How to Use Anki: THE ULTIMATE BEGINNER'S GUIDE

🦷🧠 Are you new to Anki? Isn't it frustrating? Why is this strange study app praised by so many? Today, I'm giving you my ultimate day 1 guide to anki. I'll show you exactly what you need to know to download, understand, use, and benefit from the flashcard app, Anki. If you have any basic questions about the program and and how to use it, this is the video for you! If you have any additional questions after watching, please leave the in the comments below!
-CONTENTS-
00:00 - Pesky Friends
01:29 - (1) Downloading and Installing
01:56 - (2) The Anki Interface
05:13 - (3) Settings
05:53 - (3a) Default Settings
07:28 - (3b) My Settings
08:25 - (4) Adding Cards
09:33 - (4a) Card Types
11:10 - (4b) Pinning Fields
12:18 - (5) Studying with Anki
13:41 - (6) Add Ons
14:10 - (6a) Recommended Add Ons
14:10 - (6b) How to Add Add Ons
16:49 - (7) Final Thoughts
Thanks for watching the video! If you enjoyed it, please consider liking and subscribing to my channel for more content about how you can turn your dreams of a dental future into reality.
📸 INSTAGRAM: @stephen.p.ray.dentistry
🎙 PODCAST: www.buzzsprout.com/1739741
-MY GEAR-
Camera: Sony A6500
Lens: Sigma 16mm f 1.4
Microphone: Rode VideoMic Pro
Lights: MOUNTDOG Softbox Lighting Kit
Stabilizer: DJI Ronin SC

[@lucasdsiqueira]

This is still relevant in 2024! Downloaded it today and I'm already using it thanks to you. Thanks for the help, brother

[@cherylrajewski3390]

thanks for the simplified video. I watched one med student and he was going so fast like it is so easy. However you slowed it down and made it more understandable. I am a dental hygienist going through respiratory therapy school so that is my interest in the Anki system.

[@gmcenroe]

Thank you Stephen. I am 66 years old , retired research chemist using Anki to study German language along with Duolingo and a few other tools. When I installed it I made the mistake of somehow setting language preference to German, so that took me a little while to change to English, lol. But anyway you got me started now I am looking for some good decks to add to the app. I will also RTFM !Take care!

[@stephenraydentist]

Thank you so much for your comment and support of the video! I love to hear about the different ways that people use anki! All the best to you!

[@tahjegreen]

Man to be completely honest, you are the best dental youtuber I know, definitely enjoy watching your vids. I am a student at the University of Louisiana-Monroe with aspirations of becoming a dentist and your videos provide a lot of useful info and are great quality! Keep it up!

[@stephenraydentist]

Tahje thank you so much for this my friend! I really needed to hear this today, and I want you to know how much I appreciate it!! I know that the pre-dental experience can be very difficult so I hope to always make a positive impact on students like who are going through it! Let me know if there is anything you’d like me to talk about in the future and I will do it!

[@8_61]

Thank you so much Stephen You just made it super easy to use Anki I was expecting the video to be 40+ minutes but you did it in 17+ 🤝

[@stephenraydentist]

Thank you so much for the support and I am happy to help! I wanted to make sure I was very quick and to the point in this video and I didn’t want to take ages to say everything I needed to! Glad to make a valuable video for you!

[@guillef68ac23]

I didn't start using anki two months ago because I just didn't know how to use it and didn't have time to discover it myself. Thanks to this videos I will start using anki everyday since I now know how everything works ans what is is used for. You've got my subscription, thanks.

[@cindysierra6278]

Best ANKI Turorial EVER!!! I just started my USMLE journey and this video has been a blessing after looking how to start using ANKI for 2 weeks! Thank you Stephen.

[@stephenraydentist]

Thank you so much for the comment!! I remember trying to learn how to use it and wishing there was a simple step by step video. So after a few years of using it myself, I put this video together. I’m glad it was helpful!

[@Randoms.tuff1]

This is so relatable! Thank you so much! I use anki for quiz bowl

[@davitjanashia9344]

Thanks so much! Your video was really helpful. Appreciate it!

[@TheInternetFan]

this. is. GOLD!! Thank you for sharing for free doc!

[@rbellamy804]

Very informative video, learned some very useful stuff. Thanks!

