I created this add-on because I enjoy studying in a clean, distraction-free workspace.
Anki already has a great **Full Screen** mode (default shortcut: **F11**), but I noticed that it doesn’t always work well with some add-ons. There also isn’t currently an option to hide the top menu bar during reviews. I wanted something that would let me focus entirely on my cards, so I created **Focus Mode Suite**.
The add-on automatically hides Anki’s menus, toolbars, and status bar while reviewing. You can also press a customizable shortcut (default: **F11**) at any time to cycle through the available focus modes.
I was wondering whether something like this could eventually become a native Anki feature. It feels like a nice quality-of-life improvement for users who prefer a cleaner, distraction-free study environment, and it could work more reliably than an add-on.
I’m curious what everyone thinks - would a built-in option to hide the menu bar during reviews be a worthwhile addition to Anki?
Having read your post, I now understand what you are proposing and like the idea.
At first, I thought you wanted Anki to take up the whole of your screen, which would not be recommended for desktop or larger screens. The eye needs to focus on the content to be learnt.
I’d suggest adding a couple of screenshots that show the entire device screen and the Anki cards with and without your add-on activated. That would help people understand the effect of the add-on better, I think.
Thank you! I’m glad the idea makes more sense after seeing the add-on.
That’s a good point. I can definitely see how the title might make people think I was referring to Anki’s existing Full Screen mode rather than hiding the interface during reviews.
I’ll add a couple of before and after screenshots to better show what the add-on actually does. I think that will make its purpose much clearer at a glance.
Thanks again for the suggestion. I really appreciate the feedback!
They say it’s better to see something once than to hear about it a hundred times…or read about it
We are too lazy to take screenshots… and users are too lazy to download it.
When I go back by pressing the “S” key, the addon doesn’t remember that I was in full-screen mode (I pressed F11 several times until it became the largest).
And I have a request to create the following mode before the largest one: I have a small window that displays perfectly like on a smartphone, but I want to hide everything on the screen, like it does now, but the map area itself remains the same as it was before in a regular window. Only by pressing F11 again will it change to the largest view.
Is this possible?
You’re absolutely right. A couple of screenshots are much easier than asking people to imagine what the add-on does. I’ve added some to the add-on page.
, although I couldn’t edit my original post here.
Thanks for testing it as well!
The current behavior is intentional. Focus Mode only controls Anki’s interface (menus, toolbars, and status bar). It doesn’t remember or change Anki’s native Full Screen state, so if you leave Full Screen with the S key, the add-on won’t restore it automatically.
I like your suggestion, though. If I understand correctly, you’d like an additional mode where only the interface is hidden while the review area stays the same size as it is in a normal window. Then, pressing F11 again would switch to Anki’s native Full Screen view.
That’s an interesting idea, and I think it could make the different focus modes even more useful. I’ll look into whether it’s possible to add this to the add-on. Thanks for the suggestion - I really like this idea!
It’s like a desktop. In the example below, I have an application that has a dedicated tab where I can set the background color, and other windows open on top of it. This focuses the user’s attention on the center of the screen. The menu doesn’t even hide here, while the taskbar in Windows can hide itself, and it’s never bothered me.
That makes a lot of sense, thank you for sharing that visual example!
I see what you mean now. Rather than forcing Anki itself into a true full screen state, the goal is to create a clean distraction free backdrop around the review window to keep the focus centered on the content.
That’s a great UX perspective. Up until now, the add-on has primarily focused on hiding Anki’s native UI elements rather than managing the desktop backdrop around the window.
I really like this approach, especially since it could handle varied screen sizes and user setups much more cleanly than standard full screen modes.
I’ll definitely explore how a background frame or canvas mode like this could fit into future Focus Mode options. I appreciate you taking the time to explain and illustrate this!
Right now, I can’t see the reply buttons. But the front and back design are the same. So, if I type something on the front, it essentially becomes the same as the back. So how can I tell what I’m pressing, or which side I’m on? Should I make a special design that’s more distinguishable?
That’s a good point. My main goal with this add-on is to remove visual distractions, but it shouldn’t make reviewing confusing.
At the moment, I rely on Anki’s normal review flow, where the front and back are separated by the Show Answer shortcut action. However, if a card’s front and back templates look almost identical, I can see how hiding the review buttons could make it harder to tell which side is currently being displayed.
Rather than permanently showing additional UI, I think a cleaner solution would be to add an optional feedback indicator, similar to the one in my Mouse Buttons as Review Shortcuts add-on.. A small label could briefly appear after Show Answer is pressed or after selecting (Again, Hard, Good, or Easy), whether using Anki’s built-in keyboard shortcuts or another add-on. This would provide confirmation without adding permanent visual clutter.
I’ll think about the best way to integrate something like this while keeping the add-on as clean and distraction-free as possible. Thanks for bringing this up!
You see, I need this myself. I understand that in a standard card, even scrolling will skip after the line, but I prefer not to change a single pixel…even the added scrolling, so I have to add:
html {
scrollbar-gutter: stable; /* We reserve space for the scroll */
}
.card {
I experimented with different colors, and they were a bit distracting. Too wide is bad, and too narrow isn’t always visible. Now, the size is definitely visible. I saw a different approach somewhere, where they simply did this:
QUESTION
-----------
?
and on the back side it’s simple
QUESTION
-----------
ANSWER
So it seems clear, but the question can be very long in the text, so it’s difficult to immediately understand where we are (let’s say we got distracted and forgot, how can we find out quickly if there are no buttons?)
I think you’ve highlighted the real problem, it’s not about the review buttons themselves, but about knowing which side of the card is currently being shown after getting distracted.
I like your separator idea. It’s simple and doesn’t rely on colors or large UI elements. I was originally thinking about a small temporary feedback label, but after seeing your examples, I think there are several minimalist approaches worth exploring.
Another idea I have is an optional, very subtle indicator that shows whether the current side is the Question or the Answer. It could be as simple as a tiny Q/A indicator or a small symbol in one corner of the screen something that’s easy to notice when needed, but otherwise stays out of the way.
My goal is to keep this addon as distraction free as possible while still making it immediately obvious which side of the card is being displayed. I’ll experiment with a few options and see which feels the most natural. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the screenshots, they’re very helpful.
I’m currently testing it like this: I made the text small enough to be out of the way… I also made the flag and star smaller. And the card border is dark red… I have to make the card like this, because there are readability limitations, which are somewhere around 60 characters in the main font and 80 characters in the small font for “Note:.”
And I’m not even sure yet what else I’ll change. It seems more or less convenient.
I really like this direction. I think the small FRONT/BACK label is much less distracting than a popup notification, and the border makes it easy to tell at a glance which side of the card is being displayed.
I also like that it doesn’t add any extra movement or visual clutter, it simply provides a subtle reference point when needed.
This looks really good. Thanks for taking the time to put this together!
Nobody needs it yet.
The first version https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1599302255 didn’t interest anyone.
And that’s good. I can easily change it, and the other option will completely replace this help. I haven’t posted everything yet because there are some odd errors when creating extra “close” entries, and not everything has been tested on the web or in Ankidroid yet.
That’s fair. I think it’s easier to experiment before everything is finalized. I like the direction you’re taking, and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished version once you’ve had a chance to test everything.
A couple of screenshots are much easier than asking people to imagine what the add-on does. I’ve added some to the add-on 
