Automate Receipt & Invoice OCR with Google Drive and n8n
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Streamline your document processing by automatically extracting structured data from receipts and invoices stored in Google Drive. This workflow leverages powerful OCR technology to convert scanned documents into usable JSON, saving you valuable time and reducing manual entry errors.
About This Workflow
This n8n workflow is designed to revolutionize how you handle financial documents. It seamlessly integrates with Google Drive to monitor a specified folder for new receipts and invoices in PDF, PNG, or JPG formats. Upon detecting a new file, the workflow automatically initiates Optical Character Recognition (OCR) using the OakPDF OCR API. The extracted information is then intelligently parsed into structured JSON, ready to be saved into a Google Sheet. This eliminates the tedious process of manual data entry, allowing you to focus on more strategic tasks. Whether you're managing expense reports, client invoices, or vendor receipts, this solution provides an efficient and automated path to data extraction and organization.
Key Features
- Automated OCR: Automatically recognize and extract text and data from scanned receipts and invoices.
- Google Drive Integration: Seamlessly monitor a dedicated Google Drive folder for new documents.
- Structured JSON Output: Convert unstructured document data into easily usable JSON format.
- Google Sheets Integration: Directly push extracted data into a Google Sheet for analysis and record-keeping.
- Flexible File Support: Handles common document formats including PDF, PNG, and JPG.
How To Use
- Obtain OakPDF OCR API Key: Visit the RapidAPI website (https://rapidapi.com/restyler/api/receipt-and-invoice-ocr-api) to get your API key.
- Configure n8n HTTP Header Credential: In n8n, create a new 'HTTP header' credential and paste your RapidAPI key. Ensure the 'HTTP Request' node uses this credential.
- Set Up Google Authentication: Authorize n8n to access your Google Sheets and Google Drive accounts following the provided documentation.
- Prepare Google Drive Folder: Create a Google Drive folder (e.g., 'n8n_test_ocr') and note its ID. Ensure your receipts and invoices are placed here.
- Import and Connect Nodes: Import the workflow JSON into n8n. You may need to reconnect the 'When clicking ‘Test workflow’’ trigger node to the 'Google Sheets1' and 'Google Drive' nodes. Refer to the workflow's sticky note for a visual guide.
- Configure Google Drive Nodes: In the 'On new file in Google Drive' and 'Load files from Google Drive folder' nodes, set the 'Folder ID' to your prepared Google Drive folder ID.
- Configure Google Sheets: Copy the provided Google Sheets document (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G0w-OMdFRrtvzOLPpfFJpsBVNqJ9cfRLMKCVWfrTQBg/edit?usp=sharing) and configure the 'Save OCR result into Sheets' node to point to your copied sheet.
- Test Workflow: Click 'Test workflow' in n8n to initiate the process with files in your Google Drive folder.
Apps Used
Workflow JSON
{
"id": "d16a50aa-a0da-4f46-9d06-5c5fb72f6e37",
"name": "Automate Receipt & Invoice OCR with Google Drive and n8n",
"nodes": 14,
"category": "Operations",
"status": "active",
"version": "1.0.0"
}Note: This is a sample preview. The full workflow JSON contains node configurations, credentials placeholders, and execution logic.
Get This Workflow
ID: d16a50aa-a0da...
About the Author
DevOps_Master_X
Infrastructure Expert
Specializing in CI/CD pipelines, Docker, and Kubernetes automations.
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