We’ve worked hard to make iA Writer for Mac stable and reliable, but sometimes problems occur.
Below are some basic troubleshooting steps to try first if you have problems with the app.
~/Library/Containers/pro.writer.mac/Data/Documents to your Desktop~/Library/Containers/pro.writer.mac/Data/Library/Application Support/iA Writer/TemplatesIf you have problems even after reinstalling iA Writer, try creating a new User account (System Preferences → Users & Groups), logging in as this user, and testing if the problem continues. This will check if the problem is due to other software or system conflicts.
If you’re still having problems, please contact us at [email protected] with the following information:
If some of your changes are lost, a file is overwritten with an outdated version, or you accidentally delete a file, you may still be able to recover an earlier version of your document.
iCloud Drive keeps versions of your documents. With the file open in iA Writer, select the File menu then Revert to… to browse iCloud versions.
In addition, files can be recovered from deletion at icloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID and then:
Many cloud storage providers (including Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive) preserve multiple versions of your documents for up to 30 days. Please try logging into your cloud storage provider’s web console and searching for Trash or other recovery options.
The library stores the document listing in an index file. If no documents appear in the Library when they should, this file ought to be rebuilt. To do so, first close iA Writer.
Then, open Finder and from the menu choose Go → Go To Folder… and copy/type in the following folder path:
~/Library/Containers/pro.writer.mac/Data/Library/Application Support/iA Writer
Within this folder there exists a file named index.db. Move this file to the Trash and then relaunch iA Writer. The index will be rebuilt and your files should show in the Library.
Writer should open documents with the extension .txt by default. If .txt documents don’t open in Writer when double-clicked, please follow these steps:
.txt file in FinderAll .txt files will now open with iA Writer upon a double-click in Finder. You can do the same to switch any other file extension (such as .md) to Writer too.
This is probably caused by the App Store’s copy protection when moving Writer to another computer (or whenever the computer’s MAC address has changed). To fix it just delete the app and reinstall from the App Store’s “Purchased” section.
Any folders added as locations to the Library must be indexed, which is CPU intensive. As such, we discourage adding extremely large folders such as entire system partitions. If a large folder has been added and you find the app unresponsive, we’d recommend reinstalling iA Writer for Mac.
We’ve worked hard to make iA Writer for iOS stable and reliable, but sometimes problems occur.
Below are some basic troubleshooting steps to try first if you have problems with the app.
If some of your changes are lost, a file is overwritten with an outdated version, or you accidentally delete a file, you may still be able to recover an earlier version of your document:
Access local backups of your edited files. In the Library, long press on a document, folder or Location then choose Browse Backups to see backed up documents.
Access prior versions of a document. In the Library, gently swipe a file to the left, tap More… and then choose Browse Versions to see all previously saved version of the current document.
For the most up to date instructions on using iCloud recovery, please see the following Apple resource.
It’s very important to us that your data is safe, and we hope you will not have to use these recovery techniques.
As your document may appear missing for other reasons (such as changing iCloud settings), if you have any problems like this please try the following suggestions.
We’ve worked hard to make iA Writer for iPadOS stable and reliable, but sometimes problems occur.
Below are some basic troubleshooting steps to try first if you have problems with the app.
If some of your changes are lost, a file is overwritten with an outdated version, or you accidentally delete a file, you may still be able to recover an earlier version of your document:
Access local backups of your edited files. In the Library, long press on a document, folder or Location then choose Browse Backups to see backed up documents.
Access prior versions of a document. In the Library, gently swipe a file to the left, tap More… and then choose Browse Versions to see all previously saved version of the current document.
For the most up to date instructions on using iCloud recovery, please see the following Apple resource.
It’s very important to us that your data is safe, and we hope you will not have to use these recovery techniques.
As your document may appear missing for other reasons (such as changing iCloud settings), if you have any problems like this please try the following suggestions.
We are working hard to make iA Writer for Android stable and reliable, but sometimes problems occur.
Below are some basic troubleshooting steps to try first if you have problems with the app.
