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Import Cards from CSV and Audio Files

When your material already exists somewhere else, importing is much faster than building cards one at a time. Everything that brings cards in is under + > Import… on the Library or Review tab.

OptionUse it for
Import CSVA spreadsheet or word list. Each row becomes a card and each column a side, voiced with text-to-speech.
Import Audio FilesClips you recorded elsewhere: pick several files or a whole folder.
Import Shared FileAn encrypted .share deck someone sent you.

Imports land in the folder you are viewing, so open the right folder first.

Import a CSV​

CSV is the quickest route from a spreadsheet to a deck. The rule is simple: each row becomes a card, and each column a side. The app reads the file, works out its layout, and shows you the cards before anything is created.

1. Bring in your data​

Tap + > Import… > Import CSV, then pick a source:

  • Choose File opens a CSV or TSV file exported from Numbers, Excel, or Google Sheets.
  • Paste takes comma, semicolon, or tab separated text from the clipboard.
  • Type Text opens an editor: one card per line, sides separated by commas.
  • Try a Sample loads a short general knowledge deck so you can see how it works.

On iPad and Mac you can also drag a file onto the window.

2. Review the cards​

9:41
Cancel
Import CSV
Spanish Vocabulary.csv
24 cards · 2 sides each
Comma-Separated ▾Header Row ▾
Columns
ASpanish
el perro, la casa…Side ▾
Mónica
BEnglish
the dog, the house…Side ▾
Samantha
Destination
FolderLibrary ▾
Put Cards in a New Folder
Import 24 Cards
Less than a minute to create voices
  1. What was found — Cards and sides; ⋯ to choose another file or edit the text
  2. Detected settings — Separator, text encoding and header row; tap to change
  3. Column roles — Title, Side or Skip, read from the header row
  4. Voice per side — Tap play to hear the first value in that voice
  5. Destination — Folder, and an optional new folder for the import
  6. Import — With an estimate of how long the voices take
Review, with a two-column vocabulary file that has a header row.

The top card says what was found, such as 24 cards · 2 sides each. Underneath, the app shows what it detected:

SettingWhat it means
SeparatorComma, Semicolon, Tab, or Pipe. Detected from the file; change it if the columns look merged or split.
Text encodingShown for files. Auto usually gets it right. Choose Windows or Mac Roman if accents come out garbled in a file from an older version of Excel.
Header rowWhen the first row names the columns, it is used for labels and roles instead of becoming a card.

Tap ⋯ to choose another file, edit the text, or clear it and start again.

Columns lists every column with a few of its values. Each one has a role:

RoleWhat it does
SideBecomes a side of the card, read aloud by the voice shown under it.
TitleNames each card instead of becoming a side. Only one column can be the title.
SkipLeft out of the cards. Empty columns are skipped for you.

With a header row, roles come from the column names: a column called Title or Name becomes the title. Under each side, pick a voice for this import (it starts from your Card Side Voices) and tap play to hear the first value in that voice.

Preview shows the first cards exactly as they will be created. Swipe between them and tap Listen to Card to hear every side in order.

3. Fix anything that needs attention​

If some rows have a blank side, Needs Attention says how many and lets you decide:

  • Skip These Rows leaves those rows out.
  • Import with Fewer Sides keeps them; the blank side is simply missing.

Either way, the other cells in the row stay in their columns, so a blank answer never shifts a comment into the answer. Tap Show Rows to see which rows they are. Rows with more cells than the others are imported with the extra cells ignored.

4. Choose where the cards go​

Under Destination, pick the Folder. Put Cards in a New Folder is on by default and creates a folder named after the file; rename it in Folder Name. Cards without a title column are named after that folder: Spanish Vocabulary 1, Spanish Vocabulary 2, and so on.

5. Import​

The button shows the card count, with an estimate of how long the voices will take to create. Tap it to start.

While the import runs, you can see how many cards are done, which card is being voiced, and the time left. On iOS 26 and later you can leave the app: the import carries on in the background and its progress shows on the Lock Screen. On earlier versions, keep the app open until it finishes. On Android, progress shows in a notification and the import continues while you use other apps.

Stop Importing asks whether to keep the cards made so far or remove them.

When it finishes, choose Start Review to review the new cards straight away, Open Folder to see them, or Undo Import to remove everything the import created.

Good to know​

  • Two sides make question-and-answer cards; three or more make multi-side cards; one makes single-side cards.
  • Standard CSV quoting works, so a cell can contain commas or line breaks if it is wrapped in double quotes.
  • Audio file names in a CSV are not imported as audio. Use Import Audio Files for existing clips.
  • On-device Kokoro voices are slower to generate than system voices, so a large import takes longer with them.

