Last checked: October 2026
Anki add-ons are free plugins for Anki desktop. Install one by pasting its code from AnkiWeb into Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons, then restarting Anki. Some of the most popular old add-ons, like Image Occlusion and Frozen Fields, are now built into Anki, so check that before you install anything.
Source: Anki manual, add-ons
Below are ten add-ons and built-in features worth knowing, with what each one does. If you are preparing for an exam like the USMLE, MCAT, or the Bar, start with the ones for your subject in the section after the list.
Add-ons run only on Anki desktop, and changes they make to your cards sync to your phone.
Useful for biology, medicine, geography or anything with diagrams. Instead of typing out a description of a diagram, you simply upload an image and draw boxes over the labels you want to hide. Anki then creates a separate card for every box you drew. Since Anki 23.10 this is built in: pick the Image Occlusion note type on the Add screen. The older Image Occlusion Enhanced add-on has not been updated since 2022, so skip it.
Spaced repetition depends on reviewing every day. Review Heatmap adds a calendar grid to Anki's main screen, like a GitHub contribution graph, colored by how many cards you reviewed each day. It was last updated in June 2022, and its issue tracker has 2025 reports of streaks not updating. Code: 1771074083.
AnkiConnect runs in the background and lets other apps add cards to Anki while it is open, so you don't have to import CSV files by hand. Code: 2055492159.
If you are creating a large batch of cards that all share the same tag or category, you will find yourself typing the same word over and over. Sticky fields keep a specific text box filled when you move to the next card. Since Anki 2.1.45 you get this by clicking the pin icon next to a field on the Add screen; the old Frozen Fields add-on only supports versions up to 2.1.40.
Standard Anki tags are a flat list, which becomes a mess once you have hundreds of them. Anki now lets you organize tags in a tree with "Parent::Child" names, so no add-on is needed. For example, a tag called "Medicine::Pharmacology::Antibiotics" shows up as a collapsible tree in the browser sidebar.
Advanced Browser adds more columns you can sort by to Anki's card browser, such as any note field, how many times you pressed Again, and the previous interval. It helps when you have thousands of cards and want to find the ones you keep getting wrong. Last updated October 2024. Code: 874215009.
Speed Focus Mode can show the answer automatically after a set time, play an alert, and then take an action such as rating the card Again if you haven't answered. It was last updated in December 2022. Code: 1046608507.
AnkiHub is a paid service with its own add-on. Instead of downloading a fixed .apkg file, you subscribe to a deck, such as the AnKing Step Deck, and its maintainers' corrections sync into your copy.
Enhanced Cloze adds a cloze note type where the other blanks on the card stay hidden too. You reveal them one at a time with a shortcut (J, or Shift+J for all), which suits lists and steps you need in order. It was last updated in March 2026. Code: 1990296174.
Anki has a built-in dark mode (Preferences → Theme), and you can change how cards look by editing the card template's CSS. For deck backgrounds and icons, the Beautify Anki 2.0 add-on (code 1116770498, last updated April 2025) restyles the deck list, overview and review screens.
Which add-ons help most depends on what you study.
Medical study has a lot of diagrams and a lot of cards.
Law and accounting exams test precise wording, so your cards are mostly text.
Language learners add a lot of cards from what they read and watch.
None of these add-ons write your cards for you, and making cards can take longer than reviewing them. StudyCards AI turns a PDF into flashcards that you can export to Anki. Check the cards before you study them.
Turn your lecture notes and PDFs into Anki flashcards. Your first deck is free, and paid plans start at $4.99 a month.
To install a plugin, open Anki and go to Tools, then select Add-ons. Click the "Get Add-ons" button and enter the specific code provided by the plugin developer. Once the download finishes, restart Anki for the changes to take effect.
Add-ons on AnkiWeb are free to install. Some services that come with an add-on, like AnkiHub, charge a subscription for hosted decks and updates.
No, add ons only work on the desktop version of Anki (Windows, Mac, Linux). However, any cards you create or modify using add ons on your computer will sync to your phone via AnkiWeb, so you can still review those cards on the go.
Hold Shift while starting Anki until it says it has started in safe mode. If the problem goes away, an add-on is the cause. Then disable half your add-ons at a time in Tools, Add-ons until you find it, and update or remove it.
Generate Anki flashcards from PDFs