Export & Backup

Wonderthrough supports two different kinds of export, and they are meant for different jobs.

• .docx or .epub — manuscript export
• .wt — full project archive

If you only remember one rule, make it this: use .docx or .epub when you want to share or publish the manuscript, and use .wt when you want to preserve or restore the whole Wonderthrough project.

When to use manuscript export

Use .docx or .epub when your goal is:

• sharing the draft with a reader, editor, or collaborator
• sending a clean manuscript outside Wonderthrough
• producing a portable reading or editing copy

These formats are about the manuscript itself. They are the right choice when the recipient does not need your full project structure.

When to use a .wt archive

Use a .wt archive when your goal is:

• backing up a project
• restoring a project later
• moving your own project between devices
• keeping the Wonderthrough-specific project context intact

A .wt archive is a full-project format, not a manuscript-only export. It is designed to bring the project back as a working Wonderthrough project rather than as plain manuscript text.

What a .wt archive preserves

A .wt archive is meant to preserve the project itself, not just the manuscript text. Depending on the project, that can include things like:

• project structure
• manuscript files
• worldbuilding entities
• notes and sources
• images
• AI tool outputs and search-index data tied to the project

A .wt archive does not include your activity history, AI usage records, or records of project activity pulled from your other devices. Those stay on the device that captured them. If you use Cloud Sync, those records move across devices separately from the archive itself.

That project context is what makes .wt the right format for backup and restore.

Backup vs sharing

.wt is the best choice when you’re preserving your own work. It is not the lightest or cleanest format for sharing with another person if all they need is the manuscript.

If your goal is simply “send the book,” prefer .docx or .epub. If your goal is “hand off a working Wonderthrough project,” then .wt is the better fit, but it still includes more project context than a manuscript-only file.

For the privacy side of that distinction, see Privacy & Data.

Restoring from a .wt archive

Restoring from a .wt archive is the path to use when you want Wonderthrough to rebuild the project as a project, not just recover the prose. That is why .wt keeps more context than a manuscript export.

Older archives may go through a migration step the first time they are imported by a newer version of Wonderthrough. We try to keep that backward-compatible, but it is still smart to keep the archive itself until you have confirmed the restored project looks right.

In general, restore is the right move when:

• you are coming back from a backup
• you are moving your own project to another machine
• you want the project structure and Wonderthrough context to come back with the manuscript

Which export should I choose?

I want to send the manuscript to someone.

Use .docx or .epub.

I want a backup I can restore later.

Use .wt.

I want to move my own project to another device.

Use .wt.

I want to share a working Wonderthrough project with someone.

Use .wt, but remember that it is a full-project archive rather than a manuscript-only file. It can include your worldbuilding work, notes, and AI tool outputs alongside the manuscript, which the recipient may not need. See the Privacy & Data note on .wt archives.

Related help

• For bringing existing work into Wonderthrough, see Import & Merge.
• For the privacy implications of sharing a full-project archive, see Privacy & Data.