Anki or Quanta Study: which route fits your needs?
| Your need | Our recommendation | Essential condition |
|---|---|---|
| Import and review text flashcards in a browser | Quanta Study | Regular import requires a paid plan; study history starts anew |
| Extend an existing Anki set and its note types | Anki | Check field mapping and existing-note handling first |
| Transfer questions and answers only | Either route | The preview must show complete pairs |
| Keep existing Anki templates with your own fields | Anki | Check your note type; this Quanta route reads two text columns |
| Avoid paid Quanta file import | This Quanta route does not fit | The limited Starter onboarding sample is not regular free import |
Anki's documented note and template model supports the recommendation for existing custom fields. Our small example uses Basic, with a front and a back. Anki concepts
Export NotebookLM flashcards
The current help for NotebookLM by Google documents a native CSV download. An extension is not required for that download. Publisher restrictions can prevent downloads involving Play Books sources. Google help
Keep the original export untouched and work on a copy. Open the copy as a table and identify the columns containing questions and answers. The help does not specify the column layout. Our example below is a file we created for checking an import. Rearrange different layouts before importing instead of silently treating extra fields as part of an answer.
Prepare a file you can check yourself
Our own UTF-8 file contains three complete pairs without a header row. It includes a comma inside a question and a Hebrew word in quotation marks. Use this small sample before importing your actual collection.
"What is 7 × 8?","56"
"Which number is odd: 2, 3, or 8?","3"
"How many letters are in ""תא""?","2"
Download the CSV sample (UTF-8, three question-and-answer pairs)
The answers are 56, 3 and 2. If the second question splits into several fields, the parsing is wrong. If תא looks damaged, check the encoding. A correct filename extension does not prevent an empty or factually incorrect answer. Also inspect the first and last actual data rows in your edited file.
Four checks in your preview
| Check | Expected result |
|---|---|
| Comma inside a question | The complete question stays in one field |
Quotation marks around תא | A readable word and literal quotation marks |
| Existing header row | No study pair containing “Question” and “Answer” |
54 as the answer to 7 × 8 | Correct it to 56 before studying |
Route 1: import into Quanta Study and keep studying
Prepare two text columns: column A is the question and column B is the answer. Quanta imports that content; additional columns are not appended to the answer. If they contain important page numbers or corrections, deliberately include the information you need in the answer text. That creates a readable note, not an automatically verified source status. See Import flashcards for supported formats and access conditions.
- Open Quanta's file import with the small set. Regular access is paid; a one-time, limited Starter sample requires the designated guided onboarding route.
- Inspect the preview before saving. Questions, answers and special characters must match the file. A header must not become a flashcard; remove it from your copy if the preview still shows it.
- Check the selection. Quanta considers duplicate question-and-answer pairs and remaining space in the destination topic. A corrected answer can count as a different pair, so inspect it deliberately.
Study your new flashcards
Save the selected text flashcards and start flashcard study. Your own ratings guide future reviews. Previous Notebook or Anki study history has not been imported.
This is Quanta's role in the workflow: take a checked file into a browser-based study environment with subsequent reviews. Importing is not a new AI generation of flashcards or multiple-choice tests. This text route does not recreate images, original source views or additional CSV columns as separate components. Flashcards With Sources explains the separate workflow with source citations.
New lecture material uses a separate workflow: upload a PDF and generate draft flashcards and multiple-choice tests. The available amount depends on your plan and remaining generation allowance. This does not import your CSV. Flashcards from lecture slides explains the preparation and content checks for that route.
Route 2: import NotebookLM flashcards into Anki
Use Anki Desktop and start with the small sample. Select the Basic note type and map the question and answer to their intended fields. Check UTF-8 and the detected separator. Anki: text import
Compare the preview with the three pairs. Before importing a collection, decide how existing notes should be handled. The first field can identify existing notes. Updating existing Anki notes can preserve their scheduling; that is not the transfer of Notebook study history. Anki: updating
Use the same check for your actual file: complete questions, correct answers and no unintended header. See Anki import file for the format details. If Anki is already where you study, this export task does not require a switch to Quanta.
What neither the file nor an app checks for you
56 and 54 are both valid text. Only one answers 7 × 8. Check AI-generated content against the original material before studying. A question such as “How does it work?” needs a named subject. “See the figure” is not a complete answer when the figure is absent.
The sample contains text pairs only. Images, previous ratings and original source views cannot be reconstructed from it. Keep necessary terms and source notes readable and check the answers yourself. A technically readable file does not establish that its content is true.
What we checked
We checked the original help pages, Quanta's current import and study code, and our CSV samples. Each of the three language files contains three correct text pairs; the existing Quanta parser reads them successfully. Our own check has not included a signed-in Google download or a complete import in the product interfaces. Those instructions are based on documentation and code.