[@morpheusspirit6609]

Absolutely brilliant!! Thank you.

[@curasvitas96]

Thank you for this! I knew about Anki but this is my first time to use it for myself and you are absolutely right, I was intimidated with the app. I am very glad to watch your video first. Your talking speed was a bit fast for me but it is because I am not a native English speaker. Once I slowed it down to 0.75x, I was able to follow your walk through nicely. Your video has been such a great help!

[@stephenraydentist]

That is so great to hear!! I’m sorry that I’m a fast talker, but I’m glad you were able to slow it down and understand! Thanks so much for watching and happy studying 🧠

[@viddoditto]

Great video! Thank you for your work! I used to be a moderator of the medical school anki subreddit (Wildcard Workflow)! I'm making an anki deck for the Family Medicine community (Famki) now and I'll share your vids with a family member of mine interested in applying for dental school!

[@sharib104]

Thank you, this was very helpful!

[@OHHnoYOUdidntMAN]

I'm using Anki for learnign Spanish & Brazilian Portuguesep; I'm a complete beginner for anki so thank you very much, this helped TONS

[@stephenraydentist]

Thanks for the comment, and I'm so happy to help! Best of luck with your learning!

[@lenabottger6474]

This video came out perfect in time, I just started my first year of dental school on Monday (studying in Germany) 🦷

[@stephenraydentist]

Awesome!! So happy to help with a video! I wish you the best of luck with dental school and I hope you have a wonderful and fruitful 4 years!

[@lenabottger6474]

@@stephenraydentist thank you!! :))

[@sbragai]

New suscriber right here, this was just what I needed. Thank you, Stephen.

[@stephenraydentist]

Thanks for being here and thanks for subscribing! So happy to help!

[@jubalinifull]

Great video, very clear introduction to Anki

[@sophiae515]

Thank you for making this!! I downloaded Anki MONTHS ago but I never figured out how to use it properly, and this vid is easy to follow! I'll be playing around with Anki more, but this was a super helpful beginner's tutorial. I'm studying for my Board exams in a couple of months (wish me luck!!)

[@stephenraydentist]

BEST OF LUCK!! Thanks for the comment and support! I'm so happy to hear this video was helpful for you, and I hope it carries you through your studying to success!

[@TimHalvorson]

Studying for architecture exams and learning French. Thanks for confirming people actually use this app! Was super worried about viruses since the splash page for the download seemed like something from 1960. Cheers!

[@stephenraydentist]

That’s such a good point!! It really does feel old school but once you start using it, that old school feel is actually appreciated because it’s just simple. Thanks for watching and for your support!

[@McStebb]

Starting out as a student pilot on my way to earning my PPL... This tool looks like it could help me a lot. Thanks for the presentation.

[@stephenraydentist]

I’m certain it can!! Thanks for the comment and best of luck with your studies!

[@esraatawfik7010]

Thank you so much. I have learned a lot from this video

[@stephenraydentist]

So happy to help, and thank you for your comment!

[@arichuka204]

thank you, it's helpful video to use Anki

[@ayapapaya5383]

CAN I SAY I WATCHED 100 ANKI VIDEOS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT. AFTER WATCHING UR VIDEO IM A PRO AT IT😭😭😭😭THANK YOU!!!!!! THIS'll DEFINETLY HELP WITH MY ANATOMY LAB PRACTICALS WITH THE LABELING & HIDING NAMES

[@stephenraydentist]

I’m so pumped to hear this!! I was trying to make this video as straightforward as possible and I’m glad I did!

[@docsnuggles]

Great video, very sympathetic guy!

[@sherryroth4453]

Never heard of Anki until today...found your video, much appreciated for the info. Just wanted to say, you misspelled cumulative LOL ;) ♥Best of luck in your dental school journey!

[@user-vt8ij9lb2g]

Stephan, thank you for this great video. Do you know where I can find cards for the DAT? There are plenty of could decks for the MCAT but I have not found any specifically for the DAT. THANK YOU

[@mishellhy]

Such a relatable intro.

[@tasnimalkeskas1570]

I don't understand why youre channel doesn't have many subscribers🙃💔 Thanks very much for the video🧡

[@stephenraydentist]

Thank you so much for this comment it really means the world to me!! I think it is all part of the process of growing! Everyone has to start somewhere but I do hope the channel will take off in the future so that I have the chance to reach more good people like you!

