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Turn your lecture notes into a ready-to-study Anki deck

Upload a PDF, slide deck, text file or photo of a page. DeckOwl reads the material and drafts flashcards with spaced repetition, so you can start studying without typing every card by hand.

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Why generate the cards instead of typing them

Typing every card by hand is where most students stall when they try to work out how to make anki decks from a semester of notes. Generating the cards from your own material removes most of that step, and the cards stay tied to what your instructor actually covered.

  • Works with PDFs, slides, notes and photos of pages
  • Cards follow a spaced repetition schedule
  • Edit or delete any card before you study
  • Export to Anki, PDF, DOCX or CSV on Plus
Example French Revolution flashcards
In what year and month did the storming of the Bastille take place?July 1789, on 14 July. It became a symbol of the revolution's break with royal authority.
What did the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) establish?Individual rights such as liberty, property and resistance to oppression, along with equality before the law.
What was the Tennis Court Oath?A June 1789 pledge by Third Estate deputies not to disband until France had a constitution.
When was the French monarchy abolished and the First Republic declared?September 1792, after the National Convention met. The monarchy ended as the Convention took power.
What was the Reign of Terror?A period from 1793 to 1794 when the Committee of Public Safety used executions to suppress perceived enemies of the republic.
Generate the full set

Upload what you already have

Send PDFs, DOCX or PPTX files, plain notes, or photos of pages. Photos are read with text recognition.

Spaced repetition built in

Cards come back at increasing intervals, so your review time goes to the ones you are about to forget.

Export to Anki on Plus

Plus exports your decks to Anki, along with PDF, DOCX and CSV. The Free plan keeps studying in the browser.

How it works

Upload your material

Add a PDF, slide deck, notes file, or a photo of a textbook page.

Review the generated cards

Check the flashcards and edit any wording that is off before you start studying.

Study or export

Study in the browser on the Free plan, or export to Anki on Plus.

Generated cards still need a quick review. Read each one, fix any term or date that the text recognition got wrong, and delete cards that test trivia rather than the idea you need. Spaced repetition then handles the schedule, so your review sessions stay short.

Once the deck is ready, Plus lets you export it to Anki if you prefer its desktop or mobile app. Free accounts can study the same cards in the browser.

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Frequently asked questions

How many cards should a deck for one French Revolution unit have?

There is no fixed number, but a unit usually works best with a few dozen cards, one per key date, person or idea. Cut any card that tests a detail you would not need on an exam.

How often should I review Anki cards to remember them?

Review daily in short sessions, since spaced repetition works best with frequent, brief reviews. Cards you miss come back sooner, and cards you know are spaced further apart.

Can I export my flashcards to Anki?

Yes, but export to Anki is a Plus feature at $39/year or $7.99/month. The Free plan lets you study in the browser and includes 3 generations per month.

Do I need a credit card to try DeckOwl?

No. You can start on the Free plan without a credit card, and students get 40% off Plus with a school email.

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Review the main ideas visually or practice recalling them.