PDF to flashcards

Open a PDF of lecture slides, a textbook chapter or a scanned handout and get editable flashcards in seconds. Typed PDFs are read in your browser; scanned pages are read by an AI vision model.

0 / 12,000
PDF up to 60 pages (scans: first 8 pages)

Card type

Draft cards

Your cards will appear here as they are written. Nothing is saved until you choose a deck.

How to convert a PDF to flashcards

  1. Click “Open file” and choose the PDF. Typed text is extracted on your device; if the PDF is a scan, the pages are turned into images for the AI to read.
  2. Pick how many cards and the type: question & answer, fill-in-the-blank, or mixed.
  3. Press Generate, untick anything you don’t need, fix wording, and save to a deck.
  4. Study with spaced repetition, print the cards, take a practice test, or export to Anki or Quizlet.

Tips for better cards

  • Long book? Split by chapter. Generating 15–25 cards per lecture keeps the deck manageable.
  • Slides with only keywords give thin cards. Paste your own notes alongside for context.
  • Password-protected PDFs can’t be opened. Remove the password first, or copy the text in.

Good cards follow a few rules: one idea per card, one clear answer. See how to make flashcards, then review them on a spaced repetition schedule. Want to check yourself before an exam? Turn the deck into a multiple-choice practice test.

Other converters: powerpoint to flashcards, turn notes into flashcards, image to flashcards, or the main AI flashcard generator (also works from a topic).

Questions people ask

Can I convert a scanned PDF to flashcards?

Yes. If the PDF has no selectable text, Cardsmith renders the first 8 pages as images and an AI vision model reads them, handwriting included. For longer scans, run it once per section.

Is my PDF uploaded?

Typed PDFs are read in your browser and only the extracted text is sent to the AI when you press Generate. For scans, the page images are sent once. Nothing is stored.

How many flashcards can I make from one PDF?

Up to 40 per run, from up to about 12,000 characters of text (roughly 5–8 dense pages). Run it again on the next section to keep going.

Can I export the flashcards to Anki?

Yes. Save them to a deck, then use “Export (tab-separated)” and import the file in Anki (File › Import). Cloze cards keep the Anki {{c1::…}} format.