> ## 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.

# Share a draft for notes

> Send each reader their own private link to your pages. They read in any browser, leave notes on the lines they react to, and their notes come straight back into Inkwell.

Getting notes usually means emailing a PDF and getting back a reply that says "loved it, the middle drags a bit" — with no idea which middle. **Share Draft** fixes that. Each reader gets their own link, reads your pages in any browser exactly as they'd print, and taps the speech or scene they want to talk about. Their notes land in Inkwell, pinned to that passage in your script.

* **Nothing to install for your readers.** No app, no account, no sign-up. A link opens the draft.
* **One link per person.** Every link carries the reader's name, so you always know whose note is whose — and you can switch off one link without touching anyone else's.
* **Private by design.** Your pages and every note are encrypted on your Mac before they leave it. Inkwell's servers store them, but can't read them.
* **You know when it's been read.** See when each reader opened the draft, how far they got, and whether they finished.

![The Share Draft sheet in Inkwell. The New link form is filled in for a reader named Kim, with Password switched on and the passphrase maple-orbit-tuesday, Expires set to 30 days, Notes set to Private to each reader, and a Create Link button. Below, Links for this script lists Priya, not opened yet; Dana, read to page 5 of 12; Sam, finished; and Writers' group, revoked.](https://mintcdn.com/inkwell/T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4/images/share/mac-share-sheet-crop.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4\&q=85\&s=dc15f6aec070852ccc70056ff5d4e7c1)

One link per reader, each with its own name, passphrase and expiry.

## Before you start

* **Sign in to your Inkwell account.** If you aren't signed in, the Share Draft sheet offers **Sign In…**. Links are tied to your account so you can see who read them and revoke them later. You don't need to turn on sync.
* **Save your script.** Shared links are listed under the saved script, so an unsaved, untitled script can't be shared yet.
* **Your readers need nothing at all** — just a web browser on a phone, tablet or computer.

## Share your draft

**1. Open Share Draft**

Choose **File → Share Draft…** (`Cmd+Opt+Shift+S`), or click the paper-plane **Share** button in the window's top bar, next to the **Notes** button.

**2. Name the reader**

Under **Reader**, type who this link is for — "Sam", "Producer – Dana", "Writers' group". The name appears on every note that reader leaves, and they'll see it on the cover of the draft ("*Jamie* shared *THE TITLE* with you, Sam.").

Make a separate link for each person. That way every note is attributed correctly, and you can revoke one reader's access without affecting anyone else.

**3. Choose a passphrase (optional, recommended)**

**Require a password** is on by default, and Inkwell suggests an easy-to-say passphrase like `maple-orbit-tuesday`. Keep it, type your own, or click the refresh button for another suggestion. Turn the switch off if you'd rather the link open on its own.

With a passphrase, the link alone isn't enough to read your draft — someone needs both.

**4. Pick how long the link lasts**

Choose **7**, **30** or **90 days** under **Expires**. Links last 30 days unless you change it, and you can extend one later.

**5. Decide who sees the notes**

* **Private to each reader** (the default): only you see this reader's notes, and they only see their own notes and your replies.
* **Visible to all readers**: this reader sees notes from everyone else whose link is also set to "visible to all" on the same draft, and their notes are visible to them. Good for a writers' group or a table read.

**6. Create the link**

Click **Create Link**. In a few seconds you'll see **Link for Sam is ready**, with **Copy** buttons for the link and the passphrase.

**7. Send it**

Paste the link into an email, a text, or whatever you use. **Send the passphrase separately** — if you emailed the link, text the passphrase. That way, anyone who gets hold of one message still can't open the draft.

Click **Share With Another Reader** to make the next person's link. Each one gets a fresh passphrase.

![The Share Draft sheet showing Link for Kim is ready, with a share.inkwell.app link and the passphrase maple-orbit-tuesday, each with a Copy button, a reminder to send the password separately, and Share With Another Reader. The links list below shows Kim, not opened yet; Dana, read to page 5 of 12; Sam, finished; and Priya and Writers' group, both revoked.](https://mintcdn.com/inkwell/T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4/images/share/mac-share-created-crop.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4\&q=85\&s=ab6d40fd09ab517bb0deead3dd44ebea)

Copy the link and the passphrase, and send them separately.

> [!TIP]
>
> Not sure what your readers will see? Point them to [Opening a shared draft](https://docs.inkwell.app/sharing/opening-a-shared-draft.md) — it walks them through reading, leaving notes, and what you can and can't see.

