Bring your manuscript in — don't retype it

Looking to import a Word document into writing software without retyping the whole manuscript or losing your formatting? Writer Studio reads DOCX, Markdown, and plain-text files directly, turns them into real chapters and scenes, and shows you exactly what it found before anything is created.

What file formats can Writer Studio import?

Writer Studio imports plain text (TXT), Markdown (.md), and Word documents (DOCX) today — all three are real, working parsers built into the app's file picker, not a roadmap promise. Each one lands as an ordinary, editable manuscript: nothing is locked, and every imported chapter or scene can be renamed, moved, or deleted exactly like structure you built by hand.

The Word parser is the most capable of the three: it keeps tracked-change insertions, drops tracked-change deletions, and picks up the manuscript title automatically, so a document you've been editing collaboratively still imports cleanly.

Format	What comes in
Word (.docx)	Full text; tracked-change insertions kept, deletions dropped; title detected automatically
Plain text (.txt)	Full text; UTF-8, with a legacy Windows-1251 file detected and converted automatically
Markdown (.md)	Full text; headings and scene-break lines map to chapters and scenes

Where do I start an import?

You can start an import from two places: the welcome screen, by choosing "Start from an existing manuscript," or from inside an already-open project, via the command palette or the File menu. Either way, you pick the file, review what Writer Studio found, and choose where it lands — a new project, or the current one. Nothing about your existing projects changes until you say so.

How does importing a Word document turn into chapters and scenes?

Writer Studio reads the headings already in your file. In a Word document, both Heading 1 and Heading 2 become chapters — the heading text becomes the chapter title — and a ***, * * *, or --- line (or a page break) inside a chapter starts a new scene. In Markdown, a level-3 heading (###) does the same job. If nothing in the file signals structure, the whole manuscript comes in as a single scene, and the preview says so plainly rather than guessing.

One honest limit: Word and Markdown imports land as a flat list of chapters, not parts or acts — that split only exists for Scrivener projects today. You still get real, editable manuscript structure either way; grouping chapters into parts or acts afterward is a few drags, not a rebuild.

What do I see before anything is created?

Nothing is created until you confirm it. The preview shows the detected title (editable), each chapter with its scene count, the total word count, and any warnings from reading the file — you're agreeing to a structure you've actually seen, not a black box. After you click Import, the results screen lists anything that was skipped, grouped by chapter or scene, with the reason why.

A few guarantees carry through the whole process: the source file is never touched, cancelling at any point — or quitting mid-import — leaves no half-built book behind, and imported words don't count toward your daily goal or streak, since they're existing work rather than today's writing. Import is also a one-time door: once it's done, your project, not the original file, is the source of truth. See the full import walkthrough for the step-by-step.

Coming from Scrivener?

Scrivener import isn't reachable inside Writer Studio yet — it's on the way, not available today. The honest workaround in the meantime: compile your Scrivener project to a Word document, then import that file the same way described above. You'll lose Scrivener's Part-folder split (everything lands as chapters), but the text — and your ability to start writing today — comes through intact.

If you're weighing a move away from Scrivener more broadly, our Scrivener alternative guide walks through what actually changes day to day.

Download Writer Studio — free and import your first chapter in minutes.