How to Add Audio to Anki Cards: Files, Recording, and TTS

To add audio to an Anki card, attach a sound file or make a recording in a dedicated Audio field, then place {{Audio}} on the card template where you want it to play. Put the field on the front when sound is the question; put it on the back when sound is feedback after a reading or production attempt.

That separation is the important part. Anki stores the sound with the note, while the card template decides when it appears. You can move the same audio from front to back later without reattaching every file.

Add audio to Anki in five steps

For a reusable setup in Anki Desktop:

1. Open Tools > Manage Note Types and clone the note type you want to change.
2. Choose Fields, add a field named Audio, and save the field list.
3. Add or edit a note, click inside Audio, then use the paperclip to attach a file or the microphone to record one.
4. Open Cards and add {{Audio}} to the front or back template.
5. Preview the card, replay the sound, sync, and test it on the device where you review.

Anki's official editor guide documents both controls: the paperclip attaches audio, images, or video from your computer, and the microphone records into the note. When media is added through Anki, the app copies it into the collection's media folder rather than continuing to depend on the original file location (Anki media guide).

If your only goal is an audio-first listening prompt, the Anki listening-card guide provides a complete note type and review workflow. Continue here when you need to understand the underlying attachment and template steps.

Create a separate Audio field

Do not paste the sentence, translation, and sound into one large Front or Back field. A separate field gives each piece one stable job:

To add the field in Anki Desktop:

1. Make a backup or sync before changing a note type used by many notes.
2. Open Tools > Manage Note Types.
3. Select the note type and choose Fields.
4. Add Audio with that exact capitalization.
5. Close the field window, then open Cards to update the templates.

Field names are case-sensitive. {{Audio}} will not find a field named audio. The broader Anki card-fields guide explains how separate sentence, meaning, media, and source fields make future template changes safer.

Clone the note type before a broad change when you are unsure. Adding a field changes the note structure, and a shared note type may power cards in several decks.

Attach an audio file or record directly

Click inside the Audio field before adding media so the sound reference lands in the intended place.

Attach an existing file

Use the paperclip in Anki's note editor and select the audio file. The field will contain a sound reference that looks similar to:

[sound:train-station-014.mp3]

Keep that complete reference in Audio. Do not type a guessed filename and assume Anki has copied the file. Adding through the editor lets Anki place a real copy in collection media and normalize the filename for use across devices.

MP3 is the safest starting format when you need the same card on desktop, AnkiWeb, and mobile. Anki Desktop supports many formats, but the official supported-media guidance describes MP3 audio as the most universally supported option.

Record with a microphone

Click the microphone in Anki Desktop, record the complete word or utterance, stop, and confirm that the new sound reference appears in Audio. Replay it before adding the note.

For language cards, decide what the recording represents:

• A learner recording can support pronunciation comparison or production feedback.
• A permitted source clip can preserve a speaker's natural timing and prosody.
• A teacher or native-speaker recording can model the target when you are allowed to retain it.

Do not record a long explanation when the card needs one short prompt. If you are cutting audio from video you may process, use the audio-trimming checklist to keep the first and last sounds intact.

Add audio in AnkiMobile

In AnkiMobile on iPhone or iPad, open the Add or Edit screen, tap the destination field, then use the paperclip/camera control. The official AnkiMobile editing guide says that control can add media from the microphone, camera, photo library, or a file; iPad may show the microphone separately.

The screen labels differ between clients, but the resulting note should still have a real media reference in a field that its template displays. After adding on one device, sync before testing another.

Put audio on the correct card side

Attaching a file does not guarantee it appears on a card. The selected card template must include the field.

Audio on the back for reading feedback

Use the sentence as the question, then reveal meaning and sound:

Front template

<div class="sentence">{{Sentence}}</div>

Back template

{{FrontSide}}
<hr id=answer>
<div class="meaning">{{Meaning}}</div>
{{#Audio}}<div class="audio">{{Audio}}</div>{{/Audio}}
{{#Source}}<div class="source">{{Source}}</div>{{/Source}}

The conditional {{#Audio}}...{{/Audio}} hides the audio container when the field is empty. That lets one note type handle both media and non-media notes cleanly.

