Welcome to OpenDraft

The free, open-source screenwriting application. This manual will help you get started and master every feature.

Quick Start

1. Install OpenDraft — Download the desktop app for macOS, Windows, or Linux, or run it in your browser.
2. Create a project — Click New Project on the Projects screen, give it a name, and open it.
3. Start writing — Click New Script inside your project, and begin writing your screenplay. OpenDraft handles formatting automatically.
4. Save your work — Press ⌘S to save, or use File > Versions > Check In to create a version checkpoint you can return to later.

Explore Features

What's New

v0.17.5

• Stable Caret on Format Changes — Toggling bold, italic, underline, font, or size across a multi-block selection no longer scrolls the viewport to one end of the selection. The page stays put so you can keep editing where you were.

v0.17.4

• Resend Verification Code — When signing in on a new device with two-factor verification, you can now request a fresh 6-digit code if the original email didn't arrive.
• Smarter Two-Factor Toggle — The Settings two-factor switch is automatically disabled when the collaboration server can't send email, so accounts can't be accidentally locked out of new devices.

v0.17.3

• Save Prompt Before New / Open / Import — The unsaved-changes dialog now also fires when auto-save hasn't caught up yet, so edits made just before resetting the editor are no longer silently discarded.
• Faster Panel & Search Navigation — Clicking a character, scene, note, tag, or search match jumps the editor instantly instead of animating, removing a noticeable lag on long paginated documents.

v0.17.2

• Save Reliability on Windows — Switched the local SQLite database to WAL journal mode and added a post-write byte-count verification step. Fixes silent save failures on large files (issue #39).
• OneDrive Detection — Warns you at startup if OpenDraft's data folder is inside a OneDrive-synced location (a known cause of silent SQLite corruption on Windows) and shows how to fix it.
• Diagnostics Dialog — New Help > Diagnostics with a Copy Report button. Captures storage backend, DB path, OS, and last storage error so it can be pasted into bug reports.

v0.17.1

• Storage Fallback Recovery — If the app falls back to in-memory storage after a SQLite failure, it now recovers cleanly the next time SQLite becomes available, and surfaces fallback errors instead of swallowing them.
• No More Lost Edits on Close — Pending edits are flushed before the window closes, even on unclean exits.
• Mobile Stability — Dialogs survive the soft keyboard on Android & iOS; fixed an Android cold-start crash.

v0.17.0

• Treatment Documents — Write a 20–25 page prose treatment alongside your screenplay. Use "+ New Document" in a project to open the manuscript-format editor (Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1-inch margins).
• Location Database — Right-sidebar panel for managing screenplay locations: list, detail, and edit views; auto-discovery from scene headings; alias support; and rename-in-scene-headings.
• Act & Sequence Structure — Tag scenes into acts and sequences, browse them in a new Structure tab in the Scene Navigator with collapsible hierarchy, and see "A1"/"A2" badges on each scene.
• Version Diff View — Compare any two checked-in versions side-by-side, unified, or changes-only, with a summary sidebar showing added/deleted/modified counts, scenes changed, and per-character dialogue delta.
• Multi-Format Templates — AV (two-column), multicam sitcom, one-hour drama, radio play, and stage play templates with a format picker for new screenplays.
• DOCX Import / Export — Round-trip your screenplay through Microsoft Word.
• Title Page Editor — Structured editor with live preview (Format > Title Page); data flows into PDF, FDX, and Fountain exports, and FDX import now parses title page metadata.
• Script Statistics & Timing — Tools > Analytics opens dialogue distribution, gender analysis, scene breakdown, pacing chart, and character presence map. Per-scene timing appears in the Scene Navigator and Index Cards, with a runtime estimate in the status bar.
• WGA & Registration Fields — Project Properties gains WGA registration, copyright, agent/manager fields, and a submission log.
• Scene Navigator: Search & Synopsis — Search bar that searches both scene headings and synopses with match highlighting; inline synopsis preview on each collapsed scene.
• Character Relationships — Inline relationship editor, relationship map tab, and profile-completeness indicator on the Characters panel; image-upload errors now surface as toasts.
• Cloud Projects, Per-User Files & Mobile UX — Configurable cloud server URL, per-user file isolation, free 5-file quota, Local/Cloud project tabs with source badges, and mobile-friendly 44px tap targets.
• Save As Replaces Save to Cloud — Shift+Cmd+S now offers an explicit Local/Cloud destination tab.
• Self-Hosted Docker Image — Single ghcr.io/…/opendraft-combined image bundling backend + collab server for one-image deployment targets like Cloud Run.
• Save Reliability Fixes — Manual save (Cmd+S) preserves character relationships and metadata; auto-save race on script switch fixed; metadata flushes to backend within 2s; light-theme button visibility fix.

v0.16.0

• Multiple Windows — Open different files in separate windows via File > New Window. Each window has independent editor state.
• Save Status Indicator — The status bar now shows Unsaved changes, Saving, Saved, or Save failed in real time.
• Save Failure Recovery — A persistent banner with Retry, Save As, and Export Backup actions appears when auto-save fails.
• Collaboration Status & Activity Log — The collab banner shows connection state and an activity log tracking joins, leaves, and sync events.
• File Drag-and-Drop Fix — Dragging screenplay files from the OS into the editor now works on desktop.
• Open With in New Window — Double-clicking a screenplay file while the app is running opens it in a new window.

v0.15.0

• iPad & Touch UX — Touch-friendly comfortable mode with larger tap targets, proper iPadOS detection, and iPad keyboard dismissal fix.
• Element Type Shortcuts — Press Cmd/Ctrl-1 through 8 to quickly switch element types (Scene Heading, Action, Character, etc.) while writing.
• Collaboration UX — Password show/hide toggles in the collab login dialog and persistent display name across sessions.

v0.14.1

• Scene Numbering — Show, hide, and lock scene numbers in your screenplay. Essential for production scripts.
• Custom Headers & Footers — Configure page headers and footers with dynamic fields like page number, title, and date.
• iOS & Mac App Store — OpenDraft is now available on the iOS App Store and Mac App Store.
• Modernized UI — Updated menu and toolbar design with a cleaner, more native look.

v0.12.0

• Spell Check Improvements — Fixed spell check across web and mobile platforms. Per-document ignore list persistence so your ignored words are remembered per screenplay.
• Mobile & Responsive Support — Spell check modal now adapts to narrow screens. Improved responsive layout for mobile devices.
• Undo History Fix — Undo history now resets correctly when switching documents, preventing cross-document undo issues.
• CI Build for All Platforms — macOS builds are now automated via GitHub Actions with full code signing and Apple notarization, alongside Windows, Linux, and Android.