How do I migrate between writing tools?
- Migration risks losing formatting, notes, and structure.
- Export to a portable format (DOCX, RTF, plain text) for the manuscript.
- Notes and metadata often need manual rebuilding.
- Move and verify the manuscript before discarding the old tool.
- Keep a backup of the old project until migration is confirmed.
Migrate between writing tools by exporting your manuscript to a portable format (DOCX, RTF, or plain text) and importing it into the new tool first, verifying the text and formatting transferred cleanly. Notes, metadata, and structure (scene splits, labels) often do not transfer automatically and need rebuilding by hand. Keep a full backup of the old project until you have confirmed everything is intact in the new tool — never delete the source before the migration is verified.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Switching writing tools is where work gets lost: formatting mangles, notes vanish, and structure flattens, sometimes discovered only after the old project is gone. A careful migration — portable export, verify the manuscript, rebuild what does not transfer, and keep a backup until confirmed — prevents that. Understanding what transfers cleanly (the text) and what does not (notes, structure, metadata) lets you switch tools without losing the surrounding work you depend on.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A portable export format for the manuscript.
- Import and verification in the new tool.
- Manual rebuilding of notes and structure.
- A check of formatting and completeness.
- A retained backup of the old project.
- No deletion until migration is confirmed.
Chapter iii·Example
An author moving tools exports her manuscript to DOCX, imports it, and confirms the text and formatting are intact. Her scene labels and notes did not transfer, so she rebuilds them. She keeps the old project backed up for weeks until she is sure nothing is missing — then, and only then, retires the old tool.
WriteLoom imports your manuscript and keeps notes and structure together, so moving into one workspace is clean and verifiable.
See the Plan studio