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Convert a PDF into Anki flashcards

Add your lecture notes, slides or a textbook chapter and get an Anki deck in about 20 seconds. Free, no sign-up, for PDFs up to 100 pages.

  • Your PDF is read on your device, never uploaded
  • Up to 100 pages, or just the pages you pick
  • No account, no trial, no payment

Export to

  • Anki
  • Quizlet
  • Kahoot
  • Google Forms
  • CSV

Drop your PDF here Choose a PDF

or choose a file · up to 100 pages Up to 100 pages · stays on your device

Cards
Difficulty
More options: page range

Add a PDF with more than one page to pick a page range.

Only the text is sent to write questions. Quizzes delete after 30 days.

  • Anki
  • Quizlet
  • Kahoot
  • Google Forms
  • CSV

How it works

  1. Add your PDF

    Drag it in, or pick a page range for one lecture or chapter.

  2. Make the cards

    Choose 5 to 50 cards and a difficulty, then check them here.

  3. Import into Anki

    Press Anki under "Export to", then File → Import in Anki.

How to import the cards into Anki

After your cards are made, press Anki under "Export to". A small text file downloads. Open Anki on your computer, choose File → Import, pick the file and press Import. The file tells Anki everything it needs: the note types, the deck name (your document’s title) and a pdfquizgenerator tag, so you do not have to set any import options by hand.

The import file needs Anki 2.1.55 or newer on Windows, Mac or Linux. Once the cards are in, sync, and they appear in AnkiMobile or AnkiDroid like any other deck.

Basic and cloze cards

Flashcards use Anki’s Basic note type: the question on the front, the answer and a one-line explanation on the back. For cloze cards, switch to Quiz above and choose "Fill in the blank" (or "Mixed") as the question type. Exported to Anki, fill-in-the-blank questions become Cloze notes with the missing word hidden as {{c1::…}}, which is how most Anki users like to learn terms and definitions.

Cards are spread across the whole PDF, so every section is covered. If you are making a deck for one lecture, tick "Only use some pages" after adding the PDF and enter the page range. Making one deck per lecture keeps reviews manageable.

Frequently asked questions

Still stuck? Get in touch.

Is this a .apkg file?

No, it is an Anki text import file (.txt) with headers that set the deck, note types and tags. Anki 2.1.55 and newer read these headers, so importing is one step: File → Import, pick the file, press Import.

Can I import on my phone?

Import on Anki for Windows, Mac or Linux, then sync. The cards then appear in AnkiMobile and AnkiDroid.

How many pages can the PDF have?

Up to 100 pages. Long documents are sampled evenly from start to finish, so cards still cover the whole thing. For a focused deck, use a page range.

Does it work with lecture slides?

Yes, as long as the text can be selected. Slides with very few words per page give fewer, thinner cards; notes written in full sentences work best. Scanned PDFs are not supported yet.

Can I also use the cards in Quizlet?

Yes. Press Quizlet under "Export to" and paste into Quizlet’s Import box. You can also study the cards on this site without exporting at all.

Can I move my existing Quizlet sets into Anki?

Yes. Export the set from Quizlet and paste it into the free Quizlet to Anki converter on this site, which downloads an Anki file with the same wording.

More free tools

New to this? Read the study and teaching guides.