How to Turn Any YouTube Video into Flashcards
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have our browser extension installed. You can install it here or get it from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, or Microsoft Edge Add-ons.
Video Tutorial
This tutorial goes with the video above. If you prefer reading, you can follow the written guide below, or check our corresponding blog article: Turn YouTube Videos into Flashcards You'll Remember.
Watch on YouTube: How to Turn Any YouTube Video into Flashcards
Introduction
Hey, Marius here, founder of Web Highlights. Today I want to show you how to easily create flashcards from any YouTube video of your choice, using the Web Highlights Chrome extension.
For a lot of people, flashcards are something you did in school — maybe even physical ones — because they help move knowledge into your long-term memory. We all know that watching something once, twice, even three times isn't enough: you still forget a lot of what you just learned. It's the same with reading articles.
So imagine you're watching a YouTube video, or a podcast on YouTube. With Web Highlights you can turn the whole thing into a flashcard deck and actually remember it. If you want the science behind it, we cover it in the Spaced Repetition Learning guide.
Open the Video in the Web Highlights Reader
First, open the video in the Web Highlights reader by clicking the Web Highlights icon. This opens the video of your choice in the reader.
If you already use Web Highlights, you know the reader lets you highlight the transcript in multiple colors and add notes — that's a big part of what makes Web Highlights so valuable. But that's not what this tutorial is about, so I'll remove the highlights again.
Generate a Flashcard Deck from the Video
What's really cool is the new Generate Flashcards quick action. You'll find it on the quick-actions button, or in the ⋯ menu.
Click Generate Flashcards, and it turns all the knowledge from the YouTube video into flashcards. Based on the content, it drafts questions and answers — for example: "What is spaced repetition?" with the answer, "Spaced repetition means studying information multiple times, but with increasing gaps of time between each study session."
You stay in control of the deck:
- Adjust the count. Ten cards might be too many for a short video — set it to four and it regenerates.
- Regenerate. If a batch doesn't look good, generate a fresh one.
- Edit the cards. The AI is a good starting point; if you're not happy with a card, just change the text yourself.
When you're happy, click Create flashcards. The deck opens up, and it's now tied to your YouTube video.
If you open the sidebar again, you'll notice Generate Flashcards is gone — instead you get Show flashcards (to see the questions and answers you just created) and Start learning.
Learn in a Session
Click Start learning to open a learning session.
Each card shows its question first. Try to recall the answer — out loud or in your head — then tap to reveal it and check it against what you had in mind. For example, "What is a key benefit of spaced repetition?" In this case, let's say I remembered it, so I mark it Correct.
The algorithm working in the background is the SuperMemo algorithm for spaced repetition. It works much like those physical flashcards from the past:
- Mark a card Correct and it's pushed further into the future — for example, shown again in about 7 days, because you knew the answer.
- Mark it Incorrect and it comes back sooner — maybe as soon as tomorrow.
Do this again and again, and once the session is complete, it tells you there's nothing due right now — come back tomorrow and the cards that are due will be waiting. The algorithm calculates the best times to show each card again. You can read more in the SuperMemo algorithm section.
The Learning Dashboard
In the dashboard you can see where you currently stand. Right now it's filtered to the spaced-repetition deck from the YouTube video.
If you clear the filter, you see all the cards across your Web Highlights library. In my case, 112 cards are already in Long-Term Memory — I've reviewed those a lot in the past, so the algorithm only shows them again after a long time. It might say now is a good time to review them again after around six months, just to confirm they've stuck.
Troubleshooting the AI
Flashcard generation uses the browser's built-in on-device AI, which needs Chrome 138+ and a one-time model download — so the first run can take a moment. If the Generate Flashcards action doesn't appear, or the AI won't start, our Chrome AI troubleshooting guide walks you through the requirements.
Conclusion
That's it — you can do this with any YouTube video. Turn a talk, a lecture, or a podcast into a deck, and let spaced repetition make sure what you watched actually sticks.
Ready to Get Started?
Open any YouTube video and turn it into flashcards. If you're new to Web Highlights, install the extension for the full experience — or try it with no install using the free YouTube Flashcard Generator: paste a link and get a deck in seconds.