Free template
Screenplay Template for Google Docs and Word
Yes, you can write a screenplay in Google Docs, Word or Pages. Download this free template, open it in your app, and the margins, Courier 12 font and six screenplay styles are already set. Docs needs a small workaround for styles, explained below, and nothing here requires an account.
Written and reviewed by ScriptLix Editorial
US Letter, Courier New 12, 1.5 inch left margin and 1 inch on the other sides, page numbers top right from page two. One file works in all three apps.
Google Docs
- Download the .docx below and drag it into Google Drive.
- Right click it and choose Open with, then Google Docs.
- Use File, then Make a copy, for each new script so the template stays clean.
Microsoft Word
- Open the .docx. The styles are named Scene Heading (Heading 1), Action, Character, Parenthetical, Dialogue and Transition.
- Pick a style from the Styles pane. Enter moves to the next logical element.
- Save it as a Word Template (.dotx) if you want File, New to start from it.
Apple Pages
- Open the .docx in Pages. The paragraph styles come across with it.
- Choose styles from the Format sidebar, under Text.
- Use File, then Save as Template to keep it in your template chooser.
How to use it
- 1
Download the .docx template below. It is one file for Google Docs, Word and Pages.
- 2
Open it in your app using the steps for that app, and make a copy for each new script.
- 3
Type over the sample scene, picking Scene Heading, Action, Character, Parenthetical, Dialogue or Transition for each line.
What is set up in the template?
| Element | Left indent from margin | Width | Style name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scene heading | 0 in | 6.0 in | Heading 1 (shows in the outline) |
| Action | 0 in | 6.0 in | Action |
| Character name | 2.2 in | to margin | Character |
| Parenthetical | 1.6 in | 2.4 in | Parenthetical |
| Dialogue | 1.0 in | 3.5 in | Dialogue |
| Transition | right aligned | 6.0 in | Transition |
Can you write a screenplay in Google Docs?
You can, and plenty of writers start that way. Google Docs gets the page right: Courier, margins and indents all come through from the template. What Docs cannot do is keep custom styles. It only has Normal text, Title, Subtitle and Heading 1 to 6, so the Character, Dialogue and other styles arrive as plain formatting on the sample lines.
In practice that is workable. Press Enter after a line and Docs carries the same indent onto the next one. To switch element, click into a sample line of the kind you want, use the Paint format brush, and click your new line. Scene headings are set as Heading 1, so every scene shows up in the document outline on the left, which makes a long draft much easier to move around.
How do you format a screenplay in Google Docs from scratch?
The template saves you this, but if you would rather set up your own doc: open File, then Page setup, choose Letter, and set the left margin to 1.5 inches and the top, bottom and right margins to 1 inch. Set the whole document to Courier New, 12 point, single spaced, with no extra space before or after paragraphs.
Then use the ruler to indent each element from the left margin, using the values in the table above: dialogue 1 inch in and about 3.5 inches wide, parentheticals 1.6 inches in, character names 2.2 inches in. Scene headings and action run the full 6 inch width. Type character names and scene headings in caps, and add page numbers at the top right from page two.
What about Word and Pages?
Word and Pages both keep the six named styles. In Word, each style knows what comes next: Enter after a character name drops you into Dialogue, and Enter after a scene heading drops you into Action. Pages reads the same styles into its Format sidebar.
Neither app will add CONT’D or MORE at page breaks, and neither handles dual dialogue. For a script you plan to send out, it is worth moving it into a screenwriting app at some point, or exporting it as Fountain.
When is a word processor the wrong tool?
Once a draft passes about 30 pages, the small jobs add up: keeping names in caps, keeping dialogue off the bottom of a page, renumbering. A screenwriting app handles that for you. ScriptLix Studio is free and imports Fountain, and so do most other screenwriting apps, so the Fountain version of this template moves with you.
Questions writers ask
Is there a screenplay template for Google Docs?
Yes. Download the free .docx template on this page, upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs. Margins, font and indents come through.
Does Google Docs have a screenplay format?
Not built in. Docs has no screenplay styles, so you need a template like this one, or an add-on, to get the margins and indents right.
How do you format a screenplay in Word?
Open the template .docx in Word and pick a style for each line from the Styles pane: Scene Heading, Action, Character, Parenthetical, Dialogue or Transition. Enter moves you to the next logical element.
Is there a screenplay template for Word?
Yes, the same .docx works in Microsoft Word with six named styles. Save it as a .dotx if you want it in File, New.
Can I write a screenplay in Pages on a Mac?
Yes. Open the .docx in Pages and the styles appear in the Format sidebar. Save it as a template to reuse it.
What font and margins does the template use?
Courier New 12 point on US Letter, a 1.5 inch left margin and 1 inch top, right and bottom, with page numbers top right from page two.
Is the screenplay template free?
Yes. Free to download and use for anything, no signup.