFs.
With Google Drive OCR, you can convert images into editable text, which is a huge time-saver.
This feature is available on both desktop and mobile devices, making it easy to use on the go.
Google Drive OCR uses advanced algorithms to recognize and extract text from images, which is impressive given the complexity of the task.
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Image to Text Conversion
Google Drive OCR is an incredibly powerful tool for converting images to text. You can use it to extract text from images and PDFs, making it a game-changer for researchers, students, and professionals.
To get started, upload your image or PDF to Google Drive and right-click on it. Select "Open with" and then choose Google Docs. This will trigger the OCR tool, which will extract the text from the image.
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Google Drive OCR supports a wide range of file formats, including PDFs, JPEGs, PNGs, and GIFs. However, it's worth noting that the file size should be 2 MB or smaller for optimal results.
The quality of the image also plays a significant role in the accuracy of the OCR output. Higher quality images with better contrast tend to produce better results.
Here are some tips to ensure the best results when using Google Drive OCR:
- Format: Supported formats include PDFs (multipage documents) or photo files (.jpeg, .png and .gif)
- File size: The file should be 2 MB or smaller.
- Resolution: Text should be at least 10 pixels high.
- Orientation: Making sure the image has the right side facing up, else it may lead to errors in output.
- Font and character set: Common fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman can be detected with higher accuracy.
- Image quality: Higher quality images with better contrast give better results.
If you're looking for more advanced features, you can also use the Cloud Vision API to detect text in remote images or extract text from images with handwriting. This can be particularly useful for documents in different languages.
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The Cloud Vision API also offers multi-region support, allowing you to specify continent-level data storage and OCR processing. This can be a significant advantage for large-scale projects or applications with global reach.
In terms of pricing, the Cloud Vision API offers a range of options to suit different needs and budgets. For example, you can choose to get immediate results for a small number of images (up to 16 per request) or batch process a larger number of images (up to 2000 per request) asynchronously for a result later.
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Setting Up and Integration
Setting up Google Drive OCR with Nanonets is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few steps. You can automate the import of new and incoming files in a Google Drive directory to Nanonets for data extraction.
To get started, you'll need to choose a pretrained model based on your document type or create your own document extractor within minutes. This will ensure that your data is extracted accurately and efficiently.
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The integration process is seamless, and you can extend the workflow by adding postprocessing, validation, and approval rules. You can even export the extracted data to software or a database of your choice.
Here's a quick rundown of the steps to follow:
- Choose a pretrained model based on your document type / create your own document extractor within minutes.
By following these simple steps, you'll be able to unlock the full potential of Google Drive OCR and Nanonets, freeing up time for more valuable tasks and increasing efficiency in your business operations.
Setting Up with Nanonets
To set up an automated import of new and incoming files in a Google Drive directory to Nanonets for data extraction, follow these steps. You can complete the workflow further and choose one of our export options to software / ERP / database of your choice.
First, choose a pretrained model based on your document type or create your own document extractor within minutes. This will enable you to extract structured data from your documents efficiently.
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Next, select Google Drive from the "Browse all import options" modal to integrate Nanonets with your Google Drive account. The integration will be added to your Google Drive account based on the folder you selected.
Nanonets will then import all new and incoming files in that folder into Nanonets, and process them using your model to extract structured data. You can extend the workflow by adding postprocessing, validation/approval rules, and exports to software/database of your choice.
Here are the key steps to set up with Nanonets:
- Choose a pretrained model based on your document type or create your own document extractor within minutes.
- Select Google Drive from the "Browse all import options" modal.
See Document in Action with Your Own
To see Document OCR in action with your own documents, you can try the Document AI API with a simple drag-and-drop. Google Drive supports OCR for various file formats, including .jpg, .gif, .png, and PDF files up to 2MB in size.
For efficient conversion of multiple pages to text, PDF format is the best choice, as all pages can be uploaded in one batch. This makes it easier to manage and process large documents.

You can see Document OCR in action with the following common uses:
Business Use Cases
Nanonets is an AI-based OCR software that can extract text from PDFs, images, and documents with 95% accuracy in 200+ languages.
