OCR finds text, not spreadsheet cells
OCR identifies characters inside an image and returns text boxes with positions. It may correctly read “12,450.00” and “Invoice 1047”, but it does not automatically know which worksheet column each value belongs to.
FileFiddler runs OCR in the browser, then uses recognized text boxes and lightweight geometry for table reconstruction. The original image is not sent to the protected reconstruction service.
Geometry turns recognition into structure
The reconstruction step compares the vertical and horizontal placement of OCR boxes. Items that line up can form rows; repeating horizontal positions can become columns. Real documents are rarely perfectly aligned, so this process needs tolerances rather than exact pixel matches.
Photos add extra complications such as perspective, shadows and uneven scale. A screenshot of a digital table is usually easier than a handheld photo of a printed sheet.
Why FileFiddler shows column guides
Automatic boundaries are only a starting point. If two fields are close together, you can move a guide or create a missing boundary before rebuilding the workbook. This gives you control over a decision that most one-click OCR converters hide.
For recurring forms, the same visual pattern often produces similar corrections, so the preview step can save substantial manual cleanup later.
Quality checklist before converting
OCR is probabilistic. For accounting, inventory or other consequential data, the converted workbook should be checked against the source before it is used for decisions.
- Use a sharp source with readable text.
- Keep the table as straight as possible.
- Avoid heavy shadows across numbers.
- Prefer the original image over a repeatedly compressed copy.
- Review decimals, dates, totals and identifiers after OCR.
Related FileFiddler tools
About this guide
This guide documents how FileFiddler approaches the underlying file problem, including limitations that matter when you review the output. It is maintained alongside the tools rather than written as generic promotional content.