Fonte Manual
Fountain screenplay editor. Free · Offline · No signup.
Created by Ricardo A. B. Graça — screenwriter and developer. This app was born from the need for a free screenplay editor, made by a screenwriter for screenwriters — not by a company trying to profit from your work.
🌐 ricolandia.com · 📦 Official page · 🐙 GitHub
Table of contents
1. Introduction
Fonte is a complete screenplay editor using the Fountain format. It is:
- Made by a screenwriter — created by Ricardo A. B. Graça, screenwriter and developer, who felt the lack of quality free tools firsthand.
- 100% free — no ads, no paid version, no limits
- Offline — works without internet after the first load
- No signup — no account needed, no data collection
- Universal — works on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS
- Zero dependencies — single HTML file + JavaScript, no frameworks
What is Fountain?
Fountain is a plain text format for screenplays. You write like a notepad, and Fonte formats it automatically:
INT. OFFICE - DAY
JOHN (CEO)
We need results!
EXT. PARK - DAY
MARY (ASST)
He doesn't even look at me anymore...2. Installation
Online (recommended)
Access via browser and install as an app: ricolandia.com/editor-roteiros-gratuito/Demo/
In Chrome/Edge: ⋮ → Install Fonte
Universal zip
Download the Fonte-web.zip from the Releases page, extract and open index.html. Works on any system. Place it in a synced folder (Dropbox, OneDrive) to access from multiple computers.
3. Getting started
The interface has three panels: scenes on the left, editor in the center, beats on the right. The top toolbar contains all tools:
- 📄 New / 📂 Open / 💾 Save — project management
- 📄 Import — import
.fountainfile - ⬇ Fountain — export plain text
- 📑 HTML / 🖨 PDF — export formatted script
- 👁 — toggle editor/split/preview
- 🔍 — find/replace
- 📄 Sheet — title page, film sheet, structure
- 📊 Stats — script statistics
- 🎯 Goal — daily word goal
- 💾 Backups — restore auto backup
- 📋 Project — Cultural Project module
- 🧩 Board — Excalidraw (visual planning)
- 🌗 — toggle light/dark theme
- PT/EN — toggle language
- ❓ — help
4. Script editor
Fountain formatting
| Element | How to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Scene heading | INT/LOCATION - DAY or .SCENE | INT. HOUSE - DAY |
| Character | Uppercase name, alone on line | JOHN |
| Dialogue | Line below character | Hello, world! |
| Parenthetical | In parentheses | (smiling) |
| Transition | CUT TO: or > FADE OUT | CUT TO: |
| Centered text | > text < | > THE END < |
| Forced action | ! text | !Footsteps heard. |
| Forced character | @ name | @John Smith |
| Synopsis | = text | = John arrives home |
| Production note | [[ text ]] | [[sound effect]] |
| Comment | /* text */ | /* review later */ |
| Page break | === | === |
| Dual dialogue | ^ after name | JOHN ^ / MARY ^ |
Auto-save
Text is saved automatically every 10 seconds in your browser. Close and reopen — your text is still there.
Preview
Click 👁 to toggle between Editor (text only), Split (editor + preview side by side) and Preview (formatted view only).
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+S | Save project |
Ctrl+O | Open project |
Ctrl+N | New project |
Ctrl+F / Ctrl+H | Find / Replace |
F11 | Focus mode |
Ctrl+1 | Yellow highlight (review) |
Ctrl+2 | Green highlight (ok) |
Ctrl+3 | Red highlight (problem) |
Ctrl+= | Zoom in |
Ctrl+- | Zoom out |
Ctrl+0 | Reset zoom |
5. Navigation
Scenes
The left panel lists all scenes organized by act. Click a scene to jump to it in the editor. Use ⊞ / ⊟ to toggle between list and corkboard (visual cards).
Beats
The right panel shows beats (planning cards). Each beat can be linked to a scene. ● Solid dot: linked to a scene. ◯ Dashed dot: draft beat (no scene). Use the timeline (📊 Plot) to see beats organized by act × plotline.
6. Characters and locations
Characters and locations are automatically extracted from your script text. Just write, and they appear in the corresponding tab. Click a character to edit their profile (age, archetype, appearance, personality, biography, goal, fear).
Auto-complete
When typing a character name in uppercase, Fonte suggests names already used in the script. Use ⬇/⬆ to navigate and Enter to complete.
7. Title page, Film Sheet and Story Structure
Click 📄 Sheet to open the form with 3 tabs:
- Title Page — title, credit, author, font, date, contact
- Film Sheet — logline, synopsis, argument, genre, duration, target audience
- Story Structure — governing idea, central value, premise, antagonistic force, conflict type, dramatic dilemma, 8 guided questions
Sheet data is saved in .fountain.json and restored when opening the project.
