How to Extract Text from Images & Add It to Google Docs Using OCR

OCR Images Received from Forms & Transcribe to Google Docs

Automatically extract text from image attachments submitted via Google Forms or FormBridge, then transcribe the content into Google Docs.
<span class="mark-yellow">Ideal for anyone looking to streamline data entry by automatically extracting key details such as from receipt images in expense forms and compiling them to Google Docs.</span>

OCR Images Received via Email & Transcribe to Google Docs

Automatically extract text from image attachments in email applications that meet specified conditions, then add that text to Google Docs. 
<span class="mark-yellow">Perfect for managing order forms or image-based requests sent via email so you no longer need to manually open and transcribe them.</span>

🚀 Let's Create a Flowbot to OCR Images from Google Drive & Transcribe Them into Google Docs

Let’s walk through how to create a Flowbot that texts from an uploaded image on Google Drive using OCR and add to the specified Google Document file.

⏱️ Setup time: 5 minutes

🔧 What You’ll Need

• A free Yoom account
• Access to Google Docs & OneDrive

If you do not yet have a Yoom account, register now from  this registration form.

⚠️ Note:
OCR (reading text) used in this Flowbot is only available in Yoom's paid plans. If you're using the Free plan, the Flowbot may face errors due to limited access. But don't worry - all plans have 2-week free trial! You can try all features without restrictions. For more details, on Yoom and its plans, visit our Yoom Help Center.

Setup Overview

• Register Google Drive & Google Docs in Yoom
• Copy the Template
• Set the Google Drive Trigger and OCR & Google Docs Actions
• Activate the Flowbot

Step 1: Register Google Drive & Google Docs in My Apps

Add Google Drive

In Yoom, go to the My Apps tab, and click the “+ Add” button.

Search for Google Drive from the qpps list and select it.

Click on "Sign in with Google".

Select the account you want to connect to.

Click "Next".

Select "Continue."

Add Google Docs

Click on My Apps and select “+ Add”.

Search for Google Drive and select it.

Select "Sign in with Google".

Click on the account you want to integrate.

Click "Next".

Select "Continue".

Step 2: Copy the Template

Click the “Try it” button to copy the pre-built template into your project.

Click "Try this template".

Click "OK".

Click "OK" and give this Flowbot a name to recognize.

This template will be copied to your “My Project”.

Step 3: Set Up the Google Drive Trigger

Click on the trigger step labeled, "When a new file or folder is created in a specific folder".

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Give your trigger a title (anything you like).

Select your account, and check the default settings. If there are no issues, click “Next”.

Set your trigger interval (how often you want Yoom to check for new updates).
It can be set to 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 60 minutes.Set the trigger activation interval.

⚠️ Note:
The trigger interval varies on your Yoom plan. Be sure to check your current plan’s limit.

We recommend setting the trigger to the shortest activation interval available for your plan.

Select the Folder ID from the displayed options.
Then add a test file in the specified Google Drive folder to trigger the flow.
Click “Test”.
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If successful, the data from Google Drive should appear as retrieved values.
You’ll use these data in the following steps, so check the details are correct.

Step 4: Configure Google Drive Action

Click on the action step labeled, "Download File".

You can change the title (optional).
Select your account, and check the default settings. If there are no issues, click “Next”.

Select "File ID" from the "Retrieved Values" of the previous step (When a new file or folder is created in a specific folder).
After setting, click "Test".

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If successful, the data from Google Drive should appear as is retrieved values. Then, click "Save".

Step 5: Set Up Text Recognition (OCR) for Images/PDF

Click the action labeled, "Read Text from Images/PDF".

Confirm the action is set to "Extract text information from any PDF/Image file (within 4000 characters)."
Rename the title if needed and click “Next”.

For the file attachment method, select "Use Retrieved Values" and choose the "File Retrieved from Google Drive" option.

Specify the items you want to extract from the image.
After setting, click "Test".

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If you see correct extraction items in the retrieved value, then save it.

Step 6: Set Up Google Docs Action

Click the "Add Text to End of Document" action.

Give your action a name (anything you like).
Select your account and check the default settings.
If there are no issues, click “Next”.

Select the Document ID from the displayed options.

Select the item you want to add to Google Docs from the "Retrieved Values" from the previous step (Read Text from Images/PDF).
Once the setting is done, click “Test”.

Check the information is added to specified Google Docs, and save it.

Step 7: Activate the Flowbot

Toggle on the "Trigger ON" button to activate your flow.

That’s it! 🎉

Your Google Doc file is now automatically getting updated with the extracted text from images/PDFs :)

💡 Other Automation Ideas Using Google Docs

📖 Summary

Now you know how to automatically extract text from images using OCR and trascribe it to Google Docs :) Manually inputting texts from images can be time-consuming and prone to errors. But automation with Yoom can make this process smooth and reliable :) No technical skills are needed to get started.

If you want to...

• save time on data entry from PDFs & images
• reduce mistakes from manual input
• streamline your invoice or document process

then this Yoom's ready-made template is perfect for you :) <span class="mark-yellow">Try our variety of ready-made templates to help you automate from document creation, form recording, minutes creation and more!</span>

Ready to simplify your workflow? Sign up for Yoom and try it today!

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