diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 2e4c5ca..7fe06dc 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -175,7 +175,11 @@ START_ADDITIONAL_SERVICES=""
 # search/tika.yml or by using the following command:
 # docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f search/tika.yml up -d
 # Set the desired docker image tag or digest.
-# Defaults to "apache/tika:latest-full"
+# Defaults to "apache/tika:slim"
+# The slim variant is recommended for most use cases as it provides core text extraction
+# functionality with a smaller image size and faster startup time.
+# Only use the full variant (apache/tika:latest-full) if you need specialized features
+# like advanced OCR or specific image processing capabilities.
 TIKA_IMAGE=
 
 ### IMPORTANT Note for Online Office Apps ###
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 71b23c2..eb36b40 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -164,6 +164,14 @@ This setup includes:
 - Full text search functionality in the OpenCloud interface
 - Support for documents, PDFs, images, and other file types
 
+**Tika Image Variant:**
+By default, OpenCloud Compose uses `apache/tika:slim` which provides:
+- Smaller image size (~300MB vs ~1.2GB for the full variant)
+- Faster container startup and deployment
+- Core text extraction functionality for common document formats (PDF, Office docs, text files, etc.)
+
+The slim variant is recommended for most use cases. If you need advanced features like specialized OCR processing or specific image format support, you can override the image by setting `TIKA_IMAGE=apache/tika:latest-full` in your `.env` file.
+
 ### With Radicale
 
 Enable CalDAV (calendars, to-do lists) and CardDAV (contacts) server.
@@ -335,7 +343,7 @@ Key variables:
 | `INSECURE`                    | Skip certificate validation                           | true                         |
 | `COLLABORA_DOMAIN`            | Collabora domain                                      | collabora.opencloud.test     |
 | `WOPISERVER_DOMAIN`           | WOPI server domain                                    | wopiserver.opencloud.test    |
-| `TIKA_IMAGE`                  | Apache Tika image tag                                 | apache/tika:latest-full      |
+| `TIKA_IMAGE`                  | Apache Tika image tag                                 | apache/tika:slim             |
 | `KEYCLOAK_DOMAIN`             | Keycloak domain                                       | keycloak.opencloud.test      |
 | `KEYCLOAK_ADMIN`              | Keycloak admin username                               | kcadmin                      |
 | `KEYCLOAK_ADMIN_PASSWORD`     | Keycloak admin password                               | admin                        |
diff --git a/search/tika.yml b/search/tika.yml
index 081f287..418497b 100644
--- a/search/tika.yml
+++ b/search/tika.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 ---
 services:
   tika:
-    image: ${TIKA_IMAGE:-apache/tika:latest-full}
+    image: ${TIKA_IMAGE:-apache/tika:slim}
+    # Using slim variant for smaller image size and faster startup
+    # The slim variant includes core functionality for text extraction
+    # Full variant is only needed for specialized OCR/image processing
     # release notes: https://tika.apache.org
     networks:
       opencloud-net: