Your Anki Remote will be an important part of your medical journey. Let's optimize it for productivity, together.
New here and still deciding? Here's why Study Remote is the best Anki clicker for Mac before you dive into setup.
Prerequisite
Are you in the right mode?
The remote will not function properly if you are in the GAME mode instead of the KEY mode.
How can I check the mode?
Refer to the image to identify the mode bar.
- If the mode bar is upwards, then it is in the GAME mode.
This is the incorrect mode. - If the mode bar is downwards, then it is in the KEY mode. This is the correct mode.
1. Connect Your Remote to Bluetooth
- Power ON: Press the START button until the LED is on (about 3 seconds). Ensure you are pressing the button down fully (don't worry it can handle it).
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To begin Pairing Mode, hold down the START button until you see the blue light flash 3 times. Then, you may release.
- If the light continues to flash every second, then that means you are in Pairing Mode.
- If the light does not continue to flash, then you may have accidentally turned off the remote. Please restart from Step 1 (no not USMLE, silly).
- You should be able to see the Anki Remote on your Bluetooth list, then choose "Anki Remote" and click to connect.
- If you right-click on "Anki Remote" and select Rename, then you can name it anything from "Yo it's Anki Timeee" to "Grind Mode." For this demonstration, we will name it Anki Remote though.
- If it does not connect to your Bluetooth, please restart the remote by pressing the START button until LED is off (about 5 seconds). When the constant blue light disappears, this means the Anki Remote has been successfully turned off. Then, revisit step 1.
Seamless Connecting Forever
Just like your Airpods, your Anki Remote will auto-sync to your Mac as soon as you turn on the remote from this point forward!
2b. Setup the Karabiner-Elements Software
Once you have downloaded and opened Karabiner-Elements, then we have to allow the proper permissions. Please follow the steps outlined by Karabiner-Elements or refer to the video below. Additionally, you must approve of the Karabiner-Elements download in Security and Privacy in System Preferences since it is a download from the internet rather than the App Store.
- Karabiner-Elements will also have you go to Security and Privacy → Privacy → Input Monitoring → Check the karabiner_grabber and karabiner_observer boxes.
- Once Karabiner-Elements has the proper permissions, please open Karabiner-Elements (NOT Karabiner-EventViewer) from your Applications.
- Then, please go to the Devices tab and make sure that the Apple Keyboards are unchecked while your Anki Remote is checked.
3. Personalize Your Anki Remote
We recommend one of three set-ups for your Anki Remote. These set-ups have been tested to maximize comfort and decrease travel time for your thumb.
🍎 The Minimalist
This fluff-free setup option will get you up and running through cards before you know it. This setup has a few key features to point out.
As any Anki expert would know, the spacebar key can be used to choose the "Good" option (corresponding to key #3). Therefore, we decided to take #3 completely out of the equation, allowing you to focus on the highest yield thumb maneuvers.
Steps for 🍎 The Minimalist
- Download the first file (karabiner.json).
- Navigate to Karabiner-Elements. Find Misc (left menu bar) → Click Open config folder button.
- Drag and drop the first file you downloaded.
- Click Replace when prompted. Ensure that you only see one file with the name karabiner.json.
- It will not work if the file is named anything other than "karabiner.json"
- Download the second file (complex.json).
- From within the config folder that you opened previously, click on assets → complex_modifications. It should be empty.
- Drag and drop the second file.
- Go to the Complex Modifications tab and select Add rule, then Enable Suspend Card and Undo Card functionalities.
That's it — head over to Anki and get started!
Having trouble?
- Email us at info@ankiremote.com
- Just can't wait for an email response to Anki? Follow the quick setup video and you will be ready to go in 43 seconds.
👑 AnKing Lover
This remote setup is made for people who love AnKing and other pre-made decks with many images attached. With the pre-programmed scroll features, you can easily scroll through any references that the Anki card may contain without having to reposition your hand.
Steps for 👑 AnKing Lover
- Download the first file (karabiner.json).
- Navigate to Karabiner-Elements. Find Misc (left menu bar) → Click Open config folder button.
- Drag and drop the first file you downloaded.
- Click Replace when prompted. Ensure that you only see one file with the name karabiner.json.
- It will not work if the file is named anything other than "karabiner.json"
- Download the second file (complex.json).
- From within the config folder that you opened previously, click on assets → complex_modifications. It should be empty.
- Drag and drop the second file.
