Anki collection size too big to sync to ankiweb

[Herchey]

Hi,

I recently updated Anki to the latest version after not updating for several months, and almost immediately began having sync issues due to my collection being over the 300 MB AnkiWeb limit. I’m not very tech-literate, but I did some troubleshooting and I’m confused about what is taking up so much space

Collection stats / what I’ve tried:

• Note Size add-on reports ~80 MB total notes.

• However, collection.anki2 reports the full collection is ~260 MB (was 300MB before some cleanup).

  • I ran Check Database and Check Media, and that finally reduced it from ~300 MB → ~260 MB.
  • I manually deleted ~40,000 cards (I 200,000 cards → 160,000), but this barely changed the total size. Probably all the cards i deleted were small in text data.

• I used DB Browser for SQLite to inspect my revlog — I have ~600,000 review log entries, but no “graves”. No idea how much space that would take up.

My concern:

I have not downloaded any large new decks or media recently. So I don’t understand what caused this balloon in size. I am not sure if the update in anki versions would have contributef to this or would be a coincidence? I also am confused why the note size add on shows 80MB but there actually is 260MB - is there a way i can figure out what is causing and get rid of this excess to allow my ankiweb to sync? I can currently sync with no issues from my computer - but for some reason my anki on my phone still wont sync, it still shows the files are too big to be synced. It is almost like it doesnt recognize the fixes ive made on my computer.

My questions:

1. Where might the extra ~180 MB be coming from, if Note Size shows only ~80 MB?

2. Will removing this allow me to sync the anki to my phone?

3. Is it normal for the revlog to grow this large? Could that be the main issue?

4. What is the safest way to permanently reduce collection size long-term, so I don’t keep running into sync problems?

Any guidance would be hugely appreciated, especially before I commit to adding tens of thousands more cards. Thank you!

Edit:

Not sure if this is helpful, but ive also looked into my backups in the Anki2 folder on finder, and they are each about 50MB - so im not sure how my entire collection gets up to 250MB. Although, on a new profile, uploading the backup of 50MB yields a collection of 250MB, so i am unsure what to make of this. I have checked a number of backups from the last year and all of them have been about 300MB, so perhaps my the size of my collection is not an error and I just have a lot of cards with a lot of stuff. I am in medical school and have a ton of content on many of my cards.

Okay i deleted Anki on my phone and redownloaded it, which allowed it to sync and is now on par with my computer. I would love to still figure out the cause of the unknown 180MB so i can reduce this and keep expanding my anki collection without it taking so long to sync and potentially running into these issues in the future.

Im also noticing, syncing on my computer is taking significantly longer than i am used too. I am not sure how long that has been going on. It probably takes 30-40 seconds to sync when it used to be about 10s. Also the sync button remains blue after a sync now, instead of going white like the other buttons near it.

• i think i have fixed this. I have turned off the note size add on and now the sync takes the normal amount of time. Toggling off the add on makes the syncs happen quickly again.

I’ve done a bit more reading and perhaps it could be related to me using FSRS Helper to to reschedule all the cards? i have been using this for about 2 months now. Maybe that is causing the review log to become too large. I am not sure if 600k lines is too big. I read online of some people having over 1 million lines after a number of years of anki. I have done anki for 2-3 hours a day for 2 years averaging close to 1k reviews per day. Not sure if # of lines is as simple as ~ 1,000/day x 365 days/year x 2 years

Alex

screen shot from my phone of syncing issue - hasnt changed even after reducing collection size and syncing on my computer.

[Herchey]

I tried going back to the old Anki version i was using before all this started, and now get the error that FSRS Helper Postpone Advance Load Balance Easy Days Disperse Siblings⁩ addon has failed to load - maybe that is contributing? Ive attached the image and code Debug info. Is it weird that this happens when i open my older version of the anki app and not the new one?

Anki 24.06.2 (33a92379) (ao)
Python 3.9.18 Qt 6.6.2 PyQt 6.6.1
Platform: macOS-15.6-arm64-arm-64bit

When loading FSRS Helper Postpone Advance Load Balance Easy Days Disperse Siblings:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “aqt.addons”, line 247, in loadAddons
File “/Users/alexherchen/Library/Application Support/Anki2/addons21/759844606/init.py”, line 10, in
from .dsr_state import init_dsr_status_hook
File “/Users/alexherchen/Library/Application Support/Anki2/addons21/759844606/dsr_state.py”, line 11, in
from .i18n import t
File “/Users/alexherchen/Library/Application Support/Anki2/addons21/759844606/i18n.py”, line 31, in
i18n.add_translation(“day”, tr.statistics_true_retention_month(), locale=locale)
AttributeError: ‘Translations’ object has no attribute ‘statistics_true_retention_month’

[sorata]

@Herchey

I ran Check Database and Check Media

FYI media files don’t contribute to the limit. So keep those if you want.

