Turn any PDF or slide deck into flashcards on your Mac
Upload your lecture slides, textbook chapters, notes or page photos. DeckOwl drafts flashcards from your own material, then schedules reviews with spaced repetition so you study what you are about to forget.
A flashcard app for Mac that studies from your own material
Most Mac users searching for a flashcard app for Mac want to turn lecture slides or a textbook chapter into cards before an exam, without typing each one by hand.
- Works in any modern Mac browser with no download required
- Reads PDFs, slides, Word files, notes and photos of pages
- Spaced repetition schedules reviews based on what you recall
- Plus adds unlimited generations and export to PDF, DOCX, Anki and CSV
Built from your material
Upload PDF, DOCX, PPTX, plain text notes or a photo of a page. Text recognition reads the page so the cards match what your class actually covered.
Spaced repetition
Cards you miss come back sooner and cards you know come back later, so each study session targets the gaps in your memory.
Runs in your Mac browser
Study in Safari, Chrome or Firefox on your Mac with nothing to install. The free plan includes browser study with 3 generations a month.
How it works
Upload your notes
Drop in a PDF, slide deck, Word file, text notes or a photo of a page from your Mac.
Review the generated cards
Check the flashcards DeckOwl drafts, edit any that are unclear and remove the ones you do not need.
Study on a schedule
Open the deck in your browser and work through the cards that are due. Repeat daily until the exam.
Upload a PDF, DOCX, PPTX, plain notes or a photo of a page, and DeckOwl reads the text and drafts cards from it. You review them, then study with spaced repetition so the cards you find hard come back sooner.
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AI Flashcard Maker for Any Study Material
Turn PDFs, slides, notes and photos into spaced repetition flashcards. Free to start.
AI Flashcard Study App
Turn your PDFs, slides and notes into flashcards with spaced repetition.
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Frequently asked questions
How many flashcards should I make for one chapter?
Start with the key terms, definitions and cause-and-effect relationships in the chapter, usually somewhere between 20 and 40 cards. Cut any card that tests a detail you would never need to recall on an exam.
What is the best way to review flashcards on a Mac?
Review for 15 to 30 minutes most days rather than cramming once. Say the answer aloud or write it out before flipping the card, and let spaced repetition decide when each card returns.
Is there a separate Mac download for DeckOwl?
No. DeckOwl runs in your web browser on a Mac, so there is nothing to install. Free plan users can study in the browser, while exports are part of the paid Plus and Pro plans.
Can I export my flashcards to Anki from a Mac?
Yes, with a Plus or Pro plan you can export to Anki, along with PDF, DOCX and CSV. Free plan users can study in the browser but cannot export.
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