One of the key benefits of using Nanonets is its ability to automate manual document processes. This includes tasks like document data capture, document classification, document storage, and more.
With ready-to-use integrations with Google Drive, Nanonets can ingest your files from your drive to process and extract data from them. It also provides export options to automatically send the extracted data to a software, ERP, or database of your choice.
You can use pre-trained OCR models to extract data from various types of documents, such as PDFs, invoices, emails, bills, receipts, and passports, without writing a single line of code.
Here are some business use cases where Nanonets can be particularly useful:
- Automate Accounts Payable
- Customer Onboarding
- Mailroom
Nanonets offers a range of features that make it perfect for enterprises, including setup in under 1 day, free trial plans, and pay-as-you-go plans. It also provides 24x7 support and a modern UI that's better than other OCR software out there.
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Data Extraction and Management
Data extraction and management is a crucial aspect of Google Drive OCR. You can easily share OCR documents with others by going to File > Share and adding collaborators by sharing a link or sending an invitation via email.
To manage your OCR documents, you can export them to another format by going to File > Download As and selecting the format you want. This can be useful if you need to edit the document or share it with others in a different format.
Cloud Vision API can also be used to detect and extract text and handwriting from images, and it has multi-region support for data storage and OCR processing. The estimated monthly cost for using this service is $27.36, and it can be used for image tagging, processing, and search, as well as extracting text and insights from documents.
Here's a breakdown of the estimated monthly costs for different use cases:
By using Google Drive OCR and data extraction tools, you can streamline your operations, reduce errors, and free up time for value-added tasks.
Exporting Extracted Data to Sheets
Exporting extracted data to Google Sheets is a seamless process that can be set up as part of your Nanonets workflow. You can follow the below steps to achieve this.
First, you need to map the headers/column names of the Google Sheet to the labels of the data extracted by Nanonets. This ensures that the data is correctly matched and exported to the sheet.
Choose an export trigger and test the integration using a file to ensure everything is working as expected. Nanonets will now export the data extracted from documents to your Google Sheets in real time.
You can also take a look at the demo provided by Nanonets to set up the Google Sheets Export with your OCR Workflow. This will give you a better understanding of the process and help you troubleshoot any issues.
Note: The file size limit for OCR is 2MB, so make sure your files are within this limit to avoid any issues.
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Managing Documents
Managing documents is a crucial step in data extraction and management. You can easily share OCR documents in Google Drive by going to File > Share and adding collaborators by sharing a link or sending an invitation via email.
To export an OCR document, go to File > Download As and select the format you want, such as a Word Document or a Plain Text document. This feature allows you to manage your document after converting it with OCR.
With Document AI, you can build a document processing and understanding pipeline that delivers great accuracy in extracting data from documents of varying layouts and quality. This pipeline can be connected with Cloud Storage for enterprise-grade compliance.
To set up an automated import of new and incoming files in a Google Drive directory to Nanonets for data extraction, follow these steps: choose a pretrained model based on your document type, select Google Drive from the "Browse all import options" modal, and the integration will be added to your Google Drive account.
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You can also extract text from images with Cloud Vision API, which can detect and extract text and handwriting from any images in different languages. The pricing for this service starts at $27.36 per month for 15,000 Cloud Vision OCR API calls.
Here's a summary of the common uses of Document AI:
- Web App and API Protection: threat and fraud protection for your web applications and APIs.
- Cloud Source Repositories: private Git repository to store, manage, and track code.
- Carbon Footprint: dashboard to view and export Google Cloud carbon emissions reports.
- Network Service Tiers: cloud network options based on performance, availability, and cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I use Google OCR for free?
To use Google OCR for free, upload your file to Google Drive, right-click on it, and open it in Google Docs to extract text from images. This process leverages Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to digitize your scanned documents.
Sources
- https://nanonets.com/blog/google-drive-ocr-image-to-text-google-docs-ocr/
- https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-ocr-documents-for-free-in-google-drive--cms-20460
- https://cloud.google.com/vision/docs/ocr
- https://cloud.google.com/use-cases/ocr
- https://www.klippa.com/en/blog/information/google-docs-ocr/
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