Export an Anki deck with progress and move it to Polidict

You can move an Anki deck to Polidict without starting your reviews over. To export an Anki deck with progress, save it as an .apkg file with Include scheduling information ticked. That box is the one thing you have to get right. Then open Import from Anki in Polidict and choose the file. Your note fields become words, each deck becomes a group, and your progress comes with them. A word that Anki would have shown you in 12 days is due in Polidict in 12 days too.

What moves to Polidict and what stays in Anki

Your note text, decks and review history come over to Polidict. Media, tags and deck settings stay behind in Anki.

Import works on the web and in the iPhone app, version 1.2.15 or later. The Android app has it too, though Android is still in closed beta.

How to export an Anki deck with progress

To take a deck to another app, export it as an Anki Deck Package: an .apkg file that holds your notes, your cards and, if you ask for it, your review history. Anki only adds that history when Include scheduling information is ticked. Otherwise it treats the file as a deck to share with other people and removes all scheduling information.

On a computer

1. In Anki, open File → Export….

2. Under Export format:, choose Anki Deck Package (.apkg).

3. Under Include:, choose the deck. Its subdecks come with it.

4. Tick Include scheduling information.

5. If you like, untick Include media. Polidict ignores pictures and sounds, and the file is much smaller without them.

6. Confirm the export and save the file.

Here are all six options in the dialog and how to set them for Polidict:

The Anki manual explains every export option.

.apkg vs .colpkg: which file to export

An .apkg with only the deck you need is smaller, and Polidict reads it faster. An Anki Collection Package (.colpkg) works too. It holds your whole collection and always includes scheduling. Polidict lists every deck in it, and you leave out the ones you don't want.

On a phone

• AnkiDroid: long-press the deck and tap Export (AnkiDroid manual). Make sure Include scheduling information is ticked (it is by default).

• AnkiMobile (iPhone): swipe left on the deck to export it. If the export dialog offers a scheduling option, turn it on. If it doesn't, export the whole collection from Add/Export instead (AnkiMobile manual). That file, collection.colpkg, always includes scheduling. When you import it into Polidict, leave out the decks you don't need.

To import on your iPhone, save the file to the Files app, then in Polidict go to Library → + (Add words) → Import a list → Anki and choose it. Or move the file to a computer and import it on the web.

How to import an Anki deck into Polidict

Before you start, sign in and switch Polidict to the language the deck is for. An Anki file doesn't record which language a deck is in, so Polidict adds the words to the language you have selected. You also need to be online, because Polidict saves your progress to your account.

1. Start the import. On the web, go to Import from Anki. In the app, open the Library tab, tap + (Add words), then Import a list and Anki.

2. Choose your file, either .apkg or .colpkg. On the web, Polidict reads the file in your browser and uploads only the words and your progress.

3. Check the fields for each note type, as described below.

4. Go through the decks. Leave out the ones you don't want, or open a deck to change its Group name and preview its words.

5. Look over the summary. It counts the Words and Groups you'll get, plus Cards with progress and Due today.

6. Tap or click Import N words.

If you're moving a lot of decks, try a single small deck first. Import it, open a few of its words and check that the translations and examples landed in the right places and that the next review dates in Learning progress match Anki's. Then import the rest, but check the field roles again when you choose the full file: Polidict doesn't remember them between files. You don't need to leave the test deck out: words that haven't changed are skipped, and if one has changed since, Polidict asks which version to keep.

Polidict saves a large import in batches. If you leave halfway through, the import pauses, and you can finish it when you come back.

Fields: what becomes the word, the translation and the example

You give each field of an Anki note type one role in Polidict. Polidict suggests a role for every field whose name it knows, such as Front/Back, Word/Meaning, Expression/Reading and common names in several languages. When it can't tell what a field holds, the web version marks the note type Check fields. In the app, a note says the field names were guessed and asks you to check them.

Say your "Vocabulary" note type has the fields Word, Translation, Example and Notes. Polidict gives each field the role of the same name, and Notes goes to Note. A note reading "hablar — to speak — Hablo con mi hermana cada domingo." becomes the word hablar, translated as to speak, with that sentence as its example. For Anki's standard "Basic" note type, Front → Word and Back → Translation are all you need.

Polidict also cleans up the text:

• It strips HTML formatting and keeps plain text.

