The management of your files in Writer for Mac will be done mostly from the File list of the Library.
Files Location
In the Library, the File List will show you all the folders and files stored in the selected Location from the Organizer (iCloud for example down below).
Documents can be moved to, from, and within the Library by dragging them. This can be done with multiple iA Writer windows and the Finder too.
If option is pressed while dragging, the selected file will be duplicated instead of moved.
Use command or shift to select multiple files/folders.
Open a document from the File List:
with a single click, in the same window
with a double click in a new window
Right-click on a document in the File List opens a context menu allowing you to delete, rename, duplicate, etc… this document:
Sort By & Filter
You can turn ON or OFF a Sort Bar (shown above the File List) and a Filter Bar (shown below the File List) from Menu → View → Show Sort Bar/ Filter Bar
the Sort Bar will sort folders by Name, Date, or Extension.
the Filter Bar will display documents in the current folder which include terms starting with your search string. Advanced search syntax is also supported as with Smart Folders.
Navigating Files
Buttons in the title bar allow navigating forward and backward in the File List.
💡 click and hold on a button to display navigate to recently active documents.
You can also trigger these using keyboard shortcuts:
Back
⌃⌘←
Forward
⌃⌘→
Another powerful tool to search for files is the Quick Search feature:
from Menu → Go → Quick Search
shortcut ⇧⌘O
Finally, another powerful way to navigate from a document to another one is by using the wikilinks, you can learn more in this dedicated article: Wikilinks
Learn more about the Library’s possibilities on this video:
The management of your files in Writer for iOS will be done mostly from the File list of the Library.
Files Location
The File List will show you all the folders and files stored in the selected Location (iCloud for example). You can:
tap a folder to display its contents in the list
tap a document to open it in the Editor
long-press a document to display a context menu (to rename, delete, duplicate, favorite…)
Swiping a document to the left reveals the following actions:
More to open the context menu of this file
Delete permanently deletes the document
Edit Mode
Tap the Edit button in the Library to select multiple files or folders. You can then batch-move, rename or delete them by using the buttons in the bottom bar. Tap Done when completed.
Note that if you are using a hardware keyboard, the onscreen keyboard may occlude the bottom row of the Library where these buttons exist. Dismiss it with the arrow on the far right to reveal the button.
You can also create new folders from this function.
Navigating Files
From anywhere in the Library you can tap the < button at the top left to go back to the Organizer.
You can sort your documents in the File List by Name, Date, or Extension.
Another very powerful tool to search for files is Quick Search, you can access it from the 🔍 icon on the bottom-left of the Library.
Finally, another powerful way to navigate from a document to another one is by using the wikilinks, you can learn more in this dedicated article: Wikilinks
Learn more about the Library’s possibilities on this video:
The management of your files in Writer for iPadOS will be done mostly from the File list of the Library.
Files Location
The File List will show you all the folders and files stored in the selected Location (iCloud for example). You can:
tap a folder to display its contents in the list
tap a document to open it in the Editor
long-press a document to display a context menu (to rename, delete, duplicate, favorite…)
Swiping a document to the left reveals the following actions:
More to open the context menu of this file
Delete permanently deletes the document
Edit Mode
Tap the Edit button in the Library to select multiple files or folders. You can then batch-move, rename or delete them by using the buttons in the bottom bar. Tap Done when completed.
Note that if you are using a hardware keyboard, the onscreen keyboard may occlude the bottom row of the Library where these buttons exist. Dismiss it with the arrow on the far right to reveal the button.
You can also create new folders from this function.
Navigating Files
From anywhere in the Library you can tap the < button at the top left to go back to the Organizer.
You can sort your documents in the File List by Name, Date, or Extension.
A very powerful tool to search for files is Quick Search, you can access it from the 🔍 icon on the bottom-left of the Library.
Finally, another powerful way to navigate from a document to another one is by using the wikilinks, you can learn more in this dedicated article: Wikilinks
Learn more about the Library’s possibilities on this video:
iA Writer for Android is no longer for sale. Here is why.
The management of your files in Writer for Android will be done mostly from the Document list of the Library.
Where are my files?
Storage System Menu
The Storage System menu is the root menu of the app, which will appear with the title “Library”. From there, you can select a cloud storage provider (like Dropbox) or a local folder (Device) to store your documents.
You can open a pop-up menu (top-right button) and sort your documents by Name, Date or Size, Show/ Hide File Extensions and choose between the File Extensions .md and .txt.
Device
Device is where you can store your documents inside the app, in case you do not wish to use a cloud-storage provider.
This location is not visible/accessible to your device’s filesystem or other apps. When the app is PIN-protected, the content stored here cannot be accessed without inputting a PIN.
Uninstalling or deleting iA Writer or clearing app storage (Android settings) will delete any documents stored in the Device. Please transfer or export documents from this Location prior to uninstalling/deleting the app.
Dropbox | Google Drive
If you prefer saving your files in the cloud, you can do so directly in iA Writer for Android via Dropbox and Google Drive.
By doing a long press on the menu beside either of them, you can connect and disconnect them to Writer.
Dropbox
On first use, you will be prompted to enter Dropbox credentials and approve iA Writer access to link your account.
Google Drive
On first use, you will be prompted to grant access to Contacts to link your associated Google account.
Open From
You can access files and save your documents with other cloud-storage providers besides Dropbox and Google Drive via the Open From menu.
These documents will still be stored in the apps from which they originate but iA Writer provides a link to them so they can be edited in situ.
Open From also allows access to text files from your downloads or internal storage.
The Document List
The Document List will show you all the folders and files stored in the selected Location (Dropbox for example). You can:
tap a folder to display its contents in the list
tap a document to open it in the Editor
long-press a document to display a context menu (to rename, delete, move…)
tap the blue + button (down-right) to create a new file in the current location
Edit Mode
Long-press any document in the Document List to select multiple files or folders. You can then:
batch-move (changes a file’s location within the file hierarchy of one storage medium)
transfer (moves it between storages)
delete
You can also create new folders from this function.
Tap anywhere outside the menu to exit without doing an action.
Navigating Files
From anywhere in the Document List you can tap the ← blue arrow on the top-left to go back to the Storage System Menu.
You can sort your documents by Name, Date, and Size (currently available for Device only) and in ascending or descending alphabetical order for the other locations.
Finally, a very powerful tool to search for files is Quick Search, you can access it from the 🔍 icon on the top-right of the Document List.
The management of your files in Writer for Windows will be done mostly from the File list of the Library.
Files Location
In the Library, the File List will show you all the folders and files stored in the selected Location from the Organizer (the folder “Alice in Wonderland” for example down below). You can:
Click on a folder to display its contents in the list
Click on a document to open it in the Editor
Right-click on a document to display a context menu (to rename, delete, duplicate, favorite…)
Sort By
On top of the File List is the Sort Bar where you can sort folders and files by Name or Date.
Focused Outline
An exclusive feature of iA Writer for Windows Focus Outline shows you the headings as an outline of the entire document.
Click any heading in the Outline to jump to that section of the document in the Editor.
Just like Focus Mode, only the section of the document you are editing is highlighted in the Outline, so you always know exactly where you are.
Library Preferences
Access these in File → Preferences → Library. Here you can:
Choose how to sort the files
Choose whether to pin folders to the top of the list
Show or hide file extensions in the list
Contact Us
If you are experiencing a problem that our support section doesn’t solve please reach out to us. We take a break on the weekends (JST), but during weekdays we aim to reply within 1-2 business days.