How to use Anki: a beginner guide from installation to daily reviews

Published September 1, 2026 · DeckLearn Editorial Team · United States edition

If Anki feels complicated at first, ignore most advanced settings. The basic workflow is simple: install the app, get cards into a deck, try to recall the answer, reveal it, grade your memory, and come back when Anki schedules the next review.

1. Install Anki on the device you use most

Desktop Anki is useful for organizing and importing large decks. Android users can study with AnkiDroid, while iPhone and iPad users can use AnkiMobile. AnkiWeb connects the ecosystem by synchronizing your collection between devices.

2. Create a deck or import one

You can create cards manually or import a ready-made .apkg deck. If you are learning a language, a ready-made deck can save preparation time, while personal cards are useful for vocabulary and phrases from your own classes, travel, reading or conversations.

See our Anki decks guide for choosing and importing decks.

3. Understand what happens during a review

1. Read the front of the card.
2. Try to answer from memory before revealing the back.
3. Reveal the answer and compare it with your recall.
4. Choose the review button that best describes how well you remembered.
5. Move to the next card.

Trying to answer before seeing the back is the active-recall part. The interval until the card returns is the spaced-repetition part.

4. What do Again, Hard, Good and Easy mean?

The buttons tell Anki about the quality of your recall. Do not choose a button just because you want a particular future interval. Grade what actually happened in memory. We explain the buttons in detail in Again, Hard, Good, Easy.

5. Start with a manageable number of new cards

New cards are easy to underestimate because their future reviews have not arrived yet. Start with a number that fits your daily schedule and reduce new material if reviews begin to pile up.

6. Synchronize if you use multiple devices

AnkiWeb lets your study history move between desktop and mobile devices. A safe habit is to sync before switching devices and again after finishing a session.

7. Keep cards clear

Good cards ask one clear question. For languages, short sentences with audio and translation can provide more useful context than isolated word pairs. For technical subjects, avoid stuffing multiple independent facts into a single prompt.

8. Use FSRS without overcomplicating it

FSRS is a modern scheduling option available in Anki. Beginners do not need to understand its mathematics. The most important habits remain the same: review consistently, grade honestly and control the flow of new cards. Read Anki FSRS explained if you want the details.

9. A realistic daily Anki routine

1. sync your collection;
2. complete due reviews;
3. add or study a manageable number of new cards;
4. stop when the planned study block is finished;
5. sync again if another device will be used later.

10. How to use Anki specifically for language learning

For language study, use cards that repeatedly expose you to high-value sentences and audio. Say the answer aloud when useful. Notice patterns in word order and grammar. The goal is not only to recognize a translation but to make useful language easier to retrieve.