[@pardieupopper339]

Good info, Stephen. You do need to revisit and edit especially regarding add-on.

[@susanlarmour]

I know this post is from a year ago but I'll say anyway. Why you gave a very good tour of what Ali's about what I can't seem to find anywhere is an actual step-by-step "this is how to do it" video. I was really hoping that that's what this was

[@kahinatidjet5267]

Thank you 👍

[@stephenraydentist]

You are welcome! Thank you!!

[@thelearningmachine5740]

This is a great video, but... 12:55 I still don't completely understand the buttons (Again 1m, Hard 10m, 1d, 4d) Thank you for making this video!

[@repairstudio4940]

Haha just found Anki via a guy that's in my field. Glad I found this video! Liked and subbed!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 I saw the UT app when you were opening apps in this video, you a UT student? I too am from TN, MTSU was my alumni, my kiddo is a UT student however....anyways....just curious. 🙂

[@stephenraydentist]

Thanks for watching, commenting, and subscribing! I genuinely appreciate it! I am currently a 4th year dental student at UTHSC in Memphis, and I'm graduating in just 2 months. I did my undergrad at UTK. Massive Vol fan over here!

[@repairstudio4940]

@@stephenraydentist Thank YOU. Great content. Look forward to more :-)

[@repairstudio4940]

@@stephenraydentist Memphis, I love visiting the Peabody hotel and the amazing Outdoor World, and of course all the Elvis attractions. I was there last year when I filmed in the movie Till in Mississippi. Wish you the best.

[@EricEllis-nv2yz]

Great instruction. Can I save a flashcard as a pdf to print?

[@LLLL00001]

Thank you for this informative video! If I were to be confident in a question and would select 'easy' and only be able to see the card the next day, is there a way to view the cards even if you can not see it until anki makes it show up?

[@anabramute9671]

Thank you so much for explaining: PA-S 😅💕

[@KironKabir]

do add-ons implemented on my mac mini get moved over to my ipad anki app? for example, the heatmap, king of buttons, etc

[@doctorcheerio]

Even after using anki for a few years I still get something out of these anki tutorials. If you don't mind me asking how are you mainly studying now as you finish up d2 year since you said you don't use anki as much as you used to in d1 year? I've always supplemented anki with note taking or tables and mind webs on paper or an ipad alongside anki in undergrad so are you doing something similar or what are your thoughts on your study methods for d2?

[@stephenraydentist]

Thanks for the comment, Daniel!! I appreciate it brother! I really have just been using a lot of RemNote this semester. I still prefer Anki because of how reliable and simplistic the app can be. RemNote still gives me issues from time to time. But I really love the organization system of RemNote and so I have been using it more than Anki this semester! D2 is just a grind man. It is the same amount of school heavy work with more lab work and all of it is months away from actually treating live patients which can be frustrating! In general my study methods are the same. It is just all about finding the discipline and motivation.

[@pb4224]

Very useful video. I do have a question about an Anki problem I have. Whenever I try to sync ankidroid to ankiweb it says collection not opened, I have tried a variety of different things to fix it, but the problem won't go away. Do you know a solution?

[@weneedphilosophy]

thank you

[@stephenraydentist]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@Msdwan23]

ISTG I have been confused it’s been sitting on my iMac for 3 months now because I am clueless as what to do with it😩thanks for this information

[@716Mileschan]

I like to the video so much.

[@marcelguzman4497]

Great video man. I am a 19-year-old active duty marine and my lifelong dream is to practice medicine as an oral surgeon. I have watched all of your videos and they have been super informative. Do you have any advice for college students that have recently started college when looking at such a long path?

[@stephenraydentist]

Marcel thank you so much for the comment my friend! It’s so awesome to hear how dedicated you are to that dream and it makes me excited for you!! You may have seen this video but in this video I discuss the specifics of the path to dental school through college! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKq3hKmIpL2qfrs other than that just take it one day at a time! It’s easy to get caught up in the big picture and to feel swamped by how much school you have left so you don’t want to do that! Take each day as it comes shoot for A’s in absolutely every class you touch and you will be just fine my friend!!