• It moves a part-of-speech or gender label after the word into the note: casa (nf) becomes the word casa, with "nf" in its note. As a result, casa (nf) and casa count as one word when Polidict looks for duplicates.

• It merges notes for the same word into one word with several meanings, up to 10.

Decks become groups

Each deck you select becomes a group named after the deck itself, without its parent decks: Spanish::Verbs becomes the group Verbs. Polidict adds parent deck names only when it needs them to tell two decks apart, or when a name is too short to mean much on its own, such as 2 or A1. Anki's standard "Default" deck is named after the file instead.

• Decks with the same group name share one group. If you already have a group with that name, the words go into it.

• Leave the name empty to add the words without a group.

• The free plan allows 3 groups in total, counting the ones you already have. If the new groups won't fit, Polidict warns you before it imports anything. You can then give several decks the same name, leave some names empty or select fewer decks.

What happens to your Anki progress

When the file contains scheduling information, the Keep my Anki progress switch is on. Your words keep their review history and come due when Anki would have shown them. Turn the switch off to start every word as new.

How Polidict carries your progress over depends on which scheduler your Anki collection used:

In every case Polidict keeps Anki's next review date, so you don't face a pile of reviews on your first day. In the example above, 9 of the 25 words are due today.

Polidict keeps separate progress on each word for each kind of practice. Your Anki cards fill it in like this:

• ordinary cards give progress on Definitions;

• cards where you type the answer give progress on Writing;

• Listening and Speaking start as new, because Anki has no data for them;

• if a note had two cards, forward and reverse, Polidict keeps the progress of the weaker one.

For more on the algorithm itself, see our articles on spaced repetition and FSRS in Polidict.

Anki cloze cards: each gap becomes a word

A cloze note is a sentence with gaps marked {{c1::…}}. Polidict turns each gap into a separate word, and gaps that share a number make one word. Each word's meaning is the sentence with that gap blanked out, as the Anki card showed it. Its example is the full sentence.

The note Ayer {{c1::fui}} al {{c2::mercado::market}}. gives you two words:

The hint (::market) appears in brackets in place of the gap, and Polidict also saves it as a note on the meaning. Image occlusion notes have no text, so Polidict skips them.

Limits, re-importing and other questions

How many words can I import for free?

The free plan holds 100 words and 3 groups. Plus has no limit on words, phrases or groups (see pricing). If a deck doesn't fit on the free plan, Polidict saves as many words as it has room for, then pauses and tells you your account is full. Free up space or upgrade to Plus, and the import picks up where it stopped.

What if I import the same deck again?

You won't get duplicates, because each word remembers which Anki notes it came from. For progress, your most recent review wins. If you've reviewed a word in Anki since the last import, it takes your newer Anki progress. An older export never overwrites newer progress, including progress from your practice in Polidict. If you've edited a word in Polidict since the first import, the import doesn't overwrite it either. It shows a conflict and asks what you want to do.

I exported my deck without "Include scheduling information". What now?

Polidict warns you that the file has no scheduling information, so every word will start as new. Export the deck again with the box ticked and import the new file. Polidict then adds the progress to the words you've already imported, as long as you haven't edited them in Polidict in the meantime.

Are audio and pictures imported?

No. Polidict ignores them, so you can untick Include media when you export. For pronunciation, Polidict plays a recording where it has one and otherwise uses your device's voice.

What's the maximum file size?

The limit is on the database inside the file, not on the file itself. Unpacked, the database can be up to 256 MB in the browser and 512 MB in the iPhone or Android app. It holds your notes, cards and review history. Pictures and sounds don't count towards the limit. If your collection is too big, export just the deck you need as an .apkg.

If Polidict says the file was made by a newer version of Anki, export it again with Support older Anki versions (slower/larger files) ticked.

Summary

• To export an Anki deck with progress, open File → Export…, choose Anki Deck Package (.apkg) and tick Include scheduling information.

• In Polidict, open Import from Anki, check the fields and decks, and leave Keep my Anki progress on.

• Your words, translations, examples and review dates move to Polidict, and your decks become groups. Media, tags and deck settings stay in Anki.

If some of your words live outside Anki, batch import handles spreadsheets and text, and there's a separate guide to importing Memrise courses.