How to use ChatGPT to transcribe our handwritten notes for free

Although it is most common to write in digital format, many of us still value the charm of writing notes by hand. That direct contact with paper and pen seems to spark ideas in a way that the keyboard cannot. Although writing physically has its advantages, digital notes also offer their benefits. Why not have the best of both worlds? With ChatGPT, it is possible.

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If we have a free account on OpenAI, ChatGPT can help us transcribe any text in a matter of seconds. We can jot down ideas in meetings, classes, or simply to organize the day, and then upload a photo to ChatGPT, which converts our handwritten words into digital text with great accuracy. It doesn’t matter whether the notes are in a notebook or on a simple sheet of paper, the result is the same: the transcribed text is ready to be used in presentations, emails, digital notes, or any other format.

How to transcribe our notes with ChatGPT

The first thing we need is to have an account with OpenAI. Although ChatGPT can be used without creating an account, to access the enhanced version of GPT-4o (the one that allows us to upload images) it is necessary to log in. The account is, of course, free.

Once inside the chatgpt.com interface, we will see a clip icon next to the text box. By clicking on it, we can upload images from our device. Alternatively, we can drag the image directly into the text box, which makes the process even easier.

For ChatGPT to know that we want to extract the text from the image, it is advisable to add a brief instruction, such as “Extract the full text from this image.” Although the AI usually automatically detects that we want the transcription, adding this phrase ensures a quick and accurate response.

Transcription yes, but also much more

From here, and since we are in ChatGPT, we can make some adjustments to the text, such as correcting its spelling with a simple “Correct the spelling of the text” or give it some formatting instructions like “Put these points in a numbered list.” We can also summarize or translate the text, and even search in our ChatGPT history to locate a specific transcription. All starting from a photo of any notes we have made on paper.

The best part is that this function is highly accurate. Even if our handwriting isn’t as good as we’d like or if the message is written in cursive, ChatGPT usually captures every word correctly. And yes, without having to resort to dedicated apps or subscription services that, admittedly, don’t always have the same accuracy as ChatGPT despite having a cost.

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The possibility of digitizing our handwritten notes with ChatGPT is really useful and addresses a need that is becoming increasingly common. Just as we don’t always have time to search on Google and prefer to use SearchGPT, we are not always in front of the computer to write, and many ideas flow better when put down by hand. With this simple system, we can capture those moments of inspiration and then integrate them into our digital workflow effortlessly.