@Herchey

I am not sure if the update in anki versions would have contributef to this or would be a coincidence?

Recent Anki versions enforce the limit differently which is probably why you’re seeing the warning only now.

@Herchey

I also am confused why the note size add on shows 80MB but there actually is 260MB

You’ll have to include the size increase from review logs and backup files.

@Herchey

get the error that FSRS Helper Postpone Advance Load Balance Easy Days Disperse Siblings⁩ addon has failed to load

Most probably a different issue.

@Herchey

I’ve done a bit more reading and perhaps it could be related to me using FSRS Helper to to reschedule all the cards?

That increases size, yes.

[Herchey]

Yes ive been reading that media doesnt count. Thank you.

Also yes, the anki version i updated to certainly seems to enforce the limit, whereas the old one does not, so I have reverted to the old one and the issues seem to largely resolve. Not sure why Anki does that but whatever. I am happy with the old version. The old version is [Version ⁨24.06.2 (33a92379)⁩
Python 3.9.18 Qt 6.6.2 PyQt 6.6.1] if anyone is curious.

You’ll have to include the size increase from review logs and backup files.

@Herchey

how do I do that?

Thank you kindly for your help Sorata!

[Danika_Dakika]

Some of the answers you got above are incorrect.

@Herchey

I also am confused why the note size add on shows 80MB but there actually is 260MB

You’ll have to include the size increase from review logs and backup files.

While, revlogs are a part of the total database size, backup files are not (and they aren’t synced).

@Herchey

I’ve done a bit more reading and perhaps it could be related to me using FSRS Helper to to reschedule all the cards?

That increases size, yes.

No, that wouldn’t be the source of a problem. Rescheduling through FSRS Helper doesn’t increase the size of your revlog – but reschedule-on-change (in Options) does. Which one have you been using?

---

@Herchey

• Note Size add-on reports ~80 MB total notes.
• However, collection.anki2 reports the full collection is ~260 MB

Where exactly are you looking to get each of those figures? To get the full total from “Note Size” – the easiest place to look is the bottom of your main Decks list. That will give you a “Collection” total, and if you hover over that, you’ll also get what portion of that is your revlog. If you’re looking somewhere else, Note Size might be giving you only the total related to a specific deck, or just to your notes, not your revlog.

@Herchey

ive also looked into my backups in the Anki2 folder on finder, and they are each about 50MB - so im not sure how my entire collection gets up to 250MB.

COLPKG backups are compressed.

@Herchey

What is the safest way to permanently reduce collection size long-term, so I don’t keep running into sync problems?

See this earlier thread for some ways to figure out what is contributing to your oversized database. Constant Errors Uploading / Sync - #4 by Danika_Dakika

@Herchey

I tried going back to the old Anki version i was using before all this started, and now get the error that FSRS Helper Postpone Advance Load Balance Easy Days Disperse Siblings⁩ addon has failed to load - maybe that is contributing?

That’s likely because downgrading Anki doesn’t also downgrade your add-ons. You may need to delete the add-on and reinstall it to get the correct version.

[Herchey]

@Danika_Dakika

Hey mate thanks for the responses! Ive been crawling this forum and your exactly who I was hoping would respond lol.

@Danika_Dakika

Rescheduling through FSRS Helper doesn’t increase the size of your revlog – but reschedule-on-change (in Options) does. Which one have you been using?

I believe the FSRS helper occurs every sync, which i do multiple times a day. I also reschedule on change in options once every month or two.

@Danika_Dakika

Where exactly are you looking to get each of those figures

I am getting them either from the Note size addon or the files directly from Anki2 folder. I make sure when i use the note size addon in the browser that its working in a way that it gets all my cards.

@Danika_Dakika

See this earlier thread for some ways to figure out what is contributing to your oversized database. Constant Errors Uploading / Sync - #4 by Danika_Dakika

Thank you for this. ill read through it again.

@Danika_Dakika

That’s likely because downgrading Anki doesn’t also downgrade your add-ons. You may need to delete the add-on and reinstall it to get the correct version.

that makes a lot of sense. Thanks again. I really appreciate it.

[Danika_Dakika]

@Herchey

I am getting them either from the Note size addon

This 250 MB –

– is your collection size from the add-on. If you hover over that (instead of the media size), you’ll be able to see what portion of that is from the revlogs. The “texts size” of 83 MB is just from the text in the fields of your notes.

@Herchey

I believe the FSRS helper occurs every sync, which i do multiple times a day.

You shouldn’t need to use the Helper’s reschedule-after-sync feature. That’s a hold-over from when FSRS wasn’t yet implemented on all platforms. If you were still studying in an app that couldn’t be updated, it might still be useful, but it’s not necessary for you.

@Herchey

I also reschedule on change in options once every month or two.

I recommend you heed the warning that gives you every time you click it and just stop using it.