{"id":48645,"date":"2019-09-05T23:34:36","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T15:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=48645"},"modified":"2019-09-05T19:48:48","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T11:48:48","slug":"convert-photo-to-ms-excel-google-sheets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/convert-photo-to-ms-excel-google-sheets\/","title":{"rendered":"Converting Photo with Data to MS Excel and Google Sheets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microsoft Excel<\/a> has recently introduced an exciting feature in its mobile apps \u2014 the ability to snap and recognize a picture of data tables drawn or printed on a piece of paper. The result? You can quickly convert a printed datasheet to a digital spreadsheet<\/strong> using just your smartphone. Sounds amazing, right?<\/p>\n

Microsoft Excel\u2019s apps for Android<\/a> and iOS<\/a> support this feature known as \u201cInsert Data from Picture<\/strong>\u201c. It allows you to snap a picture of the data present in rows and columns on a sheet of paper and convert it into editable table data.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there is no such feature in Google Sheets<\/strong>. However, you can convert a photo of data into a spreadsheet using Microsoft Excel, and then import the created spreadsheet into Google Sheets to further work on it.<\/p>\n

\"Read<\/figure>\n

How does it work? Well, the tool sends the picture to its online image-recognition engine to process the numbers and words captured from the sheet of paper. Finally, it offers you an option to fix possible errors or make changes before it\u2019s imported<\/strong> in the sheet.<\/p>\n

In the following I will explain this process step-by-step. Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n

Insert the image with data into Excel<\/h2>\n

First of all, let\u2019s learn to import data from a picture in Microsoft Excel using the Excel app for Android or iOS:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. In the app, tap New<\/strong> from the top bar to create a new workbook. You can create a blank workbook or create one from the given templates.<\/li>\n
    \"Create<\/figure>\n
  2. Click the Data from Picture<\/strong> icon (grid icon with a camera) from the bottom bar. Next, click Allow<\/strong> to provide your permission for uploading and converting the image to data using the app\u2019s online service.<\/li>\n
    \"Data<\/figure>\n
  3. Locate the data on paper inside the red figure and click the Capture<\/strong> button.\n Note:<\/strong> The app may not identify the data on paper in the first attempt, so you would need to try a few times to make a successful capture.<\/li>\n
  4. If you\u2019re satisfied with the captured image, click the check-mark button to upload and convert the data; else, tap the x<\/strong> button to retry.\n Note:<\/strong> At this step, you can also edit the captured image using the three buttons given in the top bar \u2014 crop, rotate, and filter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    \"Capture<\/figure>\n
  5. In the preview (if it\u2019ll be required), you may need to review and correct a few items<\/strong>, which the online service couldn\u2019t understand from the captured image. Let\u2019s check out how to review and edit items if required:<\/li>\n<\/ol>