How to turn a textbook chapter into Anki flashcards
A textbook chapter is a lot of material to card by hand. Upload the chapter as a PDF and 2anki reads its text into question-and-answer cards, keeps the figures, and gives you a .apkg deck. Convert one chapter at a time so each deck stays reviewable.
Get the chapter as a PDF with a text layer
The PDF needs a real text layer — most publisher e-textbooks and exported chapters have one. A scanned photocopy with no text layer will not produce text cards; run it through OCR in macOS Preview or Adobe Acrobat first, or use the page-image option below.
How cards are built
Headings in the chapter name the deck and subdecks. Top-level bullets and term-and-answer lines become card fronts, with the next line or indent level as the back. Figures and diagrams come across as embedded images so a labeled plate still reads on the card.
Include the page image
You can opt in to attach the source page image to its cards. That keeps the original layout and any figure the text layer misses within reach while you review — useful for dense, diagram-heavy chapters where the words alone lose context.
AI cards for prose-heavy chapters
Some chapters are paragraphs, not bullet lists. On the Unlimited plan, AI can draft question-and-answer cards from that prose so you are not hand-writing every card. Review the drafts and edit any that need tightening before you study.
Convert one chapter at a time
A whole textbook uploads fine, but big files make big decks that are slow to review and share. One chapter per conversion keeps each deck focused and easy to organize. The free plan covers 100 cards a month; Unlimited removes the cap for a full semester of chapters.
Common questions
Can I upload a whole textbook at once?
You can, but one chapter at a time is better. Large PDFs make large decks that are slow to review and share. Chapter-by-chapter keeps each deck focused.
My textbook is a scan with no text layer. Will it work?
Not for text cards — 2anki needs a real text layer. Run the scan through OCR first (macOS Preview or Adobe Acrobat), or use the page-image option to attach the page to each card.
Do figures and diagrams come across?
Yes. Figures embed as images in the cards. For labeled diagrams you want to actively recall, image occlusion masks each label one at a time.
Can 2anki write cards from paragraphs, not just bullets?
Yes, on the Unlimited plan. AI drafts question-and-answer cards from prose-heavy chapters, and you review and edit them before studying.