# Anki deck Exports to Three Files

**URL:** <https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deck-exports-to-three-files/17359>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [February 5, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deck-exports-to-three-files/17359 "2022-02-05T20:22:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rpm5634](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rpm5634](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/rpm5634)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deck-exports-to-three-files/17359/1 "2022-02-05T20:22:25Z")

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I accidentally deleted a deck that I needed. I tried exporting a deck from a previous backup and when it exported, it “came out” as three files. The names are:

- MCAT 2.apkg
- MCAT.anki2
- MCAT2.media

I tried to re-import just the apkg file, which did not work and gave me the error “This file does not appear to be a valid .apkg file. If you’re getting this error from a file downloaded from AnkiWeb, chances are that your download failed. Please try again, and if the problem persists, please try again with a different browser.”

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**Author:** ![cqg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@cqg](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/cqg)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 12:00am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deck-exports-to-three-files/17359/2 "2022-02-06T00:00:58Z")

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Have you tried restoring your deck form a previous atomatic backup?  
[https://docs.ankiweb.net/files.html?#backups](https://docs.ankiweb.net/files.html?#backups)

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**Author:** ![rpm5634](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rpm5634](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/rpm5634)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2022, 4:35am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deck-exports-to-three-files/17359/3 "2022-02-06T04:35:49Z")

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Thats what I tried, multiple times. I would open a previous automatic backup that contained the deleted deck by switching profiles and then downloading the deck to my desktop. When I did this, instead of giving me one .apkg file, it gave me three file types mentioned earlier. Importing them back into anki did not work.

I tried disabling all add ons upon opening anki and checking the database (Tools \> Check database), as this was a recommendation from one of the error types I received.

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**Author:** ![dae](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/dae/32/65_2.png) [@dae](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/dae)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 10:43am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deck-exports-to-three-files/17359/4 "2022-02-07T10:43:48Z")

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It shouldn’t produce multiple files. If changing the location you’re exporting to does not help, please follow the steps on [When problems occur - Frequently Asked Questions](https://faqs.ankiweb.net/when-problems-occur.html)

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/1X/8f1279ababc5879d54e4838989f606cfe55af8c7.jpeg) [@system](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 4:32am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deck-exports-to-three-files/17359/5 "2023-05-01T04:32:42Z")

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