How can we help?
Slate is made by a tiny team that answers its own support email. No ticket numbers, no chatbots — describe the problem and a human who knows the code reads it.
The more you include, the faster the fix: what you did, what you expected, what happened instead — and your Slate version (Slate → About Slate). If it's about billing or activation, include your purchase email.
Email supportCommon questions
Which download do I need — Apple Silicon or Intel?
There's only one. Slate ships as a universal app: the same download runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1 and later) and Intel Macs. Whatever Mac you have, the Download button is your build.
Do I need an account?
No. There are no accounts. The trial starts the first time you open Slate; buying means typing your purchase email once. That's the entire "sign-up."
What happens when my trial ends?
Slate stops accepting new writing until you subscribe — but nothing is held hostage. Your scripts remain on your disk as plain .fountain files (the lock screen even has a "Reveal in Finder" button), and reading scripts and reviewing collaborators' proposals stay free forever.
What does $79/year actually cover?
One writer, on all the Macs you personally use — desktop and laptop, same license, activated with the same purchase email. Cancelling is an email to support; you keep access through the year you paid for.
Does my co-writer need to buy Slate too?
Not to work with you. Reading scripts and reviewing, commenting on, and merging proposed revisions is free forever. They'd only need a subscription to write their own scripts.
Can I bring my Final Draft files?
Yes — Slate imports .fdx (and Fountain, plain text, and Markdown). Going the other way, you can export PDF, Fountain, a teleprompter PDF, and a shareable .slate bundle.
Does Slate work offline?
Yes — it's a real Mac app with your files on your disk, so writing works anywhere. A paid license phones home about once a month to confirm the subscription; if you're off-grid when that happens, there's a two-week grace window before it asks you to reconnect.
Where is my writing stored? Can you see it?
In a folder you choose on your Mac, as plain text plus Slate's project files — and no, we can't see it. There's no server of ours involved. The complete list of everything the app sends over the network is three items long, in the privacy policy.
Does Slate use AI?
No — deliberately none. No AI writing, no AI "suggestions," no AI reading your pages, and nothing you write is ever sent to or used to train any model. What you write in Slate is yours alone.
Something's wrong with a charge.
Email us promptly (or just reply to the Stripe receipt) and we'll make it right — whether that's a cancellation you meant to make or a refund that's fair.
System requirements
- Any Mac on macOS 11 Big Sur or later — Apple Silicon (M1 and later) or Intel, one universal download
- No internet connection required to write; the download is ~180 MB
More
New here? The app's built-in tour (Help → Show Me Around) is the fastest orientation, and ⌘/ shows every keyboard shortcut. See what's shipped lately on What's New, or pitch an idea on the roadmap.