If you’re still manually typing out flashcards from your PDF lecture notes, you’re wasting hours of study time. In 2025, AI can do this for you in minutes.
This guide shows you exactly how to convert PDF files into flashcards automatically using AI—no manual copying, no typing, just upload and done.
Why Convert PDFs to Flashcards?
PDFs are how most study materials come: lecture slides, textbook chapters, study guides. But PDFs aren’t great for active learning. Flashcards are.
The problem: Creating flashcards from a 50-page PDF manually takes 2-4 hours.
The solution: AI reads the PDF and generates flashcards in minutes.
Method 1: Using Mongur (Recommended for diagram-heavy PDFs)
Mongur is specifically built for converting PDFs to study materials. Pro+ adds vision captions for diagrams, charts, and equations instead of relying on text alone.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Upload Your PDF
- Sign up for a free account at Mongur (free preview with limited pages)
- Create a new study set
- Upload your PDF file (lecture notes, textbook chapter, etc.)
Step 2: Choose What You Want
- Select “Flashcards” from the AI features menu (paid plans)
- You can also select “Summary” and “Quizzes” at the same time
- Click “Process”
Step 3: Wait a Few Minutes
- AI reads your selected pages (text + diagrams on Pro+)
- Generates question/answer flashcard pairs
- Extracts key concepts automatically
Step 4: Review Your Flashcards
- Click through the generated flashcards
- Mark cards as “I know this” or “Show again”
- Use active recall, and optionally move key cards into a spaced-repetition app
What Makes Mongur Different
Pros:
- ✅ Pro+ vision captions help with diagrams, charts, flowcharts
- ✅ Perfect for STEM subjects with visual content
- ✅ Also generates summaries and quizzes
- ✅ Free preview lets you test a few pages
Cons:
- ❌ PDF files only (no Word docs or PowerPoint)
- ❌ Vision captions are Pro+ only
- ❌ No mobile app (web only)
Best for: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Math (anything with diagrams)
Pricing: Free preview available. Paid plans unlock flashcards, quizzes, regeneration, and higher limits (see pricing page).
Method 2: Using a General-Purpose AI Assistant (Manual Extraction)
If you already use a general-purpose AI assistant, you can create flashcards manually, but it takes more effort.
How to Do It
- Copy text from your PDF (or use your assistant’s PDF upload)
- Paste into the assistant with this prompt:
Create flashcards from this content. Format:
Q: [Question]
A: [Answer]
Make them specific and exam-focused.- Copy the output into a flashcard app or your notes system
Limitations
Pros:
- ✅ Works with any content
- ✅ Can customize the prompt
- ✅ Good for text-heavy materials
Cons:
- ❌ Can’t read diagrams or charts well
- ❌ Requires manual copy/paste
- ❌ Have to import flashcards into another app
Best for: Humanities, history, definitions, text-only content
Method 3: Flashcard Libraries (Good for Pre-Made Content)
Some flashcard platforms include large libraries of pre-made decks. They’re useful when your course is common and already covered.
How It Works
- Upload notes or use the existing content library
- The AI tutor helps you study, but doesn’t auto-generate flashcards from PDFs
- You still need to create the flashcard sets manually
Best for: Students who want access to pre-made flashcard sets, not custom PDF conversion
Method 4: Spaced-Repetition Apps + Manual Entry (Free but Time-Consuming)
Spaced-repetition apps are powerful for long-term memory, but they require manual card creation.
The Process
- Read your PDF
- Manually type each flashcard into a spaced-repetition app
- Review with a spaced repetition schedule
Time investment: 2-4 hours for a 50-page PDF
Best for: Students who want complete control and don’t mind manual work
Comparison Table
| Category | Auto PDF → Flashcards | Reads Diagrams | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mongur | ✅ Yes | ✅ Pro+ only | Minutes |
| General-purpose assistant | Partial (manual paste) | ❌ Limited | Minutes |
| Flashcard library | ❌ No | ❌ No | Manual |
| Spaced-repetition app | ❌ No | ❌ No | 2–4 hrs |
Tips for Better AI-Generated Flashcards
Regardless of which tool you use, follow these tips:
1. Use High-Quality PDFs
- Text-based PDFs work better than scanned images
- Make sure diagrams are clear and not pixelated
- Avoid PDFs with complex formatting
2. Break Large PDFs into Chunks
- Don’t upload a 200-page textbook at once
- Process one chapter at a time
- This gives you more focused flashcard sets
3. Review and Edit
- AI isn’t perfect—always review the generated flashcards
- Delete duplicates or low-quality cards
- Add your own examples if needed
4. Use Spaced Repetition
- Don’t cram all flashcards in one day
- Review cards at increasing intervals
- Focus on cards you got wrong
Common Questions
Can AI read handwritten notes?
Not well. For handwritten notes, use a scanner app with OCR (optical character recognition) first, then convert the text to flashcards.
What about password-protected PDFs?
Most tools (including Mongur) can’t process encrypted or password-protected PDFs. Remove the password first.
How accurate is AI at creating flashcards?
AI can miss details or nuance, so always review the output. Diagram captions can also miss labels, so treat them as a starting point.
Can I use this for languages?
Yes, but AI works better for factual content than language learning. For languages, manually curated decks are often better.
The Best Workflow (What I Recommend)
If you’re a student trying to decide, here’s what I’d do:
For STEM subjects (Bio, Chem, Physics, Engineering): → Use Mongur Pro+
- Reason: Pro+ vision captions read diagrams and equations
- Best when your chapters are diagram-heavy
For humanities/text-heavy subjects: → Use a general-purpose assistant for explanations or Mongur Preview
- Reason: Text-only content is easier for most AI systems
- Preview is enough to test before upgrading
If you’re on a tight budget: → Start with Mongur Preview (limited pages)
- Test it with your most important chapter
- Upgrade only if you need more pages
Conclusion
Converting PDFs to flashcards with AI is a massive time-saver. What used to take 3 hours now takes minutes.
The key is choosing the right tool:
- Best for most students: Mongur (especially if you have diagrams)
- If you already use a general-purpose assistant: Use it for text-heavy subjects
- If you want free: Mongur preview or manual spaced repetition
Whatever you choose, the goal is the same: spend less time making flashcards and more time actually studying.
Ready to try? Start with Mongur’s free preview (limited pages, no credit card required). Upgrade to unlock AI flashcards and quizzes.
Questions? Check our FAQ page or leave a comment below.
