The Word file will not import
- The file is .doc, password-protected, or not a readable Word document. Open it in Word and save an unprotected
.docxcopy, then choose that file. - The file is too large. Pictures take up most of a Word file's size. Remove them, or split the document into smaller files.
- The message says the document is too long. Split the writing into smaller documents and import each one.
- A link address is too long. Shorten or remove the link the message names, save the document in Word, and review again.
- The file cannot be read or appears damaged. Save a fresh
.docxcopy from Word and retry. Renaming another file's extension to.docxdoes not convert it.
The preview looks different from Word
Plot sets the text in its own typography. Changes to review lists what changed on the way in — tables flattened to text, images left out, formatting simplified. Compare an important passage with the original before choosing Create project & open. A long document's preview shows only the beginning; the whole document is imported.
To pick a different file or format, choose Back and review again.
Screenplay mode is unavailable
A project's format decides which modes it offers. A Treatment project first develops into a script format. A Series Bible lists Outline and Prose modes that aren't available in Plot yet; pick one of the others.
Returning to Treatment is blocked
Open each draft line or take the dialog names — archived draft lines included — change its writing mode to Freeform, Mixed, or Treatment, and save. Then choose Return to Treatment from the journey menu again. If it asks you to save first, save the main draft line.
If a message says the format changed while you were saving, refresh and try again.
PDF export stops on a character
The message lists the characters that stopped the export. Find each one in your draft and replace it, or export to Final Draft or Fountain instead. Script pages print in a typewriter font with fewer symbols than prose pages, so check passages you recently turned into script first.
If the message mentions an invisible character, it usually came in with text pasted from another app or a website. Retype the lines you pasted most recently, or export to Final Draft or Fountain.
When to contact support
If a fresh .docx copy within the size limit still fails, or readable source text is missing without an explanation in the report, contact support with the error and the passage you expected to import.