# Importing: display warning message when headers don't match existing deck or note type

**URL:** <https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/importing-display-warning-message-when-headers-dont-match-existing-deck-or-note-type/57059>\
**Category:** Suggestions\
**Created:** [March 11, 2025, 9:04am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/importing-display-warning-message-when-headers-dont-match-existing-deck-or-note-type/57059 "2025-03-11T09:04:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ankylosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/74df32/32.png) [@ankylosis](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/ankylosis)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2025, 9:04am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/importing-display-warning-message-when-headers-dont-match-existing-deck-or-note-type/57059/1 "2025-03-11T09:04:30Z")

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This import issue has happened to me several times.  
The text file has import headers for the deck and the note type:  
#deck:blah  
#notetype:blah

Every once in a while, for whatever reason, I rename the decks or move them into a subfolder (sub::deck)

When I do this and import, there is no warning that the #deck header doesn’t match an existing deck. Instead, Anki picks another deck seemingly at random. Since I’m used to importing with headers several times a day, I don’t usually read all the pre-import window in detail. As a result, new cards get imported to the wrong deck.

It would be much more user-friendly if when a deck name don’t match, instead of just assigning a random deck, Anki displayed a warning message:  
“The deck specified by the #deck header doesn’t exist”

Thank you for considering my feedback.

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**Author:** ![abdo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/abdo/32/654_2.png) [@abdo](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/abdo)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/importing-display-warning-message-when-headers-dont-match-existing-deck-or-note-type/57059/2 "2025-03-16T16:35:46Z")

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I think the current deck (highlighted in the main screen) is automatically chosen when the specified deck doesn’t exist.

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**Author:** ![ankylosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/74df32/32.png) [@ankylosis](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/ankylosis)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/importing-display-warning-message-when-headers-dont-match-existing-deck-or-note-type/57059/3 "2025-03-16T16:56:27Z")

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Yes.  
That doesn’t make sense, there needs to be a warning that the deck specified in the headers doesn’t exist.

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**Author:** ![sorata](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/sorata/32/34115_2.png) [@sorata](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/sorata)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/importing-display-warning-message-when-headers-dont-match-existing-deck-or-note-type/57059/4 "2025-03-17T11:09:56Z")

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Or don’t select any deck by default and let the user choose it by themselves. If the user tries to import, show a pop-up saying “Please select a deck first”.

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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:** [April 16, 2025, 11:10am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/importing-display-warning-message-when-headers-dont-match-existing-deck-or-note-type/57059/5 "2025-04-16T11:10:51Z")

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