PugWriter Desktop help
How do I…
Short recipes for everyday tasks, one step at a time, with screenshots of exactly where to click. Stuck, or something didn’t make sense? Tell us with Feedback in the app.
Getting started
- How do I install PugWriter and sign in?Download the desktop app, install it, sign in with your PugWriter.com email and make the three first-run choices.
- How do I start a new project?Create a new project folder for a book, write in it, then close it and open it again.
- How do I import an existing manuscript?Import turns a Word, Scrivener, OpenDocument, EPUB, Markdown, HTML, RTF, plain-text or PDF file into a new PugWriter project, split into chapters. Your original file is never changed.
- How do I change the theme and text size?Switch between light and dark themes, raise contrast, and make the writing text or the whole window bigger.
Writing
- How do I write and format a scene?Write in a chapter and use headings, bold, italic, lists and undo, then check it all saved.
- How do I get around PugWriter with the keyboard?Open any chapter, Codex entry or command by typing, and look up every keyboard shortcut in one place.
- How do I change a name everywhere in my project?Replace Across Project finds every mention of a name in the book, the Codex and your research, and lets you accept or reject each change before anything is written.
- How do I find and replace a word in one chapter?Find and Replace works in the chapter in front of you, and lets you check every match and leave out the ones you want to keep.
- How do I find a word anywhere in my project?The Search panel looks through every chapter, note, outline, research note and Codex entry, and opens the one you pick right at the match.
- How do I track my changes while I revise?With Track Changes on, your additions and deletions stay visible in colour until you accept or reject them, so you can weigh a revision before it becomes the chapter.
Organizing
- How do I add chapters and scenes?Add a chapter where you want it in the book, and split a chapter into scenes you can move around.
- How do I reorder chapters and scenes?Drag chapters and scenes into a new order in the sidebar, or move one with Move to…, and jump between them.
- How do I move around and search a long book quickly?Check how big your project is, jump to any chapter by name and search the whole project, so a long manuscript stays easy to work in.
Planning
- How do I plan scenes on the Plot Grid and move them around?The Plot Grid lays out your plotlines against your chapters, with a card for each scene or beat, so you can plan a stretch of the book and rearrange it by dragging.
- How do I see a chapter's plan while I write?The Inspector's Outline shows the scene cards for the chapter you're writing, beside the text, so you can move between plan and prose.
Codex and research
- How do I add a character or a place to the Codex?The Codex keeps one entry for each character, place, thing, event or group in your book, with a profile you can fill in as you go.
- How do I look something up in the Codex while I'm writing?Find a character's details, or every place they appear, without losing your place in the chapter.
- How do I connect characters, places and other Codex entries?Link entries so you can see who is related to whom and where people live or belong, from either entry's page.
- How do I find a note or piece of research again?Search looks through the whole project, including chapters, research notes and Codex entries, so you can find something by any word you remember.
- How do I jot down an idea without leaving my chapter?A quick note catches a passing thought in a few keystrokes and files it on Note Cards, so you can keep writing.
- How do I keep research notes with my book?The Research section holds notes you write and files you add, such as PDFs and pictures, inside the project where you can reach them beside your chapters.
Books and drafts
- How do I work with several books in one project?A project can hold a whole series: each book keeps its own manuscript, drafts and front and back matter, while the Codex and research are shared.
- How do I start a new draft and see what changed?Start a fresh draft of a book when a full pass is done, then compare any chapter with the earlier draft and carry a passage forward if you want it back.
Safety and recovery
- How do I bring back an earlier version of a chapter?PugWriter keeps recovery points of your project as you write, so you can read a chapter as it was and bring back one passage or the whole thing.
- How do I get back a chapter or note I deleted?Deleted chapters, scenes, notes, comments, cards and Codex entries wait in Recently Deleted until you delete them forever, so you can put them back where they were.
- How do I back up my project and restore it?PugWriter can keep verified backup copies of your whole project and restore any of them into a new folder, without touching the project you're working on.
Exporting
- How do I export my book to Word?Make a .docx file of your book, either a standard submission manuscript, a formatted book or a review copy, to open in Word or another word processor.
- How do I make a print-ready PDF of my book?Set the trim size and paper, preview how chapters will look on the printed page, and export a PDF interior for a paperback or hardcover.
- How do I export my book as an ebook (EPUB)?Make an EPUB file of your book with its cover and contents, ready to read in Apple Books, Kobo, Calibre or another ebook reader.
AI
- How do I control what AI sees and what it costs?Turn single AI features on or off, keep AI out of one book, set a spending budget and read exactly what was sent and what it cost.
- How do I turn on AI and connect a provider?AI is off until you choose it. This shows where to switch it on, how to connect your own key, a ChatGPT plan or a model on your own computer, and what you agree to first.
- How do I get an AI suggestion without losing control of my text?Ask the AI to proofread a passage, compare its suggestion with your words, and accept, dismiss or undo it. Nothing changes until you accept.
Feedback and help
- How do I leave a comment on a passage?A comment is a note beside your prose that never reaches the exported book; every comment is listed in the Inspector so you can jump back to it.
- How do I flag a passage to fix later?A flag highlights a passage that needs attention, such as continuity, revision or a fact to check, with an optional note; flags show only in the app.
- How do I move or hide the Feedback button?Put the Feedback button in another corner, dock it in the status bar, or hide it and open feedback from Incanta instead.
- How do I take a screenshot of a whole tab?Capture a long chapter, board or page from top to bottom in one picture, ready to paste into an email or a feedback message.
- How do I send feedback from the app?Send us a question, a bug, an idea or something you love from inside PugWriter, with a marked-up screenshot if it helps.