Note: iA Writer for Android 1.5.2 is no longer updated or supported. Please consider installing iA Writer 2.x, our latest Android app.
Many issues can be resolved by closing an affected app and restarting the device. Please try this as a first step for troubleshooting any issue.
Documents stored here are stored in-app and will be removed if the app is uninstalled prior to backing up or transferring.
To back up documents stored here please use ⋮ → Export → Plain Text
Alternatively you can use Transfer: Dropbox or Transfer: Google Drive to transfer your documents to a connected cloud storage Location.
Reinstalling iA Writer may resolve issues with the app. Prior to uninstalling the app, please:
From time to time connectivity issues or other problems can cause issues with cloud storage Locations. In general even if you cannot access a document in-app or have inadvertently deleted a file, you should be able to recover these from the service’s app or web console.
For specific instructions please select the service below:
An internet connection is required to access, edit or save files in cloud locations. Please ensure that your device has a proper connection by verifying wifi or cellular connections.
If you are still unable to access documents please attempt to unlink and relink the desired Location by:
Work with files stored inside the app. This location is not visible/accessible to your device’s filesystem or other apps. When the app is PIN protected, content stored here cannot be accessed without inputting the PIN.
Note that uninstalling or deleting iA Writer or clearing app storage (Android settings) will delete any documents stored in “Device”! Please transfer or export documents from this Location prior to uninstalling/deleting the app.
Work with files stored in a Dropbox folder. On first use you will be prompted to enter Dropbox credentials and approve iA Writer access to link your account.
Work with files stored in a Google Drive folder. On first use you will be prompted to grant access to Contacts to link your associated Google account.
Long pressing on files or folders in any Location will present options to Transfer documents to another working Location.
When writing, iA Writer hides the menu so that you can focus on your text. You can reveal the menu in any one of the following ways:
Tapping Back (top left) will return you to the Document List.
We’ve worked hard to make iA Writer for Windows stable and reliable, but sometimes problems occur.
Below are some basic troubleshooting steps to try first if you have problems with the app.
Many issues can be resolved by closing an affected app and restarting the device. Please try this as a first step for troubleshooting any issue.
Reinstalling iA Writer may resolve issues with the app. Prior to uninstalling the app, please verify all current progress has been saved.
You can:
*Please check your documents stored in Dropbox and Google Drive have correctly synced by logging in to their web console or verify in their file storage apps.
Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and remove iA Writer from therelibrary.json and user_settings.json files found in: C:\Users\{your username}\AppData\Roaming\iA Writer*It’s important to make sure certain folders are deleted/created properly so make sure to complete each step.
From time to time connectivity issues or other problems can cause issues with cloud storage Locations. In general even if you cannot access a document in-app or have inadvertently deleted a file, you should be able to recover these from the service’s app or web console.
For specific instructions please select the service below:
Dropbox | Google Drive | iCloud | OneDrive
An internet connection is required to access, or synchronize files stored in cloud locations. Please ensure that your device has a proper internet connection.
If you are still unable to access documents please attempt to add and remove the Location or folder from iA Writer’s Library:
Please email us and include the following details so that we can best support you:
iA Writer for Windows requires .NET version 4.6.2. This is a free download provided by Microsoft.
iA Writer 1.2 added a brand new engine to render the Preview, so you may be missing a required component from Microsoft. Most systems have this component by default, but it appears a select few do not.
If you don’t see anything when launching the app, please try installing the x64 version of the component from Microsoft.
Help 
Here are some things you can do if iA Writer acts in unexpected ways.
Below are answers to common questions. Everyone is special, but most questions that we get overlap.
iA Writer is file storage provider agnostic but we recommend iCloud for the best experience across most devices:
Lost progress in a document? Regret deleting that paragraph? No problem!
Whenever possible, troubleshooting steps are listed here for iA Writer Classic on macOS & iOS and Writer 1.5.2 for Android.
Scroll through the history of our apps, version by version, platform by platform, update by update.
Which information do we see, and what do we leave untouched?
We want our products to be enjoyed by the widest possible audience.
Open iA Writer from other applications on both macOS and iOS, and perform specific actions on opening.