[@18flash]

good video, question, is there a way to remove the daily limit on reviewing a card deck. example, when I get through a deck, there are no more cards left. I would like to review the deck again but the "New Cards" indication is at "0" so I can't review the same deck on that day. can anyone help? I tried increasing the limit to 9999.

[@TheMovieDetective13]

It seems that AnkiPro (2.1) on my Mac mini 1 is not compatible (will not sync) with my Anki app on my iPad Pro, nor with anki web. The iPad anki app is compatable (will sync) with the web version. So the choice is if I use the iPad app, then I don’t need the desktop 2.1 version because they are not compatible (will not sync). 🤷🏼‍♂️ (or am I wrong?)

[@kaykysales7116]

guys, somebody find the "Ali's config" ? :/

[@mariekemema]

hi, thank you. My problem is that I add cards but they are not stored. What do I do wrong. The first 50 names went well and now it is not entering the deck. Thanks

[@0seunggf]

please reply ! how do i get my cards back ????? like i created keyterms card and pressed through study and review and it says congrats uve finished your deck and now theyre gone😢 do i have to wait for them to come back ?? i want to study them continuously

[@iforgetmyname3073]

Thx bro 🫡🫡

[@user-jg4vg9ex3d]

Thank you for your tutorial. I don't have the red, orange green little round dot that you have. They are in the upper left-hand corner. How do I turn them on and or how do I get that on my toolbar? Thanks. I'm using Anki Version ⁨23.10.1 (fac9e0ee)⁩ Python 3.9.15 Qt 6.6.0 PyQt 6.6.0

[@Guacamole44479]

With respect to the graduating interval, you noted, "after you got a card right or wrong." My default Anki has a scale (1-->4). I presume the right and wrong correspond to the "easy" and "hard" default settings of many Anki decks? Thx for the clarification :)

[@tiomoidofangle102]

Well worth it.😁

[@stephenraydentist]

Thank you SO VERY MUCH, my friend!!

[@mehdihoseini-ul4bz]

thank's

[@stephenraydentist]

Very welcome!

[@Jarcik01]

Hello I am using Anki on android for checking my memory on korean words which I am learning. Thank you for your tutorial. Actually I am looking for way to this flow: 1. go throught the deck in one way font/back 2. go throunght the deck in other way back/font Goal is to get check the words in both translation direction. Is there any EASY way to do this insted of creating it manually both ways? Thank you in advance. Happy day to you!

[@drakis27]

Can you only put information on one side of the card?

[@shadyr.khairy6611]

thanks

[@stephenraydentist]

You’re welcome!

[@hannahB29]

How do i see words that I already finished review I want to review it though everyday together with new words, how do i do that?

[@miraatari781]

Hey man this video was very helpful. I have one problem though. Whenever I study all my cards in the deck, they seem to disappear and I lose them. Can you please help me?

[@stephenraydentist]

Thanks for the question! This is because once you study all of the cards in a deck for a day, Anki schedules them to reappear in the following days. If you want to study them multiple times on the same day, study through them once, then click custom study, then choose "study by card state or tag", then "all cards in random order (don't reschedule)". That will allow you to study all those cards again without messing with the scheduling that anki has set up for you!

[@miraatari781]

@@stephenraydentist THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@user-cb4zn6ns7d]

i'm newbie , when i press "study now" i get message "no cards are due yet" so i need to reload them some how? hard to find this topic maybe i'm doing something wrong?

[@stephenraydentist]

Assuming there are cards in your deck, go to the deck in your decks page, and then select the browse option. In browse, you will automatically be browsing the cards in the deck you have selected. Then just hit command + A to select all of the cards in the deck. After that you can right click on any of the selected cards and you’ll see some options. One of those will be reschedule the cards and you can select to set them as new cards. You could also hit command + J until all of the cards turn yellow and then comman + A and command +J again which will set them all up as new cards again!

[@deathitself100]

You know when you add a link to the video in the video, people dont see it if they have an addblocker running. At least the on I use doesn't let me see them.

[@ValentinGao]

How do you rearrange your decks/subdecks? The alphabetic order doesn't suit me

[@andriesensei]

Can you add audio. I learn languages and what to hear the pronunciation.

