How to Import Your Anki Deck to the Web (Without Losing Media)

You've spent months — maybe years — building the perfect Anki deck. Thousands of cards, custom audio clips, images, maybe even cloze deletions woven into a system that actually works for your brain. The last thing you want is to migrate somewhere new and discover half your cards are broken, images are missing, and the audio is gone.

This guide walks through exactly how to move your Anki decks to a web-based spaced repetition app without losing a single file.

Why People Move Away from Anki (Despite Loving It)

Anki is genuinely powerful. The SM-2 spaced repetition algorithm it uses is backed by decades of memory research, and the community has built an enormous library of shared decks. It's free. It works.

But Anki was designed in a different era of software. Its desktop interface hasn't aged gracefully, syncing across devices requires AnkiWeb (which has its own quirks), the mobile apps feel like ports rather than native experiences, and there's no Apple Watch app — something increasingly relevant for people who want to squeeze study sessions into small moments during the day.

So people look for alternatives. The question is always: can I bring my cards with me?

The .apkg Format: Anki's Export Standard

When you export a deck from Anki, it produces a .apkg file. This is essentially a zip archive containing:

A SQLite database with all your card data (fronts, backs, tags, scheduling info)
A media folder containing all audio files, images, and any other attachments

The good news: .apkg has become a de facto standard. Most serious flashcard apps that position themselves as Anki alternatives support it as an import format. The bad news: not all of them handle the media part correctly. Many apps import the card text just fine but silently drop the audio and images, leaving you with blank spaces where your carefully curated media used to be.

What to Look for in an Anki-Compatible Web App

Before you migrate, verify these things about any app you're considering:

1. Full .apkg import, including media Ask explicitly or look for documentation that confirms audio and images are preserved, not just card text. Some apps will cheerfully tell you they "support Anki import" while only importing the text fields.

2. Cloud storage for media On a web app, your media files need to live somewhere. The app should upload them to cloud storage (like S3 or equivalent) and serve them inline during study sessions — not expect you to re-upload them manually.

3. SM-2 or equivalent algorithm If you're moving from Anki, you've been using SM-2. Make sure the destination app uses the same (or a compatible) algorithm. Otherwise your carefully calibrated scheduling intervals will reset, and you'll be reviewing cards you've already mastered.

4. Scheduling data preservation This is the one most people forget to ask about. Even if your cards import correctly, does the app preserve your review history — which cards are new, which are learning, which are mature? If not, you're starting from scratch algorithmically even if the content looks right.

Step-by-Step: Exporting from Anki

On Anki Desktop

Open Anki and go to the deck you want to export
Click the gear icon next to the deck name → Export
In the export dialog:
- Set Export format to "Anki Deck Package (.apkg)"
- Check Include media — this is the critical checkbox
- Decide whether to include scheduling information (recommended if the destination app supports it)
Click Export and save the .apkg file somewhere you'll find it

For Multiple Decks

If you have a collection of decks you want to move, you can export your entire collection at once: go to File → Export from the main Anki window, and select "All Decks" as the source. This produces a single .apkg containing everything.

Importing into a Web App

The exact steps vary by app, but the general flow is:

Log into the web app
Find the import option (usually in a sidebar, dashboard, or settings area)
Select your .apkg file
Wait for the upload and processing to complete — this can take a few minutes for large decks with lots of media
Verify a few cards to confirm images and audio are present

One thing to watch: large .apkg files (with lots of audio especially) can be slow to upload on a standard internet connection. A 500MB deck with thousands of audio clips might take 10–15 minutes. Don't close the browser tab while it's processing.

Importing into Repetrax

Repetrax supports full .apkg import with media. Here's the specific flow:

From your Repetrax dashboard, click Import in the sidebar
Choose Anki (.apkg)
Drop your file or click to browse
Repetrax uploads the media to cloud storage automatically — audio and images render inline during study sessions on web, with iPhone support coming soon
Your deck appears in your library, ready to study

The SM-2 algorithm Repetrax uses is compatible with Anki's. Note that scheduling data (intervals, ease factors) is not preserved on import — cards start fresh in the scheduler — but all card content and media carry over intact.

What Doesn't Transfer (And What To Do About It)

Even with a clean import, some things are Anki-specific and won't survive the move:

Custom card templates / note types Anki's highly customizable note types and HTML card templates are specific to Anki. Most web apps use their own simpler card formats. Your content will transfer, but complex layouts may be simplified.

Add-on functionality Anki's ecosystem of add-ons (plugins) is powerful and Anki-specific. Things like extra scheduling algorithms, custom study sessions, or filtered decks driven by add-ons won't have equivalents in web apps.

Filtered decks Anki's filtered decks (created with custom search queries) are a desktop-side concept. They won't transfer as-is.

The workaround: Before exporting, do a final review pass and flatten anything complex into standard note formats. For filtered decks, export the source deck and recreate any study focus through the new app's native tools.

A Note on Scheduling Information

Some apps can import Anki's scheduling data (interval, ease factor, due date) along with the cards. Others reset everything to "new." This matters a lot if you have mature cards — cards you've reviewed dozens of times and that are correctly scheduled months into the future. Losing that data means re-reviewing everything from scratch.

If scheduling preservation matters to you, test it with a small export first. Export 20 cards with known scheduling, import them, and check what state they're in.

Is It Worth Migrating?

That depends on what's frustrating you about Anki. If it's purely the interface and lack of a good web or Apple Watch experience, yes — migrating is worth the one-time effort. You do it once, and you're free.

If you have a massive, heavily customized collection built on complex note types and add-ons, weigh that against what you'll gain. You might consider running both in parallel — keeping Anki for your most complex decks and using a web app for new decks going forward.

The Short Version

Export from Anki using File → Export, choosing .apkg format with Include media checked
Choose a web app that explicitly supports media in .apkg imports, not just card text
Verify a few cards after import to confirm audio and images loaded correctly
Understand that custom templates and filtered decks won't transfer, but your card content and (in most apps) scheduling data will

Your years of work building Anki decks aren't wasted just because you're moving apps. The content is yours — it just needs the right import path to follow you.

Repetrax is a web-based spaced repetition app with full Anki .apkg import support including media. Try it free →