Manuscript Import and Export: DOCX, Chapters, and PDF
Trying a new writing workspace should begin with a small, checkable transfer. Quilly's import preview lets you inspect chapter detection before committing an existing Word manuscript.
Quilly imports DOCX manuscripts with chapter detection and preview, then exports the full manuscript or selected chapters as DOCX or PDF. New-book setup also accepts TXT and Markdown; an existing book's import settings use DOCX. PDF manuscript import is not supported, and a manuscript export is distinct from a complete project backup.
- Inspect detected chapters before applying a DOCX import.
- Choose append or replace deliberately in an existing book.
- Check a downloaded sample in the next application's workflow.
Choose a format for the actual job
Use the editable source document when moving a manuscript. DOCX carries the document into Quilly's chapter workflow; TXT and Markdown can seed a new book through the setup flow. Do not treat plain-text import as a promise to preserve complex formatting or a document's original layout.
PDF is useful as a reading output, but it is not a supported manuscript import format. If you have only a PDF, recover an editable source through an appropriate separate workflow and inspect it before using it as a new draft.
Prepare a DOCX that is easy to inspect
Keep an unchanged original, then use consistent chapter labels in the copy you intend to import. Headings such as Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 give the detector recognizable boundaries. A row of decorative symbols may separate scenes without reliably identifying a new chapter.
Choose a representative test passage with dialogue, italics, normal paragraphs, and your usual separators. Complex layouts, headers, footers, comments, editorial revision history, and embedded media should not be assumed to recreate equivalent Quilly features. The objective is usable manuscript prose, not a lossless desktop-publishing conversion.
Inspect chapter detection before committing
DOCX import produces a preview and allows chapter selection. Check chapter titles, opening paragraphs, ending paragraphs, and any prologue or epilogue. If the detector cannot confidently find boundaries, it can fall back to one chapter; inspect the source headings instead of assuming the count is correct.
For a draft with a prologue and twelve chapters, compare several boundaries rather than checking only that thirteen entries appear. A plausible count can still hide a chapter heading placed at the wrong point or front matter included in prose.
Append and replace solve different problems
Append adds the selected imported chapters to an existing manuscript. It is useful when bringing in later material, but repeating an append can duplicate chapters. Replace changes the manuscript chapter set and requires confirmation; it deserves a deliberate backup step before use.
Create a manual snapshot and an independent manuscript export before a valuable replacement. The import workflow attempts a pre-import snapshot, but your own checked copy is still useful. Planning data is handled separately from the imported chapter prose; inspect the resulting structure before continuing work.
Export a reading copy or an editable handoff
Select the entire manuscript or a subset of chapters, then choose DOCX or PDF. DOCX is appropriate for a next stage involving editable prose; PDF is useful for reading. The chosen chapters follow the manuscript's organized order, so check the current structure before downloading.
Open the output and verify titles, paragraph breaks, italics, scene separators, and the final paragraph. If an editor or submission portal has specific formatting requirements, check those in the receiving tool. Manuscript output is not the same thing as final book typesetting.
A complete project needs more than a manuscript file
A DOCX or PDF contains manuscript output, not all character profiles, world entries, foreshadowing, images, and connections. Quilly's snapshot and backup workflows serve a different recovery purpose. Keep those concepts separate when deciding how to preserve the book.
An exported file also does not create live synchronization with Word or Google Docs. Choose which copy is the active draft after each handoff and label milestone files clearly so two independent versions do not quietly diverge.
Supported manuscript routes
| Route | Formats | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Create a new book | DOCX, TXT, Markdown | Detected chapters and plain-text limitations |
| Import into an existing book | DOCX | Preview, chapter selection, append or replace |
| Export manuscript | DOCX or PDF | Whole book or selected chapters; inspect output |
| Import a PDF | Not supported | Use an editable source document instead |
| Preserve the full project | Separate snapshot / backup workflow | Manuscript exports do not contain every story record |
Run a safe manuscript transfer
Complete this small loop before moving the only working copy of a long draft.
Preserve the original
Save an unchanged source copy and, for an existing project, create a snapshot before replacing chapters.
Inspect a representative import
Check headings, paragraph breaks, scene separators, and the detected chapter openings and endings.
Verify the imported structure
Choose append or replace deliberately, then inspect the first, middle, and last affected chapters.
Test the return trip
Export a sample DOCX or PDF and open it in the software your next reader will use.
Frequently asked questions
Will a multi-chapter Word document become multiple chapters?
The DOCX importer attempts to detect recognizable chapter headings and shows a preview. You can select chapters before importing. If boundaries are not reliably detected, the document can fall back to a single chapter.
Can I import PDF, TXT, or Markdown?
PDF import is not supported. TXT and Markdown are accepted in new-book setup. Import settings inside an existing book accept DOCX.
Does replace erase the entire planning workspace?
Replace applies to the manuscript chapter set rather than being a full-project reset. Because chapter structure changes, preserve a snapshot and export first, and inspect the affected planning context afterward.
Will Word comments and Track Changes transfer perfectly?
Do not assume that editorial history, comments, complex formatting, and layout elements become equivalent Quilly features. Keep the original and validate a representative sample.
Can I export only a few chapters?
Yes. Manuscript export offers the entire manuscript or selected chapters in DOCX or PDF format.