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Turn photos of paper notes into a spreadsheet

Snap handwritten lists, sign-up sheets or printed tables on your phone and get a clean, editable Google Sheet back in minutes.

Video, Image & VoiceIntermediate10 minPhone cameraAI assistantGoogle Sheets
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When to use it

Whenever you have information stuck on paper

Step by step

  1. Take clear photos

    Lay the page flat in good light and photograph it straight on. Your phone's document scanner (in the Notes app or Google Drive app) gives the flattest result.

  2. Ask the AI to read it into a table

    Attach the photos to your AI assistant with this prompt.

    Prompt to copyRead the attached photo(s) of [what it is, e.g. a handwritten stock count] and turn it into a table with these columns: [column names]. Keep the original order. If a word or number is hard to read, give your best guess followed by [?]. Don't fill in anything that isn't on the page. After the table, list every [?] item so I can check it.
  3. Paste into Google Sheets

    Copy the table into a Google Sheet. Check every [?] item against the paper, and spot-check a few numbers.

  4. Keep the original

    Save the photo in a Google Drive folder next to the sheet in case you need to check it again later.

What you get

Stock count: Item | Size | Qty. 'Kraft bags' | Large | 140. 'Tissue paper' | A3 | 12 packs [?]. 'Ribbon - gold' | 10m | 6. Check: 'Tissue paper' qty could be 12 or 17.

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