## What your readers get

Your reader opens the link in any browser and sees a cover page with your title, your name and the draft date, then your script, page for page as it would print. Page numbers match your PDF, so "page 42" means the same thing to both of you.

* On a computer or tablet they start in **Page view**: your pages, exactly as printed. On a phone they start in **Reading view**: one easy-to-read column, with "— page N —" markers so page numbers still line up. They can switch either way.
* They can jump around with **Scenes**, change the text size, and switch between light and dark.
* They come back to where they left off.
* To leave a note, they tap or click any line. The note attaches to the whole element: a scene heading, a paragraph of action, or an entire speech.
* The browser tab shows "Draft from *your first name*", never your script's title, and link previews in messaging apps say only "A script draft, shared with you".

Your script's private material stays on your Mac. The shared copy leaves out your `[[notes]]`, revision marks, Quill's pending suggestions and authorship history.

## The shared copy is a snapshot

When you create a link, Inkwell takes a snapshot of the pages as they are right now. **Editing your script afterwards doesn't change what your readers see** — they keep reading the draft you sent, and their notes still make sense.

When you've done a new pass and want a reader to see it, open **File → Share Draft…** again. Links whose draft is out of date say **You've edited the script since this snapshot**; click **Reshare…** to make that reader a fresh link to the current pages, with their name already filled in. The old link keeps working until it expires or you revoke it — revoke it if you'd rather they only read the new version.

## See who's read it

Open **File → Share Draft…** to see every link for this script. Each one shows, at a glance:

* whether the reader has opened it, and when ("Opened Tue 3:12pm");
* how far they've read ("read to p.87 of 104");
* whether they **finished**;
* how many notes they've left, with a badge for new ones;
* when the link expires.

Your readers are told about this on the cover of the draft: "*Jamie* sees when you open it, how far you read, and your notes."

![Links for this script in the Share Draft sheet: Priya, not opened yet; Dana, opened Saturday and read to page 5 of 12; Sam, opened Saturday, read to page 12 of 12 and finished, with a Show Notes link; Writers' group, marked Revoked. Active links have Copy Link, Copy Password, Extend and Revoke buttons and expire in 30 days.](https://mintcdn.com/inkwell/T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4/images/share/mac-share-links-crop.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4\&q=85\&s=da497dd3e6430e85efda95be366be3e1)

See who opened your draft, how far they got, and which links you've revoked.

## Read and answer notes

Notes come back into Inkwell, next to the lines they're about.

**1. Open Reader Notes**

Choose **View → Reader Notes** (`Cmd+Opt+N`), click the **Notes** button in the window's top bar (its badge counts new notes), or click **Show Notes** next to a link in the Share Draft sheet to see just that reader's notes (**Show All** brings the rest back). **Manage links…** at the top of the panel takes you back to the Share Draft sheet. While your script is open, Inkwell checks for new notes every minute or so.

**2. Go to the passage**

Each note shows the reader's name, the page it was left on, and the passage. Click a note to jump to that passage in your script. Passages with notes also get a small mark in the right margin of the script; click it to open the note. A note counts as read once you've looked at it in the panel, on any of your Macs.

**3. Reply, resolve or delete**

* **Reply** — your reply appears under their note on the shared page, labelled as from the writer. If they have the page open, they'll see it within a minute; otherwise it's waiting for them, marked **New reply**, next time they visit.
* **Resolve** — mark a note as dealt with. The reader sees it marked **resolved by the writer**. Resolved notes hide from the list; use the button at the top of the panel to show them again. You can **Reopen** a resolved note at any time.
* **Delete Thread** — removes a reader's note and every reply under it, here *and* on the reader's page. To remove just one of your replies, click the trash icon beside it. Inkwell asks first either way.

If you're offline, replies and changes wait and send when you're back. If one can't be sent, it's marked **Couldn't send**, with **Retry** and **Discard**.

![Inkwell with the Reader Notes panel beside the script. Sam's note on page 7 reads: This is the line that got me. I had to put the phone down for a second. Below it is your reply: That one took eleven drafts. Glad it landed. A second note from Sam is on page 9. In the script, Margot's whole speech is highlighted, with a note marker in the margin beside it. The window's top bar shows the Share and Reader Notes buttons next to Quill.](https://mintcdn.com/inkwell/T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4/images/share/mac-reader-notes-crop.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4\&q=85\&s=8805a24181b6b145264b0762e41882c9)

Sam's notes beside the script, with the passage highlighted and your reply in the thread.

**Notes follow your rewrites.** Inkwell matches each note to the passage in your *current* draft, even if you've added scenes above it or tweaked the wording. When the wording has changed, the note is marked **Approximate match**. If you've changed or cut a passage so much that Inkwell can't find it, the note is listed under **Unanchored notes**, along with the text the reader was looking at.