Audio on the front for listening recognition

If sound is the test, keep the transcript off the question side:

Front template

<div class="prompt">What did you hear?</div>
{{#Audio}}<div class="audio">{{Audio}}</div>{{/Audio}}

Back template

<div class="audio">{{Audio}}</div>
<div class="sentence">{{Sentence}}</div>
<div class="meaning">{{Meaning}}</div>
{{#Source}}<div class="source">{{Source}}</div>{{/Source}}

Include {{Audio}} explicitly on the back if you want it to replay there. The Anki field-replacement manual notes that sound on the front does not automatically replay when the back uses {{FrontSide}}.

Use the audio-and-image card-design guide to decide whether sound belongs before or after the attempt. Template syntax can make audio play; only the learning goal tells you when it should play.

Choose recorded audio or text to speech

Anki can also read a text field through a device voice. For example:

{{tts es_ES:Sentence}}

Replace es_ES with the language and locale you need. The official Anki text-to-speech documentation explains the syntax, available-voice listing, optional voice preferences, and platform requirements.

Recorded audio and TTS solve different problems:

TTS does not create the same evidence as a source recording. A device voice may pronounce cleanly without preserving the reductions, hesitation, register, or prosody that made a real utterance difficult. Treat it as a deliberate card choice, not an automatic upgrade.

Sync and check the finished audio cards

Test one representative card before adding a batch:

1. Preview the front and back in Anki Desktop.
2. Confirm the audio appears only on the intended side.
3. Use Replay Audio and listen for a complete beginning and ending.
4. Run Tools > Check Media.
5. Sync the collection and media.
6. Open the same card on the mobile client you use.
7. Export a small APKG with media included when the deck must move outside sync.

Tools > Check Media reports files referenced by notes but missing from collection media, and unused files present in the folder. Anki's media-check documentation also explains why media references should live in note fields instead of being assembled from filenames inside templates.

If the card works on desktop but not mobile, allow media sync to finish, verify the filename and format, then run the check again. Do not merely rename an extension: an audio file must actually be encoded in the new format.

For a packaged deck, the free Anki Import Checker can inspect an APKG locally in your browser for missing media, empty audio fields, and template references to fields that no longer exist. If the file is present but remains silent, follow the focused Anki audio-not-playing diagnostic.

Add audio from a video without losing the learning target

For a permitted video, the reliable sequence is:

1. Select a complete sentence worth reviewing.
2. Verify its transcript and contextual meaning.
3. Trim one natural audio unit.
4. Store the clip in Audio and the exact text in Sentence.
5. Put audio on the front only when listening is the test.
6. Preserve the source title and timestamp on the back.
7. Preview the exported APKG before committing the batch to reviews.

VidToAnki's current private beta works from permitted MP4 input toward an import-ready APKG with structured fields and media prepared for review. It can reduce repetitive clipping and packaging work, but you still choose the moments, verify the text, and decide whether audio belongs on the front or back.

The complete video-to-Anki workflow places those decisions between source permission, sentence selection, card design, package checks, import, and a sustainable review queue.

Adding audio to Anki FAQ

How do I add an MP3 file to an Anki card?

Add a dedicated Audio field, click inside it, and use the paperclip in Anki's editor to attach the MP3. Then place {{Audio}} on the front or back template and preview the card.

Should Anki audio be on the front or back?

Put audio on the front when the card tests listening recognition. Put it on the back when written language or a production cue is the prompt and sound is pronunciation feedback.

Can Anki record audio directly?

Yes. Anki Desktop's microphone control records into the selected field. AnkiMobile can add media from the microphone through its editor controls. Replay the result before saving the note.

Can Anki read a field aloud without an audio file?

Yes. Use Anki's TTS field syntax, such as {{tts es_ES:Sentence}}, in the card template. Available voices depend on the client and operating system, so test every device you review with.

The durable setup is simple: one real audio reference in its own field, one template placement that matches the retrieval goal, and one cross-device check before you scale the deck.