8. Cultural Project
Module for Brazilian cultural incentive laws (Rouanet, LIC, ICMS). 11 collapsible sections:
- Applicant and Project Data
- Project Profile
- Core Team
- Promotion and Media Plan
- Accessibility and Democratization
- Social Counterparts
- Detailed Budget (auto-sum)
- Execution Schedule
- Distribution Plan
- Technical Specifications
- Pitch (tagline, comparison, differential, narrative pitch, cast)
9. Planning Board (Excalidraw)
The 🧩 Board opens a full visual editor for planning your script, with 12 ready-to-use templates. Open the Board → in Excalidraw, click Open → choose a .excalidraw template. When closing with unsaved changes, Fonte asks if you want to discard. Export the drawing before closing to preserve it.
10. Productivity
- Daily goal — 🎯 set how many words you want to write per day. The status bar shows progress.
- Pomodoro / Timer — ⏱ simple timer. 🍅 25-minute Pomodoro with notification.
- Highlights — select a line and use Ctrl+1 (yellow/review), Ctrl+2 (green/ok) or Ctrl+3 (red/problem).
- Chart — shows words written in the last 7 days in the status bar.
- Backups — every 5 minutes, Fonte saves a copy (up to 5 versions). Restore via 💾 Backups.
11. Export
| Format | How to | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Fountain (.fountain) | ⬇ Fountain | Plain text only |
| HTML | 📑 HTML | Modal with checkboxes for Title Page, Film Sheet, Story Structure |
| Opens browser print. Same options as HTML | ||
| Project (.fountain.json) | 💾 Save | Everything: text, beats, sheets, cultural project, Excalidraw scene, backups |
12. Languages
Click PT / EN to switch between Portuguese and English. The app reloads automatically. The interface, Structure dropdowns, Fountain Guide, help modal and Beats modal are all translated.
13. PWA — Install as an app
Fonte can be installed as an app on your phone or computer. Just access it through your browser:
After the page loads, follow your browser's instructions:
- Chrome / Edge / Brave: ⋮ → Install Fonte (or "Add to Home screen")
- Samsung Internet: ⋮ → Add page to → Home screen
- Firefox Android: ⋮ → Add to Home screen
- iOS (Safari): Share → Add to Home Screen
- Firefox Desktop: browser only (no Install button). Use the zip or local server.
14. Migrate scripts to Fountain
This guide explains how to bring your scripts from other formats into Fonte using the open Fountain format.
Why Fountain?
Fountain is plain text — unlike .fdx (Final Draft) or .celtx (Celtx), it's not proprietary, works in any editor, and is supported by Fade In, Slugline, Highland, WriterDuet and dozens of others.
From Final Draft (.fdx)
Open in Final Draft → File → Export → Fountain → import the .fountain in Fonte via 📄 Import. Alternative: use fountain.io/convert.
From Celtx (.celtx)
Open in Celtx → File → Export as → Fountain. If you no longer have Celtx, rename .celtx to .html, open in browser, copy the text and paste into Fonte.
From other formats
| Format | How to convert |
|---|---|
| Fade In (.fadein) | File → Export → Fountain |
| Highland (.highland) | Already Fountain (rename to .fountain) |
| Slugline | Already Fountain |
| WriterDuet | Export → Fountain |
| Scrivener | File → Export → Fountain |
| Trelby | File → Export → Fountain |
15. Frequently asked questions
Where is my data stored?
Everything stays in your browser (localStorage) and/or the .fountain.json file you save. No data is sent to any server.
Do I need internet?
Only the first time to load the app. After that, it works fully offline.
How do I migrate from Final Draft?
Open your .fdx in Final Draft and export as Fountain (File → Export → Fountain). Then import the .fountain in Fonte. See the Migrate section above for details.
How do I share a project?
Click 📤 Share. On mobile, it opens native sharing (WhatsApp, email). On desktop, it downloads the .fountain.json file.
I lost my data. What now?
Check the backups (💾 Backups). Fonte keeps the last 5 versions of your text.
Can I use it on mobile?
Yes. Access ricolandia.com/editor-roteiros-gratuito/Demo/ through your browser and install it as a PWA (⋮ → Install Fonte) — it works offline like a native app. Or extract the zip on your phone. The interface adapts (panels as overlay, full-screen modals).
MIT License — free to use, modify and distribute.
Manual generated in July 2026 for Fonte v2.3.0.