Try it with a sample: General Knowledge.csv, or tap Try a Sample in the app.

Import audio files​

Import Audio Files turns a batch of clips into cards. It suits recordings from another app, a course's audio pack, or a folder of voice memos.

1. Choose your clips​

Tap + > Import… > Import Audio Files, then Choose Folder to take every file in a folder (and the folders inside it), or Choose Files to pick several. On iPad and Mac you can also drag files onto the window.

2. Review the cards​

9:41
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Import Audio Files
French Lesson 3
38 clips · 19 cards · 2 sides each
By File Name ▾2 Sides ▾Name A–Z ▾
Needs Attention
1 clip isn’t in a card
Cards
bonjour
Questionbonjour-q.m4a0:02
Answerbonjour-a.m4a0:01
merci
Questionmerci-q.m4a0:01
AnswerEmptyChoose a Clip
Import 19 Cards
About 2 minutes to prepare word highlighting
  1. What was found — Clips, cards and sides; ⋯ to add files or a folder
  2. Detected pairing — By file name, side count and order; tap to change
  3. Needs attention — Clips not in a card, and cards missing a side
  4. Each side — Tap to play, move, swap or leave out its clip
  5. Empty side — Tap to choose a clip for it
  6. Import — With an estimate for preparing word highlighting
Review, with a folder of clips named like bonjour-q and bonjour-a.

The app pairs the clips into cards by itself, and the top card says what it found, such as 38 clips · 19 cards · 2 sides each. Underneath, the pairing is shown as values you can tap:

SettingWhat it does
PairingBy File Name puts clips that share a name on one card. In Order takes clips in turn, a card's worth at a time. One Card makes every clip a side of a single card.
SidesHow many sides each card has, from 1 to 12.
OrderName A–Z, Name Z–A, Oldest First, or Newest First. Names sort the way people read them, so clip 2 comes before clip 10.

By File Name is chosen when most clips end in a side word, or when the clips form groups that share a name. Otherwise the app pairs clips in order, two to a card. If you have already changed some cards, changing a setting first asks whether to rebuild them.

The last word of a file name chooses the side: q, question, prompt, front, or term for the question; a, answer, back, definition, or response for the answer; or side3, or a plain number. The rest of the name becomes the card's title, so capital-france-q.mp3 and capital-france-a.mp3 become the card capital france.

Cards shows the first five cards, and Show All lists every card with a search field. Each card shows its sides, and each side shows its clip, its length and a play button.

  • Tap a card's title to rename it, or its ⋯ menu to Listen to Card, move it, or remove it.
  • Tap a side for Play, Move To…, Swap With another side, or Leave Out.
  • Tap an empty side to Choose a Clip for it.
  • On iPad and Mac you can also drag a clip onto another side.

3. Check what needs attention​

Needs Attention appears when something is off:

  • Clips that aren't in a card, for example a second recording with the same name and ending. Play them, then choose Leave Them Out or Make Cards from Them.
  • Cards missing a side. Show Cards lists them; they import with the sides they have.
  • Empty clips and files that aren't audio are left out. Clips longer than 10 minutes are kept, and noted.

4. Choose names and a destination​

Card Names is From File Names by default. From What's Said names each card from the first words of its question once it is transcribed, which suits voice memos called New Recording 14.

Under Destination, pick the Folder. Put Cards in a New Folder is on by default and is named after the folder you chose.

5. Import​

Tap Import. The app copies the clips, then prepares word highlighting by transcribing each side; the transcript appears on screen as each side is heard. As with CSV import, you can leave the app while it works, Stop Importing asks whether to keep the cards made so far, and when it finishes you can Start Review, Open Folder, or Undo Import.

Supported files​

MP3, M4A, AAC, and WAV files are imported as they are. AIFF, CAF, FLAC, Ogg, Opus, WebM, AMR, 3GP, MP4, and M4B are converted to M4A, so every card plays on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Android. A file your device can't decode is listed in Needs Attention and left out.

Import a shared file​

A .share file is a folder of cards packaged and encrypted by Audio Flashcards — see Share as a file. To bring one in:

  1. Save the file somewhere your device can reach, such as Files or iCloud Drive.
  2. Tap + > Import… > Import Shared File and Choose Shared File.
  3. Check the Deck name, number of Cards, and File size.
  4. Decide on Include Review History, if the sender included it. Leave it on to keep the sender's review records with the cards; turn it off to start the cards fresh.
  5. Check Tags and Flags. If the sender included them, tags are added to your tag settings (an existing tag with the same category and name is reused) and flags to your flag options.
  6. Tap Import.

The deck arrives as an ordinary folder you can edit. If the file contains cards that are already in your library — because you imported it before, for example — the import is blocked to avoid duplicates. Remove the existing copy first.