Anki - getting started

Anki is a powerful tool for language learning. In this blog post I will cover how you get started with Anki and what you need to understand when using Anki.

The topics for this article are the following:

  • Installing Anki on your computer.

    • Installing Anki - PC version

    • Installing Anki - Mac version

  • Creating an Anki account.

  • Installing Anki on your phone and synchronizing your phone with your computer.

  • How to work with pre made decks, and how to work with the decks that you can download from this site under Resources->Anki decks.

  • Basic principles when working with Anki.

  • Some other useful resources when working with Anki.

    Installing Anki on your computer

    PC version

    1. Go to: https://apps.ankiweb.net/ and click on the big blue "Download" button.

    2. Click "Windows" as your compatible platform.

    3. Click the blue button which says "Download Anki for Windows Vista/7/8/10 (2.0.48)".

    4. A pop-up will appear asking you to save the file on your computer. Click “Save File” and save the installer to your desktop or downloads folder.

    5. Once the download is complete, double click on the installer to run it. A popup will prompt you to install Anki. Click install. Anki will be installed on your computer. The installation file could also be found in your download folder and should be named something like anki-x.x.xx-windows.exe. Run that file, and click install.

    Mac version

    1. Go to: https://apps.ankiweb.net/

    2. Click "Mac" as your compatible platform and then click the blue button which says ““Download Anki for Mac OS X 10.xx…”. The installation file will now be downloaded to your download folder and it will be named something like anki-x.x.xx-mac.dmg.

    3. Open the file that you just downloaded by dubbel clicking it.

    4. Drag the Anki icon into your Applications folder. Then you shall be able to run the Anki program.

    Creating an Anki account

    1. Open Anki on your computer. if you followed the previous instruction it should already be installed.

    2. Click on the Sync-button in Anki. If you are connected to the internet you should get an “Account Required” popup.

    3. If you don’t already have an Anki account you can now press “sign up” to create a free account.

    4. On the AnkiWeb sign up page you will be asked for your email address and a chosen password.

    5. After you have put in your details and accepted the Anki conditions you shall receive an email to complete your AnkiWeb sign up. When the confirmation is done you have an active AnkiWeb account that you can use to synchronize your Anki decks between your computer and telephone.

    6. If you now open Anki on your computer and click the Sync button (as in point one above) you can now link your AnkiWeb account that you just created with the Anki program that is installed on your computer”

Installing Anki on your phone and synchronizing your phone with your computer.

  • Download Anki to your Iphone or Android phone. For Iphone the app to search for is AnkiMobile Flashcards. For Android it’s called AnkiDroid Flashcards. The iPhone version is unfortunately not free, but it’s worth the money.

  • When you have downloaded and opened the app Click “Synchronize” at the bottom right corner. This will prompt you for your AnkiWeb account from previous steps.

How to work with pre made decks.

There are several ways to import pre made decks. Here I will show how to import the decks that you can download from this site under Resources->Anki decks. This instruction is how you first download them to your computer, so that you can later sync them to your phone.

  1. Download the deck to your computer by clicking the link on this site under Resources->Anki decks. When clicking the link the file will be placed in your Downloads folder. If you see the file ending it should be .apkg with the type Anki deck package or Anki File.

  2. Start the Anki program on your computer and chose File->Import. Then chose the file that you just downloaded and press Open and after a while Close. Now you will see that the deck is imported to Anki on your computer.

  3. To sync this deck to your AnkiWeb press Sync and choose “Upload to AnkiWeb”.

  4. If you now open Anki on your phone and press Sync you shall have this deck synchronized to your phone as well.

Basic principles when working with Anki.

Anki is a spaced repetition system(SRS). Anki can be seen as a way to memorise and transform short term memory into long term memory. Anki is therefore not the ideal method for short term memorisation but rather as a way of working with repetions at optimal intervals to retain knowledge for the long term.

As told Anki can be somewhat confusing when you start working with it, so here comes some tips to get going with Anki:

  • Try to make Anki a habit, so that you try to accomplish a number of cards or a certain time of Anki studying each day. That way the Anki algoritms will work for you and not against you. If you want to change the number of cards to study each day you can do so. On the computer you click the gear icon at right of the deck and choose Options. Under New cards you can change the number of new cards per day. Under Reviews you can set the Maximum number of reviews per day. The change you do this way will affect all decks(if you want different settings for different decks you can work with Options group).

  • If you want to study more when you are done with your cards for the day you can do so by choosing Custom Study, without changing the basic parameters.

  • Under the option setting you also have a setting if you want to “Bury related reviews…” If this is clicked Anki will bury related cards until the next day. For example if you have already translated “A woman” to “En Kvinna” you will not be asked to do the reverse translation the same day.

  • To get going and also to change the parameters it might be easier to do so on your computer. But when you start feeling comfortable with the settings and the functionality it’s probably more convenient to do the daily repetitions on your phone or tablet.

  • Don’t split your cards in too many decks. It’s better to have one big deck for Swedish and doing repetions on that each day than splitting them up into smaller decks where you easily loose track of your cards and repetions.

Anki some useful resources

Tutorial for beginners by Al Kahn

Skillshare course by Ali Abdaal. Skillshare is a paid learning platform. However there are many ways to get a free trial period.

The Ankweb introduction page