I want to make decks/subdecks that look exactly how the tags are broken down

[mernajajou]

Hi guys,

I’m trying to study for step and a long time ago, I had an old anking deck that had the decks setup as subdecks as well.

As in for example: it was broken down like this. I’d hit sketchy micro and below that I had a subdeck called 01 Bacteria, and then each individual sketchy based on that bacteria. And I had this for everything from first aid, to sketchy, pathoma, and etc. Broken down by chapters and sections and made studying easier.

I’m trying to see if there’s a way to to make each tag become it’s own deck/subdeck automatically. Even if that means I don’t get the new AnKing updates. Like I want it broken down in the same way AnKing has their tags broken down.

I want a way that will do it all at once because doing each deck and making subdecks from that will take forever. So if there’s a mass way to do this, I’d appreciate it.
Thank you!

I hope this makes sense, let me know if you have any questions.

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Short answer: there isn’t a built‑in or “one‑click” way in Anki/AnkiHub to automatically turn every tag (e.g. the AnKing tag tree) into a matching deck/subdeck tree. And even if you did, it would break how AnkiHub syncing and updates work, and make your reviews worse.

A few key points and practical alternatives:

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1. Why converting tags → decks isn’t recommended

• Anking is designed to use tags, not decks, for exactly this kind of breakdown (Sketchy, FA, Pathoma, etc.).
• Anki’s manual specifically recommends:
  • Use a few broad decks (e.g. “AnKing Overhaul Step 1”)
  • Use tags for finer breakdown (chapters, resources, videos).
• If you split everything into many small subdecks:
  • You’ll see cards in predictable clumps (e.g. all “01_Bacteria” at once), which hurts memory.
  • The scheduler and limits become harder to manage.
  • AnkiHub updates will not respect those new decks – new/changed cards will continue to come in under the original deck structure, and you’d have to constantly move things again.

Because of this, there is no supported “mass convert all tags into decks” feature in Anki or AnkiHub.

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2. What you can do instead (to mimic that feel)

A. Study by tag using filtered/custom decks

This gives you almost exactly what you’re asking for, but without permanently changing decks.

For example, to focus on #SketchyMicro::01_Bacteria:

1. In Anki desktop, go to Tools → Create Filtered Deck (or Custom Study).
2. In the search, use something like:

   "AnKing Overhaul" tag:#SketchyMicro::01_Bacteria
   

3. Set how many new/review cards you want.
4. Click Build.

You now have a “temporary subdeck” for that tag.
Repeat with different tags when needed (before an exam block, etc.). This is the workflow the AnKing team recommends.

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B. Use the Browser + Sidebar the way you showed

What you posted in the screenshot (tag tree on the left) is already the “subdeck” structure, just implemented with tags:

• Click a tag like #SketchyMicro::01_Bacteria in the Browser.
• Select all cards and use Study → Preview or build a filtered deck from that search.
• You can pin frequently‑used searches in the Browser for quick access.

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3. About scripts/add‑ons to move by tag (caution)

There are old scripts/add‑ons out there that:

• Loop through tags and create decks of the same name.
• Move all cards with a tag into the matching deck.

However:

• They’re not part of Anki or AnkiHub, may be out of date, and I can’t help with code/installation details.
• Once you do this, you’re off the supported AnKing/AnkiHub path; future updates and community help will assume the standard deck+tag setup.

If you still decide to explore that on your own, make sure to:

1. Backup your collection (File → Export → “Anki collection package”).
2. Be prepared that you may not be able to cleanly go back, other than restoring that backup.

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4. My practical recommendation for Step prep

If your goal is “It felt easier when I could just click down the tree,” the best supported approximation is:

• Keep using the main AnKing deck structure (for AnkiHub updates).
• Use:
  • Tags in the Browser as your “chapter list.”
  • Filtered decks built from those tags as your “subdecks” for focused blocks.

If you tell me:

• Which exact AnKing deck you’re using (e.g. v12 Step 1 & 2),
• And one specific resource you want to mimic (e.g. “Sketchy Micro – 01 Bacteria”),

I can walk you step‑by‑step through setting up a filtered deck workflow tailored to that.

[Brian_BH]

Hello,

I would be happy to help.

@mernajajou

I’m trying to see if there’s a way to to make each tag become it’s own deck/subdeck automatically.

Unfortunately, the Anki software does not have a way to automatically force each tag to become a subdeck, to the best of my knowledge. If such a thing exists, I’m unaware of it at least

If you’d like, I can walk you through instructions for how to make your own subdecks, which is fairly minimally painful. Happy to be of help however we can.

[mernajajou]

I would love advice on how to do this. I have watched so many videos and no one seems to understand what I’m asking for. I genuinely don’t mind if I lose updates and things through AnKing. Any advice would be so appreciated! Thank you!

Also if you could add images of what you’re doing, would be very helpful. Like step by step. I’m new to anki and am not the best at using it because it requires coding.

[Brian_BH]

Of course, happy to help.

Regardless of where you move your cards, or create subdecks, you won’t lose access to updates. The system is designed to function regardless of card location or local organization

This tutorial can walk you through a couple of examples of how to create subdecks, specifically with the intent of creating subdecks in order to house cards organized by tags: How to Create Subdecks

That tutorial includes screenshots, and step-by-step instructions, with explanations, as well as allowing you to replay, or rewind, at any point in order to make sure that you get what you need

Give that a shot, let me know how you fare, and we’ll go from there and hopefully we can get you squared away.

[mernajajou]

Ok awesome, I’ll try that now and report back.

I tried moving some cards and I think I messed it up. Is there a way to place all the cards where they originally came from. Like resetting the whole anking deck? or do I have to delete and redownload it?

[Brian_BH]

You can reset card progress, but Anki doesn’t have a neat ‘memory’ of where cards came from unfortunately, so there isn’t a single way to just revert all of their locations automatically

You could just move all of the cards to a single location, I suppose. Just select step1_v12, move all the cards to a single deck, etc. Might take a bit of work, but at a certain point if you’ve already moved stuff around your options may be somewhat limited to doing things manually I’m afraid