Common Questions and Answers for Final Draft

 

Common Questions and Answers

HOW MANY COMPUTERS CAN I INSTALL FINAL DRAFT ON?

You can install Final Draft on as many Windows and Mac computers as you like, and two of them can be activated for full use at the same time. If you have seven computers, you can install it on all seven of your computers. When you want to use it on Computer 3 or 5 or 7, simply open Final Draft on Computer 1 or 2, go to Help > Deactivate and follow the prompts. Then activate FD12 the computer you want to use. When you’re temporarily or permanently done with that machine, you can deactivate it and reactivate Computer 1 or 2.

Note that Final Draft can only be activated on computers that you, the registered owner of the license, own and operate.

WHERE IS MY CUSTOMER NUMBER?

Your Customer Number was emailed to you as part of your order confirmation; it’s in the same email that brought you to this page. It begins with KFD and is 20 characters long. If you no longer have that email or can’t locate the Customer Number, you can retrieve it on this page: https://www.finaldraft.com/retrieve-customer-number/

I'M NEW TO SCREENWRITING. WHAT ARE THE BEST RESOURCES TO LEARN THE CRAFT?

The first and best thing to do is to read scripts! You can find many of your favorites through a web  search or on sites such as  Internet Movie Script Database , Drew’s Script-O-Rama  or Go Into The Story

From there, you should also look into what goes into formatting a script correctly. Our Quick Start guide above and our Learn page are great resources: https://www.finaldraft.com/learn/

There are also many excellent books and online courses about the craft of screenwriting that are just a web search away.

CAN FINAL DRAFT IMPORT A PDF?

Final Draft 12 can import most text-based PDFs (i.e. PDFs created from other word processors) very easily:  Simply go to File > Open, navigate to the folder in which the PDF is saved and open the PDF from there.  If you have Windows, be sure to set the Files of Type to PDF or All Files.  For details, see https://kb.finaldraft.com/s/article/Can-Final-Draft-import-a-PDF

Note that Final Draft 12 can’t import PDFs that were scanned from paper or made from photographs of script pages.

HOW DO I IMPORT MY SCRIPT FROM WORD, PAGES OR ANOTHER PROGRAM?

If your script’s been saved out of that first program as a .RTF or .TXT file, simply open Final Draft, go to File > Open, navigate to where the file is saved and open it from there.  If you have Windows, be sure to set the Files of Type to .TXT or .RTF or All Files.  For details, see this article:

https://kb.finaldraft.com/s/article/Importing-a-script-from-another-program-such-as-Word

HOW CAN I PUT FINAL DRAFT ON MY IPAD/IPHONE?

The numbered versions of Final Draft won’t work on an iPad or iPhone, but we offer a separate application called Final Draft Mobile for these devices.  Any script you write in Final Draft 12 can be worked on in Final Draft Mobile and you can send those scripts to your devices the same way you’d send any other kind of file – no special handling required.

You can purchase FD Mobile via the App Store here.

Note that Final Draft Mobile can only open FDX files (ones created in Final Draft). It can’t open FDR (Final Draft 7 / 6 / 5), PDF, DOC, HTML, TXT, RTF or any other kind of file.

HOW DO I COLLABORATE WITH OTHER FINAL DRAFT USERS?

You can collaborate in real time with any number of other Final Draft 12 users by going to Tools > Collaboration, picking a script to share, clicking OK and then providing them with the Session Code that comes up.  Your colleagues can do the same with scripts saved on their end. Please see this article for more details:

https://kb.finaldraft.com/s/article/Does-Final-Draft-offer-real-time-collaboration

Note that FD12 can collaborate only with FD12; it can’t collaborate with FD11 or FD10.

CAN I SHARE MY COPY OF FINAL DRAFT WITH MY WRITING PARTNER/SON/DAUGHTER/SISTER/DOG?

As much as we admire your generosity, per the terms of the Final Draft license agreement, your copy of Final Draft 12 is for you and you alone. It can’t be shared with anyone.