Export your flashcards from the app that currently holds them, keep an untouched copy of the export somewhere separate, and check what it contains before importing it elsewhere. Export formats vary: a file may preserve card text but omit media or review scheduling, and an import may merge with or replace a destination collection. Keep the original account and backup until you have verified the new collection.
What to check before you export
There is no universal flashcard file that reliably carries every card, image, sound, formatting choice, and review record between apps. What you can export depends on the source app, the deck’s ownership, and sometimes your account plan. Check both the source’s export options and the destination’s current import support before changing or deleting anything.
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- Ownership: Identify which account owns each deck. A set copied from someone else may have different export restrictions.
- What matters in the deck: List the text, formatting, images, audio, and scheduling or review history you want to retain.
- Import behavior: Find out whether the destination will merge cards, create duplicates, or replace existing content.
What the major apps export
| App | Eligibility and export format | What to know before switching |
|---|---|---|
| Anki | Offers plain-text notes and packaged exports such as .apkg and .colpkg. |
A collection package can include scheduling information and media when the relevant export options are selected. Plain text is useful for card content, but is not a full collection backup. |
| AnkiMobile | Collection transfer uses a collection.colpkg file. |
Importing replaces the collection already on the device; it does not merge separate changes made in two locations. |
| Quizlet | Creators can export their own sets from the website as copied text with terms and definitions arranged as selected. | Copied sets cannot be exported through this workflow, image exports are unavailable, and the export is not a full media archive. Export is website-only, according to Quizlet’s export instructions. |
| Brainscape | Deck export is available to Pro users; its help guidance describes files that can be opened in Excel, including CSV or text workflows. | Moving cards may involve manual conversion and import steps rather than a one-click transfer. Check current plan eligibility and import tools in Brainscape’s backup guidance and migration guidance. |
How to make a safe backup
- Identify the source and owner. Check which app account contains each deck and whether you created it or copied it from another user.
- Export using the most complete available option. In Anki, choose a packaged export when you need a collection backup; select media and scheduling options if those matter. The Anki Manual’s export guide distinguishes plain-text notes from packaged exports. It describes a packaged deck as containing cards, notes, note types, and any sounds or images bundled in the file.
- Protect versions that differ. If devices or profiles contain different changes, back up each one before resolving a sync conflict or choosing an overwrite. Anki’s syncing guidance advises backing up before conflict resolution. Do not assume a sync or import will preserve both sets of changes.
- Keep the export unchanged and separate. Save the original file, then make a second copy in another storage location. An offline USB drive is optional; it is not required to complete a backup.
- Inspect the files. Confirm that the expected cards are present and, where applicable, check formatting, images, audio, and scheduling data. Do not infer that a file contains media or review history simply because the cards’ text is visible.
- Test the destination safely. Review the destination’s current import formats and try a small copy if practical. Check whether the operation merges, duplicates, or replaces content before importing a full deck or collection.
- Verify before retiring the source. Compare the imported collection with your backup and keep the old account and export until the destination is checked.
App-specific cautions
Anki: choose the export for the job
Anki’s plain-text export separates fields with tabs and can carry card content into tools that accept that format. It is not equivalent to a complete collection backup. Packaged exports ending in .apkg or .colpkg can include media and scheduling information depending on the options chosen; check those options rather than assuming they are enabled. See the Anki Manual.
Take care with a full collection package: Anki warns that importing a .colpkg deletes the current cards and replaces them with the cards from that package. Back up the collection you are importing into first, especially if it may contain changes not present in the package.
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AnkiMobile: collection transfer replaces, not merges
The AnkiMobile transfer instructions use a collection.colpkg file. Importing it replaces the collection on the device and does not combine separate changes made in two locations. Bring recent changes together before transferring, and retain a backup of the collection being replaced. Details are in the AnkiMobile Collection Transfer manual.
Quizlet: export depends on authorship
Quizlet’s documented website workflow is for sets you created: open the set, choose Export, select how terms and definitions should be arranged, then copy the text. The help page says copied sets cannot be exported and image exports are unavailable. This gives you text to work with, not a complete archive of every set element. Follow the current Quizlet export instructions; the documented workflow is website-only.
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Brainscape: expect a file-based migration
Brainscape’s help pages describe deck export for Pro users and file-based workflows using CSV or text, with manual conversion sometimes needed to import into another platform. Check current eligibility and interface steps in the backup article and migration article. If material came from another study community, respect the applicable terms of service and copyright.
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Card text is often the easiest element to carry over, but a text export does not establish that images, audio, formatting, or review scheduling will transfer. Even when the source package includes these elements, the destination must be able to import them. Confirm the actual export and destination behavior before relying on a transfer for study continuity.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Rank #3
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- Media: Verify that image and audio files are present and that the destination can associate them with the right cards.
- Formatting: Check representative cards after import for lost layout or field formatting.
- Scheduling and history: Do not expect review dates or study history to carry between different apps unless the destination explicitly supports them.
- Collection structure: Confirm how decks, notes, and duplicate cards map into the new app.
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