Sort and organize scanned notes

To sort and organize scanned notes effectively, follow these streamlined steps:

1. Digitize with OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

If your scanned notes are in image or PDF format, convert them to searchable text using OCR tools like:

• Adobe Acrobat Pro

• Microsoft OneNote

• Google Drive (right-click > Open with > Google Docs)

• Free OCR tools like OnlineOCR or Tesseract OCR

2. Rename Files Clearly

Use a consistent naming convention:

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[Subject]_[Topic/Date]_[Version].pdf
Example: Biology_CellStructure_2025-05-16_v1.pdf

3. Organize into Folders

Structure your folders by:

• Subject (e.g., Math, History)

• Then by topic or unit

• Optionally, add subfolders for dates or formats (handwritten, typed)

Example:

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/Notes
  /History
    /World War II
    /Cold War
  /Math
    /Algebra
    /Calculus

4. Use a Note-Taking App

Import your scanned and OCR’d notes into an app that supports organization and search:

• Notion – allows embedding, tags, search, and databases

• Evernote – tags, notebooks, OCR search

• OneNote – section-based, easy drawing/note additions

• Obsidian – Markdown-based, backlinking, powerful organization

5. Tag and Annotate

Add tags or metadata like:

• #subject

• #exam

• #important
  You can do this in apps like Evernote or Notion or even by renaming files with short tags.

6. Index and Summarize

Create a master index or dashboard:

• List all notes by topic

• Link directly to PDFs or files

• Include summaries for quick reference

7. Back Up and Sync

Store and sync your notes with cloud services:

• Google Drive

• Dropbox

• OneDrive

Regularly back up to external drives or a second cloud service.

Would you like help with automating any part of this workflow or organizing your notes by content or topic?