Screenplay Template
A script page set up the way producers expect: margins, font and every element in place. Pick a format, add your title and download it for Word, as a PDF or for Final Draft. Free, with no account.
Pick a format and download the template.
How it works
- 01
Pick a format
A feature film, a short film or a TV episode. Choose a clean starter, or one with notes that say what each element is for.
- 02
Add your title
Type the title, your name and, if you want it, your contact details for the bottom of the title page. The page on the right changes as you type.
- 03
Download it
Word for the template with its styles, a PDF to print, Final Draft or Fountain to open in screenwriting software. Then write over the starter text.
What you get
The format is already right
Courier 12 point, a wider left margin, the character name and dialogue in their own columns, the scene heading in capitals. Press Enter after a name and you are in dialogue.
Four ways to open it
Word (.docx, which Google Docs and Pages also open), a PDF, Final Draft (.fdx) and Fountain, the plain-text format most screenwriting apps read.
Free, and it stays on your computer
No account, no watermark. The file is made in your browser and is never uploaded.
Who it's for
First-time screenwriters
Start from a page that is formatted correctly instead of learning margins before writing a line.
Writers who work in Word or Google Docs
Get real screenplay styles for scene heading, action, character and dialogue, so you can write without screenwriting software.
Film students and teachers
Hand out one clean starting file, with notes, so the first draft of every script is in the same format.
| Element | What it is | How it is set |
|---|---|---|
| Scene heading | INT. or EXT., the place, then the time of day | Capitals, at the left margin, one line |
| Action | What the camera sees and the microphone hears | Present tense, left margin to right margin |
| Character | The name of the person who speaks | Capitals, indented about 2.2 inches from the margin |
| Parenthetical | How a line is said, when it is not clear | Brackets, between the name and the line |
| Dialogue | The words the character says | A narrower column under the name, about 3.5 inches wide |
| Transition | CUT TO: and similar | Capitals, at the right margin, used sparingly |
What a screenplay template should get right
Producers and readers judge a script in the first pages, and a page that looks wrong says the writer is new before a word is read. A good template sets four things so you do not have to:
- The page. US Letter or A4, 12 point Courier, 1.5 inches on the left (room for the binding), 1 inch on the other three sides.
- One style for each element. A scene heading, an action line, a character name, a parenthetical, a line of dialogue and a transition each have their own indent and spacing. In the Word file each one is a named style, and the next style is chained: after a character name you get dialogue, after dialogue you get action.
- The title page. The title in capitals about a third of the way down, "Written by" and your name under it, and your contact details at the bottom left. No page number, and no date unless a draft needs one.
- Page numbers. The first page of the script carries none. From page 2 the number sits at the top right with a full stop after it. The title page is not counted.
One page of a script in this format runs about one minute of screen time, which is why a short film is counted in pages.
Which file to download
- Word (.docx). The one to choose if you write in Word, Google Docs or Pages. Upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs, and the styles come with it.
- PDF. A print-ready copy of the page as it shows on the right. Good for checking the layout, or for a class handout.
- Final Draft (.fdx). Opens in Final Draft and in apps that read its format, with every element already typed as an element.
- Fountain. A plain-text format for apps such as Highland, Fade In and Writer Duet, and for the AI Script Writer.
Already have the text of a script that is not formatted? Paste it into the screenplay formatter and it sets the pages for you. Going from Fountain to Final Draft is the Fountain to FDX converter.
After the template: write the script
The AI Script Writer drafts scenes in this same format and keeps the format for you as you edit.
Open the AI Script WriterIf you have an idea but no scenes yet, the free AI script writer turns it into a formatted scene you can paste over the starter text, and the logline generator helps you test the idea first. When a draft exists, the AI Script Doctor reads it and writes notes with the fix.
Frequently asked questions
Is the screenplay template free?
Yes. It is free to use, with no account and no watermark, and the file is made in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. The AI Script Writer, which drafts scenes in the same format, has a free trial of 40 credits for new accounts.
What is the correct screenplay format?
US Letter or A4 paper, 12 point Courier, a left margin of 1.5 inches and 1 inch on the other sides. Scene headings are in capitals, action runs the full width, character names are in capitals and indented, dialogue sits in a narrower column, and a page of script is about one minute of film. The template sets all of it.
Can I use the template in Google Docs?
Yes. Download the Word file, upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs. The element styles come with it. For long scripts a screenwriting app keeps the format more reliably than a word processor, and Fountain files open in several of them.
Does it work in Final Draft?
Yes. Download the Final Draft file (.fdx) and open it in Final Draft or in any app that reads that format. Each line is already a scene heading, action, character, parenthetical, dialogue or transition.
What is the difference between the clean template and the one with notes?
The clean one has short placeholder text to type over. The one with notes puts a line in square brackets next to each element that says what it is for and how it is set. Delete the notes when you start writing.
Why Courier?
It is a fixed-width font, so every character takes the same space and a page of script is about a minute of screen time wherever it is printed. Almost every producer and competition expects it.
What goes on the title page?
The title in capitals, "Written by" with your name under it, and your contact details at the bottom left. Add a draft date only when a producer asks for one. Skip the cover art, the quotes and the copyright symbol.
Is the file sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser with no upload. The title and name you type stay on this page.
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Start your script on a page that is already formatted.
Free, with no account. The file is made in your browser.