Anki Failing to Parse Version JSON

Anki Help
1

Hello everyone,

I am working on starting Anki for the first time on my machine (Windows 10 64x-bit desktop PC), however, I am running into an error which I have been unable to circumvent. After installing the most recent windows Anki launcher and running the program, the launcher goes straight into the console. To my understanding, this is not normal and it should go straight into the full program.

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In the console, I am unable to go through the “Latest Anki” or “Choose a version” option. I get the following error:

Anki Launcher

  1. Latest Anki (press Enter)

  2. Choose a version

  3. Allow betas: off

  4. Cache downloads: on

  5. Download mirror: on

  6. Uninstall

1

Checking for updates…
Error: Failed to parse versions JSON: expected value at line 1 column 1
Press enter to close…

I have tried switching to mirror download, running as admin, reinstalling, delating files then reinstalling, and checking firewalls. After digging through forums and going through ChatGPT, I am at a loss for potential fixes. Would anyone here have any suggestions?

2

Have you modified files like pyproject.toml or uv.lock? You can find those files in the program files folder, see Managing Files - Anki Manual.

Appart from that: Are you using the latest launcher from https://apps.ankiweb.net/?

Edit:

No, it is normal. Anki changed the way it’s being installed and updated. That’s what the launcher is doing.

3

Thanks for the reply. I am using the most recent launcher (25.09 as of today). I haven’t touched the files in the program folder if that is what you are asking. They should all be fresh from the install. See below for the files I have in my program folder.

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4

I meant the files inside of AnkiProgramFiles: some of them have a JSON like structure.

5

My “AnkiProgramFiles” folder is empty.

1 Like
6

Do you use, or have you used any sort of proxy, VPN or firewall software in the past? The launcher is trying to read a list of versions from the Python package list, but is not getting a response in the format it expects. What happens when you load the same page in your browser?

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7

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