Question 1

How do I scan a recipe with my smartphone?

Accepted Answer

On your Dashboard tap one of the four 'Add' cards (Scan / Link / Type / New cookbook) or go to /scan directly. Choose 'Photo / Camera', point your phone at the recipe and capture — our AI transcribes it instantly into editable fields. Prefer not to scan? You can also paste a URL or type a recipe by hand.

Question 2

What image quality works best for OCR?

Accepted Answer

Bright, even lighting and a flat angle yield the best results. Aim for 1000px+ on the shortest side. JPEG or PNG are both fine.

Question 3

Can I scan handwritten recipes?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We use a GPT-4o vision pipeline tuned for messy handwriting and tea-stained recipe cards.

Question 4

How many free recipes can I upload?

Accepted Answer

Free accounts can upload up to 5 recipes. After that, upgrade to keep building.

Question 5

How much does the subscription cost?

Accepted Answer

Pick what suits you: £5 for 1 month, £9 for 3 months, £12 for 6 months, or £20 for the full year. You can also redeem a gift code.

Question 6

How do I share my cookbook privately?

Accepted Answer

Generate a 10-digit Private Invite Code and send it to family. They can sign in and enter the code to view.

Question 7

What are 'Secret Recipes'?

Accepted Answer

Mark any recipe as Secret. It will be hidden from public viewers and from invitees in 'Selective (Minus Secrets)' mode.

Question 8

Can I print my cookbook?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Click 'Print Cookbook' on any book to generate a high-resolution PDF or order a real hardback through our Lulu print-on-demand partner.

Question 9

Is my data backed up?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can also export everything yourself via 'Download My Recipe Filer Archive'.

Question 10

How does Kitchen View Mode work?

Accepted Answer

It strips the UI down to giant text on dark background, one step per screen. Swipe or use voice ('Next Step') to advance.

Question 11

Can I scale a recipe up or down?

Accepted Answer

Yes. On the recipe page, change the 'Serves' field and all amounts recalculate instantly.

Question 12

Do you support metric and imperial units?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every quantity auto-converts between Metric, Imperial, and US.

Question 13

How do I add audio memories?

Accepted Answer

Open a recipe, click 'Audio Memories', then record or upload a clip up to 60 seconds.

Question 14

What is the Version Timeline?

Accepted Answer

When a family member updates a recipe, both versions are preserved so you can see how the recipe evolved.

Question 15

Can I copy a recipe between cookbooks?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Open the recipe, click 'Copy to Another Book', and pick a target cookbook.

Question 16

How do QR codes work?

Accepted Answer

Each recipe and cookbook has its own brand-coloured QR. Print it on a jar, card, or gift.

Question 17

Is the Voice Assist hands-free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Say 'Next Step' or 'Go Back' while in Kitchen View.

Question 18

How are timers triggered?

Accepted Answer

Phrases like 'simmer 10 minutes' become clickable buttons that launch in-app countdown overlays.

Question 19

Can I run multiple timers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each labelled timer (e.g. 'Pasta Timer', 'Sauce Timer') runs independently.

Question 20

How do I report copyright infringement?

Accepted Answer

Use the 'DMCA Takedown' link in the footer.

Question 21

Can I make my cookbook public?

Accepted Answer

Yes — toggle 'Public' on the cookbook. It will appear in the Recipe Filer Directory.

Question 22

Will my public cookbook be indexed by Google?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Public pages use semantic HTML for full crawlability.

Question 23

Are private books indexed?

Accepted Answer

No. Private and dashboard pages are noindex.

Question 24

How do I invite a co-editor?

Accepted Answer

Open the cookbook, click 'Invitees', then enter their email or share the invite code.

Question 25

Can I customise the cookbook cover?

Accepted Answer

Yes — upload a custom cover image, choose fonts and colour palette.

Question 26

How many recipes can one book hold?

Accepted Answer

Up to 250.

Question 27

How many photos per recipe?

Accepted Answer

Up to 6 high-resolution images.

Question 28

How long can recipe videos be?

Accepted Answer

Up to 10 minutes total.