- Go to the Complex Modifications tab and select Add rule, then Enable Suspend Card and Undo Card functionalities.
That's it — head over to Anki and get started!
Having trouble?
- Email us at info@ankiremote.com
- Just can't wait for an email response to Anki? Follow the quick setup video and you will be ready to go in 96 seconds.
🥗 All You Can Eat
Some Anki users just can't live without their extra keyboard shortcuts. If you're one of these people, then the All You Can Eat setup option is for you. Let's be real now, you've probably been using the AnKing Deck to study for Step 1 since your very first day of orientation.
Programming your remote with this setup option will allow for a few (optional, but very helpful) features that can shave even more time off of your daily reviews.
Steps for 🥗 All You Can Eat
- Download the first file (karabiner.json).
- Navigate to Karabiner-Elements. Find Misc (left menu bar) → Click Open config folder button.
- Drag and drop the first file you downloaded.
- Click Replace when prompted. Ensure that you only see one file with the name karabiner.json.
- It will not work if the file is named anything other than "karabiner.json"
- Download the second file (complex.json).
- From within the config folder that you opened previously, click on assets → complex_modifications. It should be empty.
- Drag and drop the second file.
- Go to the Complex Modifications tab and select Add rule, then Enable Suspend Card and Undo Card functionalities.
That's it — head over to Anki and get started!
Troubleshooting Your Anki Remote on Mac (We've Got You)
Setup should take about 5 minutes. If it's been longer than that and something's being stubborn — don't stress. Almost every hiccup falls into one of the categories below. Start at the top and work down.
Your remote won't show up in your Bluetooth list
- Check the LED. If it's flashing once per second, you're in pairing mode and good to go. If it's a solid blue light, your remote is already paired to something else (guilty — maybe your iPad from last night's cram session). Hold the START button for about 5 seconds until the LED goes dark, then start fresh from Step 1.
- Toggle your Mac's Bluetooth off and back on from the menu bar. Sometimes macOS just needs a moment.
- Get close to your Mac — within 3 feet or so. Bluetooth is more finicky than the spec sheets suggest, especially through backpacks and desk clutter.
- Interference is real. USB 3.0 hubs, other paired controllers, and yes, even microwaves can muddle the 2.4GHz signal.
Your remote pairs, but the buttons aren't doing anything in Anki
This one is almost always Karabiner playing gatekeeper. Run through this checklist and you'll usually find the culprit:
- Head to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring. Both
karabiner_grabberandkarabiner_observershould be checked. If they're not on the list at all, click the "+" and add them from/Library/Application Support/org.pqrs/Karabiner-Elements/bin/. - While you're in Privacy & Security, peek at Accessibility too — Karabiner-Elements needs to be there and enabled.
- Open Karabiner-Elements → Devices tab. Your Anki Remote should be checked. Your Apple Keyboard should be unchecked. If both are checked, they're fighting each other for your keystrokes.
- Make sure your
karabiner.jsonactually loaded: Karabiner-Elements → Complex Modifications should show the Anki Remote rules. If that tab is empty, the config file didn't land where it needed to — redo the drag-and-drop from Step 3.
Everything was fine, then a macOS update happened
Yeah, that. macOS updates love to reset Karabiner's permissions like nothing ever happened. Reopen Karabiner-Elements and it'll usually prompt you to re-grant Input Monitoring or Accessibility — just say yes. If it doesn't prompt but the remote still isn't working, go to Privacy & Security and uncheck then re-check the permissions manually. The toggle sometimes needs to be flipped even if it looks fine.
The LED is flashing blue and you can't tell what it's trying to tell you
Your remote is basically speaking Morse code. Here's the translation:
- Fast flash, once per second: pairing mode, waiting for a device.
- Solid blue: powered on and connected. You're good.
- Slow flash or nothing at all after pressing START: the battery is running low. Plug it in for 15 minutes and try again.
Everything's connected but there's a lag between pressing a button and Anki responding
Annoying, but usually a quick fix:
- Close and reopen Anki. Karabiner and Anki occasionally lose their groove.
- Restart Karabiner-Elements from its menu bar icon.
- If it's still laggy, unpair the remote, restart your Mac, and pair from scratch. That clears out any stale Bluetooth cache that's slowing things down.
Tried everything and still stuck?
Email us at info@ankiremote.com with three things: your macOS version, which setup profile you picked, and a screenshot of your Karabiner-Elements → Devices tab. That's almost always enough for us to diagnose it within a day. We'll get you back to grinding cards.
