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"But if, when it comes right down to it, full screen is your holy grail, and the ultimate antidote to the bric-a-brac of Word, then you must enter the WriteRoom, the ultimate spartan writing utopia." — Virginia Heffernan, New York Times

For Mac users to write without distractions. WriteRoom is a full screen writing environment. Unlike the cluttered word processors you're used to, WriteRoom lets you focus on writing. Requires Mac OS X 10.7+

• Why WriteRoom?

  I created WriteRoom as an alternative to Microsoft Word. WriteRoom’s full screen writing environment gets your computer out of the way so that you can focus on your work. The result is a subtle clearing of the mind that I think helps you write better.

  Simply get words on the page

  WriteRoom won't do page layout or insert tables and graphs. WriteRoom's focus is just to help you get words on the page. Stay focused with WriteRoom's distraction free environment. Stay on track with word count. Stay safe with autosave.

  Other options

  • Visit WriteRoom’s wiki to learn about related projects.
  • If you need syntax highlighting try TextMate. For large writing projects try Scrivener.

• What does it look like?

  

• What do the reviewers think?

  "But if, when it comes right down to it, full screen is your holy grail, and the ultimate antidote to the bric-a-brac of Word, then you must enter the WriteRoom, the ultimate spartan writing utopia."
  — Virginia Heffernan, New York Times

  "Unlike practically everything else in our digital lives, WriteRoom's minimalist interface implies a truly flattering proposition: It's you, not the software, that matters."
  — Jeffrey MacIntyre, Slate

  "Green text on a blank, black screen, with a square, blinking cursor. This was how most of us wrote on a computer in the early 1980s, and it's resurfacing a quarter of a century later."
  — Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post

  "WriteRoom’s minimalist interface also frees you from the nagging urge to fiddle with margins, fonts, and other settings, leaving you with nothing to do but write."
  — Nathan Alderman, MacWorld 4.5/5 Rating

  "It’s a primitive application, to be sure — I suspect completely by design — but it may be just what the doctor ordered if you need to get your head out of your butt and put some words on the page. I can see myself spending a lot of time in WriteRoom."
  — Merlin Mann, 43Folders.com

  "A perfectly balanced, indispensable part of any Mac writer’s toolkit."
  — Craig Grannell, MacFormat.com

  "A Great App for Easily-Distracted Writers… Like Me"
  — James Floyd Kelly, Wired.com

• Download WriteRoom for OS X Themes

  WriteRoom for OS X themes make it easy to set up and share your favorite look. Browse themes submitted by other users, or email grey@hogbaysoftware.com to submit your own.