Frequently Asked Questions

Making, exporting and studying flashcards

memorai turns question-and-answer pairs into a deck of flashcards you can flip, shuffle and take with you. This page covers how the tool works, how to get your cards out of it, and how to study them in a way that makes the information stick.

Using memorai

How do I make a flashcard?

Type a question in the Question box and its answer in the Answer box, then press Generate. The button only becomes active once both boxes have something in them. The new card drops onto the stack, and a fresh empty row appears so you can keep going.

How do I fix a mistake on a card?

Edit the question or answer in its row. As soon as the text changes, that row's button turns into Update. Press it and the card on the stack changes to match. To remove a card completely, press Delete on its row.

How do I see the answer?

Click or tap a card to flip it between the question and the answer. Cards stack with the newest one on top.

Do I need an account? Is it free?

No account is needed, and memorai is free. The site is supported by ads and by people who choose to buy me a coffee through Ko-fi.

Are my cards saved?

No. Your cards live only in the open browser tab, and nothing is uploaded or stored anywhere. That keeps them private, but it also means closing or reloading the page erases them. Use Export Deck before you leave to keep a copy.

Is there a limit on how many cards I can make?

There's no set limit. Very large decks are easier to study if you split them by topic, though, so you can focus on one area at a time.

Can cards include images or formatting?

Not at the moment. Cards hold plain text, one line for the question and one for the answer. If you need images or longer answers, export to PowerPoint or Keynote and add them to the slides there.

Exporting your deck

What export options are there?

Press Export Deck and choose one of two formats:

• Interactive HTML: a single file that opens in any web browser as a tap-to-flip study viewer on your phone, tablet or computer.
• PowerPoint/Keynote (.pptx): a slide deck with two slides per card, the question first and then the answer.

How do I use the Interactive HTML file?

Open it in a browser. Tap or click the card to flip it, and use the arrow buttons to move between cards. Shuffle Deck mixes the order and Original Order puts it back. On a computer, the left and right arrow keys move between cards and Space or Enter flips the card. On a phone you can swipe left and right.

The file is completely self-contained, so it works offline. You can email it, save it to cloud storage, or AirDrop it to your phone and study anywhere.

Can I open the .pptx file in Keynote or Google Slides?

Yes. It opens in PowerPoint, and Keynote and Google Slides both import .pptx files. The slides are fully editable, so you can restyle them, add images, or use presenter mode to quiz yourself or a class.

Can I import cards from a spreadsheet or document?

Not directly. If you have a lot of material already written, such as notes, a study guide or a textbook chapter, I can convert it into flashcards for you (see below).

Studying effectively

Why do flashcards work?

Flashcards make you retrieve an answer from memory instead of just rereading it. That effort of recalling, called active recall, is one of the most reliable ways to make information last. Rereading notes feels productive, but recognizing something on a page is much easier than producing it from memory, which is what an exam asks you to do.

How do I write good flashcards?

• One idea per card. If an answer has several parts, split it into several cards.
• Make the question specific. "What is the main job of mitochondria in a cell?" has one clear answer; "Mitochondria?" doesn't.
• Keep answers short. A word, a number or a short phrase is easier to check yourself against than a paragraph.
• Use your own words. Rephrasing a definition forces you to understand it, and your wording is easier to remember.
• Make cards both ways for key terms. One card asks for the definition from the term, another asks for the term from the definition.

What is spaced repetition, and can I do it with memorai?

Spaced repetition means reviewing material at growing intervals: a card you know well waits longer before you see it again, while a card you keep missing comes back sooner. It's more efficient than cramming because you spend your time on what you haven't learned yet.

memorai doesn't schedule reviews for you, but a simple box system works well with an exported deck. Go through the cards and sort them into "know it" and "still learning". Review the "still learning" pile every day and the "know it" pile every few days. Move a card back if you miss it. Shuffling the deck each time stops you from memorizing the order instead of the answers.

How long should a study session be?

Short and frequent beats long and rare. Two or three 15–20 minute sessions spread over a day tend to work better than one long sitting, and a quick review the day after you learn something helps it stick.

Document conversion

Can you turn my notes or study guide into flashcards?

Yes. Send me a description of what you have on the contact page and I'll get back to you by email. Example pricing:

• Standard Q & A conversion: $3 per 50 questions
• Larger documents, such as a study guide: $5 per 50 questions

Privacy

Can anyone see the cards I make?

No. Cards stay in your browser and are never sent to me or anyone else. The privacy policy explains what the site's ads and other services collect.

Still have a question?

Ask me on the contact page.