Question 29

Can I delete a recipe permanently?

Accepted Answer

Yes, from the recipe edit page. The action cannot be undone.

Question 30

How do I export my data?

Accepted Answer

Profile → Download My Recipe Filer Archive. You receive a ZIP with PDFs, JSON and CSV.

Question 31

Can I use Recipe Filer offline?

Accepted Answer

Recipes you have viewed will cache for quick access; new uploads require a connection.

Question 32

Which payment methods are accepted?

Accepted Answer

Stripe (cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay).

Question 33

Where do I enter a promo code?

Accepted Answer

On the checkout page.

Question 34

How do I redeem a gift code?

Accepted Answer

Profile → Redeem Gift Code, paste the 10-character code.

Question 35

Can I gift a subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Buy a gift code on the Pricing page.

Question 36

What if I forget my password?

Accepted Answer

Click 'Forgot Password' on the login page.

Question 37

Can I log in with Google?

Accepted Answer

Yes — click 'Continue with Google'.

Question 38

How do I change my email?

Accepted Answer

Profile → Account Settings.

Question 39

Is my payment data stored?

Accepted Answer

No. All payments are handled by Stripe — we never see card numbers.

Question 40

Can I cancel any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You keep access until the end of your billing period.

Question 41

What happens to my cookbooks if I cancel?

Accepted Answer

The cookbooks stay visible for 1 year and then are archived for 1 year.

Question 42

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Profile → Danger Zone → Delete Account.

Question 43

How is my data protected?

Accepted Answer

Encrypted at rest and in transit. GDPR compliant.

Question 44

Can I share a single recipe?

Accepted Answer

Yes — use the 'Share' button to copy a link or social share.

Question 45

How do I rate a public recipe?

Accepted Answer

Tap the 5-star widget on any public recipe page.

Question 46

Can I leave comments?

Accepted Answer

Use the 'Shared Notes' section if you have access; public comments are coming soon.

Question 47

What is the Experiment Slider?

Accepted Answer

A visual indicator of how playful or structured the recipe is — useful when cooking with kids.

Question 48

Are dietary tags supported?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free.

Question 49

How accurate is the unit conversion?

Accepted Answer

Conversions follow standard CIA and Metric Office tables; rounded for ease.

Question 50

Why is OCR sometimes imperfect?

Accepted Answer

Faded ink, stains, or tilted scans can confuse the model. Use the Sandbox to correct.

Question 51

What is the OCR Sandbox?

Accepted Answer

A side-by-side review screen where you confirm the AI transcription before saving.

Question 52

Can I edit a recipe after scanning?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every field is editable any time.

Question 53

How do I add a recipe manually?

Accepted Answer

Dashboard → Create Recipe → 'Type it Manually'.

Question 54

Can two people edit the same recipe at once?

Accepted Answer

Real-time co-editing is on the roadmap. For now, edits are first-come-first-saved.

Question 55

How do affiliate links work?

Accepted Answer

When you buy through our Shop, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Question 56

Is Recipe Filer available in other languages?

Accepted Answer

English first; multilingual support is on the roadmap.

Question 57

Can I bookmark public recipes?

Accepted Answer

Yes — click the bookmark icon on any public recipe.

Question 58

What is a Recipe Filer Book Code?

Accepted Answer

The 10-digit private invite code that unlocks a shared cookbook.

Question 59

How do I follow Recipe Filer on social?

Accepted Answer

We're @recipefiler on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube.

Question 60

Can I suggest a feature?

Accepted Answer

Yes — email therecipefiler@gmail.com.

Question 61

Where do I report a bug?

Accepted Answer

Email therecipefiler@gmail.com with screenshots.

Question 62

Does Recipe Filer have a mobile app?

Accepted Answer

We are mobile-web first. A native app is on the roadmap.

Question 63

Can I install Recipe Filer to my home screen?

Accepted Answer

Yes — use 'Add to Home Screen' on your browser.

Question 64

Do I need to be logged in to view public recipes?

Accepted Answer

No. Public recipes are open to everyone.

Questions, answered.