[@lizmikols2075]

I'm 73, with she as a pronoun. My go-to at school (from middle school through grad school) was flash cards. They're how I mastered organic chem, calculus, German and all that great stuff. I'm now learning Spanish. With your video, I'm ready to put those index cards in the recycle bin and use ANKI. Within 2 or 3 minutes of your video, I realized that ANKI is Brilliant. This newbie thanks you for a clear presentation.

[@garrydye2394]

I'm she as a pronoun. God help us.

[@ahmadutyakapeanutusa6135]

As if there is another option for you to get another pronoun, lmao

[@marukosu480]

@@garrydye2394saying “I’m a woman”, is wrong now? 😭

[@ronaldoplay3911]

I didn’t get it: Are you a woman or a man that thinks he is a woman ? Srry

[@Dian-rb5ur]

@@garrydye2394 absolutely. Does anyone care about the pronoun??!! Why write it in a comment about anki

[@monikaradecka7061]

My Anki is completely different. I have no access to Browse and take any decks from others. I cannot find any Decks from others. I don't understand how it is working...My Anki does not work like and don't look like that...

[@secretariatgirl4249]

Well, my ANKI 2.1.49 (Windows) doesn't look anything like yours when I open up the app. The fields are totally different...Sigh.

[@stephenraydentist]

This is because the card type is different! When you go to add a new card, there is an option at the top to select different card types. That is why the fields are different!

[@StuartWoodwardJP]

Great tutorial. By the way, the name Anki comes from the Japanese word 暗記 (memorization) that rhymes with hanky rather than wonky. 😅

[@stephenraydentist]

I had literally no idea! So I’ve been saying it wrong all along! Thanks for the comment!

[@NO1xANIMExFAN]

anki (sorta) rhymes with wonky. but it definitely does NOT rhyme with hanky though lol. source: i speak japanese, but if you don't want to take my word for it, google 暗記 発音 for the pronunciation of how its said in japanese. closer to wonky than hanky for sure

[@michalS-]

Im team notion toggles :D

[@heyariwhatsup]

Why is there soo many different Anki flash card apps… I’m confused

[@stephenraydentist]

There is only one Anki flashcard app!

[@DavidPaulNewtonScott]

I am convined I am not going to do it I will just stick to my pimsleur.

[@neptunitenumber4655]

Didn't know Christian Bale is now a dentist

[@stephenraydentist]

LMFAO!!!

[@LeeB1027]

So this was the first tutorial I watched. My 2 cents: Several problems: 1) I don't have a command button. I have no idea what it does. Not everyone has a Mac. So I had to try a bunch of different combos, and search for a compatible alternative. I unfortunately found conflicting information, so it was a lot of trial and error hitting buttons to get the cloze thing to work. Then, you don't really say what the cloze does, or what it looks like after you enter it. I had to make several cards in order to figure this out, bc your video did nothing to explain the second half of the process -- to use the cloze. Why is this the ONLY kind of deck you recommend? 2) you don't even talk about a basic deck, or the fields, which you also promised to 3) (and this was the first problem encountered) you don't even tell us how to start a deck. You immediately say to go open your deck to add a new card 4) the great thing about flash cards is you can use both sides. however, you don't show us that BASIC funtion, how to be able to get two cards out of reversing one, instead of having to type out 2 different cards :( This is a somewhat helpful video, but in no way is it for Beginners, and definitely not Ultimate (which usually means it's comprehensive). This video is in no way comprehensive, and omits many of the basic functions in reviewing, as well as creating anki cards.

[@harshanahar]

0:35 And you wasted my half of a minute Talking about what I did Lol

[@danielvso]

Anki is very good... WHEN it works properly. If anything doesn't works well, you will never find the solution for the problem. Never, nowhere. If you are lucky, it will come back. I'm not.

[@user-xj7ht3eq9i]

I am flabergasted

[@niamhhopkins1193]

BKJJIIÀ

[@CrankCase08]

Way too much info for beginners. My eyes just glazed over with boredom. It doesn't help when a different interface is used either.

[@stephenraydentist]

Sorry the video wasn’t helpful for you! I work to be better next time!

[@rockymntdan1]

I just want to simply study a stack of cards. I don't need software to tell me when I don't know something! Talk about making something simple so freakin complex. If you need an app to tell you when you don't know something, you might as well give up and live homeless.