# Updated Note Type - Deck Import now fails **URL:** \ **Category:** Help\ **Created:** [May 22, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465 "2025-05-22T21:52:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jlhiii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@jlhiii](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/jlhiii)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/1 "2025-05-22T21:52:06Z")
I use Anki on Widows 11. Anki is up to date. Deck / Import File has been working. My master file is on Excel. I updated my Note Type (FWD and REV) / Fields to add a field. Before: 1 - UniqueID 2 - Article 3 - Spanish 4 - English After: 1 - UniqueID 2 - Type 3 - Article 4 - Spanish 5 - English I updated my Note Type / Cards to display Type on its own line both Front and Back. My master file now contains a column for Type that is non-blank. I added Type to #columns: in my txt file. When I do an Import File, in the popup… “File” shows 6 fields, instead of the 5 identified in #columns: … 1 - GUID This is a unique row identifier that I generate. It is non-blank and the first field in my master file. 2 - Type 3 - I don’t know where this is coming from. It is not in my master file. 4 - Article (actual data shows under 3) 5 - Spanish (actual data shows under 4) 6 - English (actual data shows under 5, and 6 is empty) “Import options” shows the correct Deck, but the wrong Note Type. That’s easily changed. “Field mapping” shows… GUID 1: GUID Type 2: Type Article 4: Article Spanish 5: Spanish English 6: English Tags (nothing) I stop at this point because the data is misaligned. I don’t know where field 3 is coming from or how to get rid of it. Do you have any ideas? Jack ---
**Author:** ![Danika\_Dakika](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/danika_dakika/32/17815_2.png) [@Danika\_Dakika](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/Danika_Dakika)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 10:49pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/2 "2025-05-22T22:49:50Z")
Can you post the following – as text – ``` ```plaintext each in a preformatted/code-block (by putting backticks above and below it). ``` ``` 1. Post the header rows and first few rows of the CSV you are importing. 2. Make a fresh export (as plain text) of a few notes that use this note type. Post the header rows and first few rows of that exported CSV. ---
**Author:** ![jlhiii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@jlhiii](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/jlhiii)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/3 "2025-05-23T15:28:35Z")
**Here are the first few rows of my input txt file** ```auto #separator:Tab #columns:GUID Type Article Spanish English dcfbc82a-894a-5fcd-2e9d-0547ecae29b8 Phrase …se me/te/le/nos/os/les da/dan bien/fatal I'm good/bad at 4573045b-fa65-f727-65cd-adf99fdb91bc Phrase 100 y más de 100 100 and more than 100 8b6c691f-1865-63b6-8adc-83d55b3b6fa9 Abbreviation A "A, ampere" 8b19f35d-37bc-6b74-e0b3-0b7213f53c59 Noun la a "a, A" d890e6ae-ec57-4067-c1e3-22db52173fa1 Preposition a "to, at, per, every, in the, for a, over a" fd3b429c-c0df-bcf6-cf5f-631d2af34a4c Phrase a buenas horas "late, too late, with much delay (ironic expression - NOT ""at the right time"")" 4215a0a8-7f36-01f6-0aba-058592d8efea Preposition a cargo de "in charge of, responsible for, in the care of" 11f24817-7320-2466-0322-a507a8dc4d4c Phrase a ciegas "blindly, in the dark" ``` **My deck is currently empty** ---
**Author:** ![jlhiii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@jlhiii](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/jlhiii)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 3:32pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/4 "2025-05-23T15:32:28Z")
**Here is my Fields definition** ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/3X/d/d/dd9ac018f6e01a96da36eddc595b43e6fdf7f8d5.png) **Here is my Front side Card definition** ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/3X/0/0/004c6c30159b5a38e38c9b094e5348266619c2a3.png) **Here is the Back side** ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/3X/3/b/3b29982aab366d2f9c05ae94b45b61f2e367f6c0.png) ---
**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:** [May 23, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/5 "2025-05-23T15:34:07Z")
It’s a bit confusing here. Try a code-block like this: ````auto ``` The text should be pasted in between the backticks. ``` ```` Have you checked the correct syntax on [Text Files - Anki Manual](http://docs.ankiweb.net/importing/text-files.html)? ---
**Author:** ![jlhiii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@jlhiii](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/jlhiii)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 3:36pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/6 "2025-05-23T15:36:43Z")
Danika - I updated my Forum post. Jack ---
**Author:** ![jlhiii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@jlhiii](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/jlhiii)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/7 "2025-05-23T16:25:59Z")
**Here’s what I see when I try “Import file”** ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/3X/8/7/87f83d37fee6b9ed387150e84ed3e42d9d5ddfdf.png) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/3X/6/e/6e3bf2625a91c18f74aa65237fd2d6be208df7ee.png) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/3X/e/e/eea3f638fae673c0bcb95a814a1cafd9a43a21c8.png) The txt file was created by: 1 - SaveAs the xlsx file to Unitcode Text 2 - Re-opening the txt file in Notepad and saving with UTF-8 encoding. 3 - Editing the two # lines at the top ---
**Author:** ![Danika\_Dakika](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/danika_dakika/32/17815_2.png) [@Danika\_Dakika](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/Danika_Dakika)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 11:55pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/8 "2025-05-23T23:55:18Z")
> [@jlhiii](#): > > My deck is currently empty A quick way to find these issues yourself is to create a dummy note and output a CSV. Then you’ll know for sure what it should look like. > [@jlhiii](#): > > Here are the first few rows of my input txt file 1. You’ve got an inconsistent number of separators in your `#columns` header – which results in that unlabeled 3rd filed/column, and everything else shifting over after that. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/3X/c/3/c3ad78965b9faf23493d6c6f047b7fd1b15ae365.png) > [@jlhiii](#): > > “Import options” shows the correct Deck, but the wrong Note Type. 1. You’re not specifying the Deck or the Note type in your file headers, so Anki won’t know which ones you want to use until you select them in the import options. That it shows the correct deck is a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![jlhiii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@jlhiii](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/jlhiii)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 4:13pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/9 "2025-05-24T16:13:49Z")
Yes, “#columns:” had a one-character tab that should not have been there. Unfortunately, correcting the tabs did not solve the problem. The first data record was, correctly, blank in the Article field. I put an “x” in that first data record and Import file worked fine after selecting the correct Import Options. I’ve added the “x” to my master file. That data record is likely to remain my first record for some time. Of the fields in my Note Type, Article is the only one that is correctly blank (on almost half of the data records). My master file has over 13,000 rows at this time and is slowly growing. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Danika\_Dakika](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/danika_dakika/32/17815_2.png) [@Danika\_Dakika](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/Danika_Dakika)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 10:38pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/10 "2025-05-24T22:38:23Z")
Once the separators were fixed, it certainly _should_ have lined up just fine. But it you got it working nonetheless and that doesn’t bother you, I guess there’s no reason to keep messing with it. > [@jlhiii](#): > > My master file has over 13,000 rows at this time and is slowly growing. There’s really no need to maintain 13K notes in your text file. There’s no specific limit, but the longer that file gets, the longer importing will take each time while Anki checks all of your notes. You also increase the risk of running into issues – and gain no advantage from it. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/1X/8f1279ababc5879d54e4838989f606cfe55af8c7.jpeg) [@system](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/updated-note-type-deck-import-now-fails/61465/11 "2025-06-23T22:39:22Z")
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