Mochi CSV Import: Match Columns to Template Fields
A spreadsheet can have all the right words and still produce blank-looking Mochi cards. For a Mochi CSV import into a templated deck, the column headers need to match the template's fields. Set up that destination before importing, then check three records before sending over your whole vocabulary list.
This walkthrough uses Mochi's official documentation, checked September 28, 2026. The CSV and expected results are original worked examples, not a report of a hands-on app test.
Decide where the columns should go
Mochi documents two CSV import behaviors:
| Destination deck | Meaning of each CSV column |
|---|---|
| Has a template | A field, matched by the header's field name or field ID |
| Has no template | A separate card side |
For a plain question-and-answer spreadsheet, importing two columns without a template may be enough. Use a template when you want several pieces of information arranged together, such as a meaning and example sentence on the answer side. Mochi CSV import documentation
Our example uses three columns but two sides. The learner sees a Spanish expression first, then its English meaning and an optional Spanish sentence. Keeping the sentence with the answer prevents it from giving away the word before recall.
Create the matching template first
Create an empty rehearsal deck named CSV practice. In that deck, choose Add Template → New template and name the template Spanish CSV. Add three text fields named exactly Term, Meaning, and Example.
Following Mochi's template creation steps, put this in the template's Markdown editor. The double-angle-bracket placeholders insert the corresponding field values:
Spanish → English
## <<Term>>
---
<<Meaning>>
<<#Example>>
**Example:** <<Example>>
<</Example>>
The --- line separates the two card sides. Mochi card sides
The block around Example includes both its label and its value, so an empty example won't leave a lonely “Example:” on the answer. This follows Mochi's conditional rendering syntax.
Use these short field names throughout the rehearsal. You can choose different names for your own deck later, but changing names while diagnosing an import adds another thing to compare.
Save this three-record CSV
Copy the following into a plain-text file named spanish-practice.csv, saved as UTF-8. Or put the same values into three spreadsheet columns and export that sheet as a comma-separated CSV. In a spreadsheet, enter ordinary text; let its CSV exporter handle quotation marks.
Term,Meaning,Example
la llave,the key,La llave está en mi bolsillo.
de repente,suddenly,"De repente, dijo ""hola""."
el jueves,Thursday,
The first record checks a straightforward sentence and the accented á. The second deliberately includes punctuation that can expose a malformed CSV. The third leaves the optional example empty.
In CSV, commas separate fields. Enclose a value containing a comma, quotation mark, or line break in double quotes; double any quotation marks inside it. Thus "De repente, dijo ""hola""." represents one value: De repente, dijo "hola". RFC 4180 CSV format
The final comma in el jueves,Thursday, separates the second field from an empty third field. Don't add a space or the word “blank” after it. Before importing, reopen the exported file as text and compare its first line with Term,Meaning,Example. Also check that your spreadsheet hasn't exported semicolons between columns.
Import into the prepared deck and compare
Start Mochi's CSV import, choose spanish-practice.csv, and select the prepared CSV practice deck as the destination. Use comma-separated parsing for this file and treat the first row as headers. Confirm that the destination already has Spanish CSV assigned before completing the import. Mochi's changelog documents the destination-deck selection and CSV parsing options.
Open all three imported cards. Each first side should show Spanish → English followed by the term. These are the expected contents; the meaning and example belong on the same answer side:
| Term on the first side | Meaning on the answer side | Example below the meaning |
|---|---|---|
| la llave | the key | Example: La llave está en mi bolsillo. |
| de repente | suddenly | Example: De repente, dijo "hola". |
| el jueves | Thursday | Nothing: no example text or label |
Check the accented á in the first sentence and the comma and single pair of quotation marks in the second. Expect three cards, with no extra card containing Term, Meaning, and Example. Inspect the field values as well as the visible sides. A populated field and a correctly rendered answer are separate checks.
If a card looks wrong, inspect the smallest piece
Use the symptom to decide what to compare next:
| Symptom | First check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Prompt label appears but the word is absent | Is the card's Term field empty? |
If so, compare the source value and header; if populated, check <<Term>> in the layout |
| Sentence ends at “De repente” or text lands in another field | The exported second record | Compare its quotes with the sample above |
| Field contains text but the layout omits it | Template placeholder | Compare its spelling with the populated field |
| A card contains the column names | Header handling during import | Keep the first row in the file and treat it as headers |
| Existing cards look empty after assigning a template | Whether they have field data or only raw Markdown | Inspect a copy with the template removed |
For that last case, Mochi preserves existing raw Markdown but ignores it while the template is applied. Removing the template reveals it again; you still need to put the text into fields to use the new layout. Applying templates to existing cards
For your next attempt, use another empty rehearsal deck with the corrected setup. Don't assume importing the same CSV again will update or deduplicate the previous cards.
Move on to your own spreadsheet
Keep an untouched copy of the original spreadsheet. Before changing an established deck, make a recoverable backup; our flashcard backup guide covers that separately.
Replace the three sample records with a small selection from your own sheet: the longest answer, a sentence with punctuation, and any text using another writing system. Only expand to the remaining rows when the field values, visible answers, and card count agree. Keep a note of which rows you've imported so the rehearsal doesn't accidentally become part of a second batch.
If you're still choosing where to keep the collection, the broader Mochi review and Anki comparison covers that decision. If you meant to move cards out of Mochi, use the separate Mochi-to-Anki export guide.