> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.inkwell.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Importing Files

> Import Fountain, Final Draft (FDX), and PDF files into Inkwell.

Inkwell can import scripts from other screenwriting apps and formats. This guide covers supported formats and what to expect when importing.

## Supported Import Formats

Inkwell supports three import formats:

| Format      | Extension   | Import Quality  | Notes                                    |
| ----------- | ----------- | --------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Fountain    | `.fountain` | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | Perfect fidelity, all metadata preserved |
| Final Draft | `.fdx`      | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent | Full format support including revisions  |
| PDF         | `.pdf`      | ⭐⭐⭐ Good        | Best-effort inference, may need cleanup  |

## Import Fountain Files

Fountain is a plain-text screenplay format that imports perfectly into Inkwell.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Import">
    Go to **File → Import → Fountain (.fountain)…**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select file">
    Choose your `.fountain` file from the file picker.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review imported script">
    Your script opens in Inkwell with all formatting preserved.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What imports from Fountain

✅ **Fully supported**:

* All screenplay elements (scenes, action, dialogue, etc.)
* Title page metadata (title, author, contact, etc.)
* Formatting (bold, italic, underline)
* Sections and synopses
* Inline notes
* Scene numbers (if present)

❌ **Not imported**:

* Revision marks (Fountain doesn't support revisions natively)
* Version history (starts fresh in Inkwell)

<Tip>
  Fountain files export from most modern screenwriting apps including Highland, Final Draft, Fade In, and WriterDuet.
</Tip>

## Import Final Draft Files

Final Draft (FDX) files import with full fidelity, including advanced features.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Import">
    Go to **File → Import → Final Draft (.fdx)…**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select FDX file">
    Choose your `.fdx` file.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review imported script">
    Your script opens with formatting and metadata intact.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### What imports from Final Draft

✅ **Fully supported**:

* All screenplay elements
* Title page metadata
* **Revision marks with colors** (Blue, Pink, Yellow, etc.)
* Formatting (bold, italic, underline)
* Scene numbers
* Dual dialogue
* Page breaks (Inkwell recalculates for accuracy)

✅ **Converted to Inkwell format**:

* Outline elements → Sections (`#` syntax)
* FDX notes → Inline notes (`[[ ]]` syntax)

❌ **Not imported**:

* Final Draft-specific features (Omit, A-pages)
* Version history (starts fresh in Inkwell)
* Custom fonts or page margins (Inkwell uses industry standard Courier Prime)

<Note>
  Revision marks import with their colors intact. You can continue tracking revisions in the same color sequence.
</Note>

## Import PDF Files

PDF import uses text recognition to recreate your screenplay from a PDF document. Quality depends on how the PDF was created.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Import">
    Go to **File → Import → PDF…**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select PDF file">
    Choose your `.pdf` file.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for processing">
    PDF import takes longer than other formats (usually 5 to 30 seconds depending on script length).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review and clean up">
    Check the imported script carefully. You may need to fix element detection or formatting.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### PDF Import Quality

**Best results** (⭐⭐⭐⭐):

* PDFs exported directly from screenwriting software
* Text-based PDFs (not scanned image pages)
* Standard Courier font
* Clean, properly formatted scripts

**Moderate results** (⭐⭐⭐):

* PDFs with non-standard fonts
* Hand-formatted scripts
* PDFs with headers, footers, or watermarks

**Poor results** (⭐⭐):

* Scanned PDFs (images, not text)
* Multi-column layouts
* Heavily annotated PDFs

### What imports from PDF

✅ **Usually correct**:

* Scene headings
* Character names
* Dialogue
* Action/description
* Page breaks (approximate)

⚠️ **May need cleanup**:

* Element type detection (dialogue vs. action)
* Character name consistency (formatting variations)
* Parentheticals and transitions
* Special formatting (bold, italic, underline)

❌ **Not imported**:

* Revision marks
* Title page metadata (you'll need to re-enter in Script Info)
* Inline notes
* Sections or synopses

<Warning>
  Always review PDF imports carefully. Element detection is best-effort and may misidentify some lines.
</Warning>

## Post-Import Steps

After importing, follow these steps to ensure your script is production-ready:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check Script Info">
    Open the **Sidebar** (`Cmd+1` to toggle), select the **Script Info** tab (document icon), and fill in:

    * Title
    * Credit & Author
    * Draft Date
    * Contact information & Copyright
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review formatting">
    Scroll through your script and check:

    * Scene headings are properly detected.
    * Character names are consistent and in ALL CAPS.
    * Dialogue is correctly formatted.
    * Transitions and parentheticals are in the right places.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add characters (if needed)">
    Go to the **Characters** tab in the sidebar (person icon). Inkwell auto-detects character names, but you may want to:

    * Add character bios & details (Gender, Age).
    * Fix any name inconsistencies.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save as .ink file">
    Press `Cmd+S` to save. Choose a location and filename.

    Your script is now in Inkwell's native format.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common Import Issues

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Characters detected as action">
    **Cause**: Character names weren't in ALL CAPS or had inconsistent formatting.

    **Fix**: Retype the character name in ALL CAPS on its own line. The dialogue below will auto-format correctly.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Action detected as dialogue">
    **Cause**: Action paragraphs were indented or formatted unusually.

    **Fix**: Highlight the misidentified text, then press **Tab** to cycle the element type back to Action.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Scene headings not detected">
    **Cause**: Scene headings didn't start with standard prefixes like `INT.` or `EXT.`.

    **Fix**: Force a scene heading by adding a period (`.`) at the start of the line. Example: `.FLASHBACK - 1985`
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="PDF import is very slow">
    Large PDFs (100+ pages) take 30-60 seconds to import. This is normal—PDF text extraction and element inference is computationally intensive.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Title page didn't import">
    Title pages rarely import from PDFs or Fountain. Re-enter your script info in **Sidebar → Script Info** after importing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Revision marks missing after FDX import">
    Check that your FDX file actually had revision marks. If it did and they're not showing, ensure you didn't have revisions mode disabled. Go to **Revision → Show Revision Mode** (or press `Cmd+Opt+R`) to confirm revisions are active.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Best Practices

### Before Importing

1. **Clean up the source**: If possible, remove headers, footers, and watermarks from PDFs before importing.
2. **Use the best format**: Prefer Fountain or FDX over PDF when available.
3. **Backup the original**: Keep a copy of your original file in case you need to re-import.

### After Importing

1. **Do a full read-through**: Check formatting on every page.
2. **Fix inconsistencies early**: Correct character names and element types before writing new content.
3. **Set up Script Info**: Fill in title page metadata immediately.
4. **Save regularly**: Press `Cmd+S` to save your work.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Exporting files" icon="file-export" href="/managing-files/exporting-files">
    Export your script to other formats
  </Card>

  <Card title="Formatting basics" icon="book" href="/writing/formatting-basics">
    Learn Fountain syntax for editing imported scripts
  </Card>
</CardGroup>