Questions
Things people ask.
Short answers. For everything else, the README and the source are on GitHub.
Is Wit free?
Yes. Wit is free to download and use, and its source code is public on GitHub. There is no account to create, no subscription and nothing to unlock.
What file formats does Wit use?
Books and essays are Markdown files (story.md or essay.md). Screenplays and stage plays are Fountain files (.fountain). Each document is a folder with the text, a small book.yaml settings file, and an images folder. All of it is plain text you can open anywhere.
Where are my files?
In the folder you chose when you created or opened the document. Wit keeps its list of open documents in a file called wit.json, in %APPDATA%\app.wit.desktop on Windows and ~/.config/app.wit.desktop on Linux. Named revisions and daily copies are in a .wit folder inside each document's folder.
Can I open a manuscript I already have?
Yes. Alt+O opens a folder that contains a story.md, essay.md or .fountain file, or a single .md or .fountain file on its own. Wit adds a small settings file next to it, and leaves your text as it is.
What can I export?
A Print PDF with white pages for the printer, a Proof PDF exactly as set up for checking, and, for books and essays, a Word (.docx) or OpenDocument (.odt) manuscript for an editor. Scripts export as PDFs.
Which languages does Wit support?
English, Romanian, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese. The language of a document sets its hyphenation, the editor's spell check and the language recorded in the PDF and Word files.
Windows says "Windows protected your PC". Is that safe?
Wit's Windows installer isn't signed with a code-signing certificate, so SmartScreen warns about any file it hasn't seen before. Click More info, then Run anyway. If you want to be sure, download only from this site or from the GitHub releases page.
My Mac won't open it the first time.
Right-click Wit in Applications and choose Open, then confirm. macOS asks this once for an app that doesn't come from the App Store. After that it opens normally.
What does Wit need to run?
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit; the installer fetches Microsoft's WebView2 if your PC lacks it. On a Mac, one app runs on Apple silicon and Intel. On Linux, a 64-bit distribution from 2022 or later: the AppImage runs almost anywhere, and there are .deb and .rpm packages.
Does Wit need the internet?
No. Wit runs on your computer, needs no account and sends nothing anywhere. It can work with the network unplugged.
Where are the keyboard shortcuts?
Alt+? shows them inside Wit, and Ctrl+Shift+P (⇧⌘P on a Mac) opens the command palette, where every command is listed with its shortcut. The full list for Windows, Linux and Mac is on GitHub.
How do I report a bug or ask for something?
Open an issue on GitHub. Say what you did, what you expected and what happened, and which version and system you use. For a security problem, please use Report a vulnerability on the repository's Security tab instead of a public issue.