Import your Anki decks to iPhone

Export a deck from Anki, open it in Azri and start reviewing. It’s free, with no limits, and works with .apkg and CSV files

Start with step one Import a CSV instead
Free, no limits .apkg & CSV iPhone & iPad

What you need

  • Anki on a computer

    Free for Windows, Mac and Linux. AnkiMobile’s export saves your whole collection as a .colpkg file, so the deck export happens on a computer.

  • Azri on your iPhone

    Free on the App Store. Importing is part of the free plan, with no limits.

  • A way to move the file

    AirDrop, iCloud Drive, email, or anything else that saves to the Files app.

Import an Anki deck (.apkg)

Six steps. The first three happen in Anki on your computer, the rest in Azri.

  1. Export the deck from Anki

    On your computer, open Anki and choose File → Export. Set the format to Anki Deck Package (.apkg) and pick the deck you want.

  2. Tick “Support older Anki versions”

    This one matters. Without it, Anki saves a newer file format that Azri can’t read yet, and the import shows a single card asking you to update Anki.

    You can turn off Include media, because Azri doesn’t bring images or audio over yet. Include scheduling information makes no difference: every card starts as new in Azri.

  3. Get the file onto your iPhone

    AirDrop it to your iPhone or save it to iCloud Drive, so it shows up in the Files app. If your iPhone offers to open the file in another app, choose Save to Files instead.

  4. Open Import in Azri

    In Azri, open Library, tap + in the top-right corner and choose Import. Switch to ANKI (APKG), tap Select APKG file and pick your file.

    To add the cards to a deck you already have, open that deck, tap ⋯ and choose Import instead.

    Download Azri on the App Store

  5. Choose the note type and fields

    Azri lists the note types in the file and how many cards each one holds. Pick one, then set the Question field and the Answer field. For a Basic deck, that’s Front and Back. The first three notes show as a preview, so you can check the mapping.

  6. Review and import

    Every card starts selected. Untick any you don’t want, then tap Import. Cards imported from Library go into a new deck named after the file.

Not sure Azri is for you yet? Read the honest comparison of Azri and AnkiMobile.

What comes over from Anki

Azri’s importer keeps things simple: two fields per note, as plain text. Here’s the detail.

Your card text

The text of the two fields you picked comes over. LaTeX and MathJax math is kept and renders when you study.

A fresh schedule

Anki review history isn’t imported. Every card starts as new, and spaced repetition (FSRS) adapts to you from the first review.

No images or audio yet

Images and sounds are removed from the text. A card whose question or answer was only an image or a sound has nothing left, so it’s skipped.

Plain text only

Bold, colours, lists and line breaks are removed. Tags aren’t imported.

One card per note

Note types that make two cards per note, like Basic (and reversed card), come over as one. You can add a reverse card to any card later in Azri’s card editor.

No cloze cards yet

If you import a Cloze note type, the {{c1::…}} markers stay in the text, and notes with an empty answer field (often Back Extra) are skipped.

Subdecks become one deck

A deck and its subdecks arrive as a single Azri deck. To keep them apart, export each subdeck as its own file.

One note type at a time

If a deck mixes note types, import the file once for each, into the same deck: open it, tap ⋯ and choose Import. Importing the same note type twice adds its cards twice.

Import from a CSV file

CSV is the route for spreadsheets and other flashcard apps. Each row is one card, and the first row holds the column names.

Question,Answer
bonjour,hello
merci,thank you

  1. Prepare the file

    Put column names in the first row and one card per row, with at least two columns. Commas, semicolons and tabs all work: Azri reads the separator from the first row. Save the file as UTF-8. In Excel, choose CSV UTF-8.

  2. Open Import in Azri

    Open Library, tap + and choose Import. CSV is the first tab: tap Select CSV file. Azri accepts .csv, .tsv and .txt files.

  3. Map the columns

    Choose the Question Column and the Answer Column. Rows with an empty question or answer are skipped.

  4. Review and import

    Untick any cards you don’t want and tap Import. As with .apkg files, cards imported from Library go into a new deck named after the file.

Coming from Anki’s plain-text export? Delete any lines at the top that start with #, such as #separator:tab, and add a row of column names. That export can also include HTML, which Azri shows exactly as written in a CSV, so the .apkg route is usually cleaner.

Troubleshooting

Azri imported one card that says “Please update to the latest Anki version”
The file uses Anki’s newer package format, which Azri can’t read yet. Delete the deck Azri just made, export the deck from Anki again with Support older Anki versions ticked, and import the new file.
Can I import my Anki review history?
Not yet. Cards arrive as new cards, whatever you choose for Include scheduling information in Anki. Azri’s spaced repetition (FSRS) starts learning from your first review.
Can I export from AnkiMobile on my iPhone instead?
AnkiMobile’s export saves your whole collection as a .colpkg backup, and Azri opens .apkg deck files only. Sync AnkiMobile with AnkiWeb, sync Anki on a computer, then export the deck there.
Can I import shared decks from AnkiWeb?
Shared decks download as .apkg files, so try one directly: download it in Safari, then choose it from Downloads in Azri’s importer. If you get the “Please update” card, import the deck into Anki on a computer and export it again with Support older Anki versions ticked.
Why are some cards missing after the import?
Azri skips notes whose question or answer field is empty, including cards that held only an image or a sound. Check which fields you picked, or try a different answer field.
Is importing free?
Yes. Importing .apkg and CSV files is part of Azri’s free plan, with no limits on decks or cards.
Still stuck?
Email astemirboziy@gmail.com and attach the file if you can. Azri is made by one developer, and every import problem gets looked at.

Your Anki deck, on your iPhone.

Azri is free on the App Store, and importing is part of the free plan.

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