# How to generate metadata.yml file?

**URL:** https://forum.qiime2.org/t/how-to-generate-metadata-yml-file/11515
**Category:** User Support
**Tags:** metadata
**Created:** [September 14, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/how-to-generate-metadata-yml-file/11515 "2019-09-14T14:24:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 6

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### Author: ![thermokarst](https://forum.qiime2.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@thermokarst](https://forum.qiime2.org/u/thermokarst)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://forum.qiime2.org/t/how-to-generate-metadata-yml-file/11515/6 "2019-09-23T14:09:23Z")

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Thanks for sharing @amoltej. In the future, I recommend you just use the [manifest format](https://docs.qiime2.org/2019.7/tutorials/importing/#fastq-manifest-formats) or the [Casava format](https://forum.qiime2.org/casahttps://docs.qiime2.org/2019.7/tutorials/importing/#fastq-manifest-formats), either of those options are easy, and neither require the creation of this hidden yaml file (QIIME 2 uses this file behind the scenes as a sort of "phone book", but it is _never_ necessary for a user to create that themselves).

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