Syncing problems after mass note type update

Anki Syncing & AnkiWeb
1

Hello,

When I first created my Anki decks, I didn’t realize there were different cards types. Everything I made was the “basic” card type. Today, after lots of reading on the forums, I tried changing the card type to the “reverse” card type on two of my many decks. (This was hundreds of cards!) I thought everything went well, but now nothing is syncing. I rarely log into my AnkiWeb account. I have the downloaded desktop version of Anki for my Mac. I use that to create/ add to decks, and then I sync with my iPhone app. I’ve never had a problem before.

Now, it’s giving me a weird message every time I try to sync on my desktop and on my app:
“Your decks here and on AnkiWeb differ in such a way that they can’t be merged together, so it’s necessary to overwrite the decks on one side with the decks from the other. If you choose download, Anki will fetch the collection from AnkiWeb, and any changes you have made on this device since the last sync will be lost. If you choose upload, Anki will send this device’s data to AnkiWeb, and any changes that are waiting on AnkiWeb will be lost. After all devices are in sync, future reviews and added cards can be merged automatically.”

I chose the upload option rather than download because I don’t have any changes waiting on AnkiWeb. I was only using the desktop version. But the message keeps popping up, and nothing is syncing on my phone. I even deleted the app and reinstalled it. But now all my decks are gone!

It’s just getting worse and worse! How do I get my decks back on my app? How do I get my decks to properly sync to my phone again? I really regret trying to change the card type, but the forums made it seem so easy.

I’m very upset. I’ve accumulated thousands of cards on Anki, and I don’t know how to get things back to normal. Please help.

2

That’s a very normal message. When you did the “Change Note Type” action [you’re talking about note types, not card types], you got a warning that this would be necessary. Syncing with AnkiWeb - Anki Manual

It sounds like you started out on the right foot – from your desktop you did an upload to AnkiWeb to push your updated collection there. Now on your phone, you need to download from AnkiWeb to bring that collection to your phone. If you choose upload on both sides, you end up in this neverending loop!

  1. Make sure your desktop collection is just how you want it.
  2. In Preferences > Syncing, set the next sync to “force changes in one direction.”
  3. Then sync on desktop and choose upload to AnkiWeb.
  4. Once that is done, you can sync on your phone and choose download from AnkiWeb.

You’ll be able to sync normally after that.

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And regarding this: Backups - Anki Manual.