**Using more than one Mac?** The keys that unlock your links are saved in your iCloud Keychain. On a Mac that doesn't have them (iCloud Keychain off, or a different Apple Account), a note says **This note can't be read on this Mac**. Open it on the Mac you shared from, or turn on iCloud Keychain.

**Notes never touch your script.** They're kept alongside it, not inside it — your `.ink` file and its authorship history are never changed by a reader's note, a reply, or resolving one.

## Extend or revoke a link

In **File → Share Draft…**, each link has:

* **Extend** — keep it open for another 7, 30 or 90 days from today. A link that has just expired shows **Reopen** instead, for a couple of weeks after it lapses.
* **Copy Link** / **Copy Password** — send it again.
* **Revoke…** — close the link for good. The reader sees **This draft is no longer shared** next time they open it. Notes they already left stay with you. A revoked link can't be switched back on; make the reader a new one instead.

To see every active link on your account, across all your scripts, click **Manage All Links…**.

## How many links can I have?

| | Free | Quill Pro |
| - | - | - |
| **Active share links** (across all scripts) | 3 | 50 |
| **Link lifetime** | 7, 30 or 90 days | 7, 30 or 90 days |
| **Notes, replies, read receipts** | ✅ | ✅ |

Only **active** links count. When a link expires or you revoke it, its slot is free again. If you hit the limit, Inkwell tells you and offers **Manage Links…** so you can revoke one you no longer need — or upgrade to [Quill Pro](https://docs.inkwell.app/account/plans-billing.md).

![The Share Draft sheet with the new-link form filled in for Kim and a notice: You have 3 active links across all your scripts, and the free plan allows 3. Revoke one you no longer need, or upgrade to Quill Pro for up to 50. Below it are Manage Links… and Upgrade to Quill Pro… buttons.](https://mintcdn.com/inkwell/T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4/images/share/mac-share-limit-crop.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=T9SkbcLpSetuxMo4\&q=85\&s=6088cefd0993880827291f827fe609db)

On the free plan, a fourth link asks you to free a slot or upgrade.

## Privacy and security

Share Draft is built so that **only you and the people you send a link to can read your draft.**

* **Encrypted on your Mac.** Your pages and every note are encrypted before they leave your computer. The key that unlocks them is in the part of the link after the `#`, which web browsers never send to any server. Inkwell stores the encrypted copy, but can't read your script or anyone's notes.
* **A passphrase adds a second lock.** On a passphrase-protected link, the link alone won't open the draft. Wrong guesses are limited, so a passphrase can't be guessed by trying over and over.
* **The reader's page runs nothing but Inkwell's own code** — no ads, no trackers, no third-party scripts.

It's worth knowing the limits, too:

* **A link works for whoever has it.** If a reader forwards their link (and passphrase), the new person can read it — and any notes they leave show up under the original reader's name. That's one reason to use a passphrase, and to make one link per person.
* **Revoking stops future reading, not past reading.** It can't take back what someone has already read, and a page that's already open in someone's browser stays readable until they close it (though they can't send new notes).
* **Reader names aren't encrypted.** The names you give your links are stored on Inkwell's servers as plain text, so they can be shown on notes. Use a first name or a nickname if you prefer.

### How long shared drafts are kept

* The encrypted copy of your draft is **deleted 14 days after its last link expires or is revoked**. (The two weeks gives you time to reopen a link that lapsed by accident.)
* The notes, link names and read receipts are kept **another 90 days** after that, so late notes still reach you — then they're deleted too, and nothing of that share remains on Inkwell's servers.
* Notes you've already pulled into Inkwell stay on your Mac.

See [Shared drafts in the FAQ](https://docs.inkwell.app/reference/faq.md#shared-drafts) and the [privacy details](https://docs.inkwell.app/legal.md#shared-drafts) for more.

## Not yet

A few things people ask about that Share Draft doesn't do yet:

* Readers can't sign in or keep a list of drafts shared with them.
* Inkwell doesn't email you when a note arrives, or email readers when you reply — open **Reader Notes** to check.
* Links open in a web browser, not in the Inkwell Reader iPhone app.
* You can share from Inkwell on the Mac, not from iPhone.

***

## Next Steps

> [card] [Opening a shared draft](https://docs.inkwell.app/sharing/opening-a-shared-draft.md)
>
> The page to send your readers

> [card] [Plans & Billing](https://docs.inkwell.app/account/plans-billing.md)
>
> Free vs. Quill Pro


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