FocusWriter Portable for Windows

Used FocusWriter Portable for Windows?

Editors’ Review

Download.com staffJuly 24, 2018

FocusWriter Portable is a word processing program designed to eliminate distractions, so you can settle into the task at hand quickly. With a customizable interface and an emphasis on productivity, this program lets you shape your writing experience in a unique way to help maximize your productivity.

Pros

Themes and images: In this program, you can set your own themes and add background images to create an environment more conducive to writing. You can also adjust these settings, depending on your mood or the type of writing you need to get done.

Data selection: In order to maximize your productivity, you can also choose to see only the type of data you want. Options include displaying word count, page count, paragraph count, and character count. You can also adjust page size by setting the number of words, characters, or paragraphs you want to appear per page.

Cons

Spell check bugs: There is a Spell Check function in this program, but it doesn't work. Even manually running it on deliberately misspelled words yielded no results.

Bottom Line

FocusWriter doesn't come with a lot of the bells and whistles available on other word processing programs, but that's by design. Its goal is to let you create the best working environment for you, and since it's free, it's worth checking out to see if it's a good fit for your needs.

What’s new in version 1.6.13

Updated dictionaries
Updated Unicode symbols database
Replaced deprecated code
Extra warnings only shown in debug build
Improved Linux deployment
Improved macOS deployment
Improved Windows deployment
Translation updates: Dutch, French, Portuguese

FocusWriter Portable for Windows

Used FocusWriter Portable for Windows?

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Full Specifications

GENERAL

Release: July 24, 2018

Latest update: July 24, 2018

Version: 1.6.13

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Windows

Operating System

Windows XP
Windows 8
Windows 10
Windows Vista
Windows 2000
Windows 7

Additional Requirements: None

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 4,201

Downloads Last Week: 1

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Last Updated

User Reviews

4/5

10 User Votes

Distraction-free yet why transparency
craigminahSeptember 15, 2014
Pros
Simple and effective
Cons
Not really distraction free due to the stupid transparent window.
Summary
Oh, Sublime Grey!
D__BlazeDecember 16, 2013
Pros
Oh, sublime grey! The rich hue of everywhere Everywhere, all at once! Oh, mesmerizing ash, You hypnotize like a goat; We will both stare until you fall over Dead. Stare, goat! Decipher the microfiche behind my retinas. Assault my Fourth Amendment rights! Reach your tongue into the corners of my evening, Curl about my house and fall asleep. You are not a webcam, grey! You don't recognize the length of my lashes when I look Beneath. You are greyness, grey! You lie beneath. Colors are the lavish luxuries of life, Greyness is a flute. Play any zany tune you like, It's up to you. Halfway between darkness and light, A silverine goddess meets a Glistening knight. With ropes of platinum threads your grasp tightens and you Stare, beyond my eyes. You stare, stare, stare, stare, stare, You stare like a crucified Jesus Christ. Nothing is either black nor white. Grey is the nuanced color of the wise. Greys are the skies we inhabit. Greys are the ashes of mind. Greys are goats about to die.
Cons
I know of none.
Summary
A word processor that makes the screen grey to reduce distractions while writing
Just not sure
schmeerOctober 31, 2013
Pros
Hope to find some.
Cons
I'd like to see the top bar all the time. Spell checker does not seem to work. It's on to check as i write but does nothing. Click to check words i know are totally wrong but it does nothing.
Summary
An indispensable tool in any writers arsenal
NinjaflowOctober 15, 2013
Pros
Background images Fullscreen Daily goal count
Cons
None if you know what this is and what this is not
Summary
I am a writer by profession and I use plenty of softwares. Evernote for daily document management, finaldraft for scripts, but this tool is simply a pleasure to use. For a creative writer you sometimes simply need to get in the mood. The whole feature of background images for fullscreen is brilliant. Very very glad I found this (totally by chance)
AWESOME PRODUCT
maggiemac1969May 12, 2013
Pros
This has every feature I have been looking for. I can set a 25 minute pomodoro alarm, or a time alarm, and it shows the word count. I can hear beloved typing sounds, or turn them off. I can set my daily word goal, and see what % I am at.
Cons
I had hoped I could turn off the ability to edit, but it has everything else I need, so not complaining.
Summary
Very happy with this free software.
Focused on trying to figure the thing out!
ok4mi2May 2, 2013
Pros
Never got far enough to evaluate it.
Cons
Opened in full window option and until I was able to find a way to minimize it, I thought it must installed incorrectly. Not happy with no toolbar until you highlite the area. Could not change font size (it may have been somewhere but too much wasted time to find it). I found it hard to use, gave me a headache.
Summary
I found it hard to use, gave me a headache
FocusWriter, where have you been all my life?
AlfredIVFebruary 4, 2013
Pros
I've been looking for a lightweight, no-nonsense writing program for a while that doesn't bog the user down with gratuitous features or unfriendly user interfaces. This is the fastest, most intuitive notepad replacement I've used. The customization options were exactly what I've been looking for. I can't rate this highly enough.
Cons
There is no way to customize the top and bottom margins. In a typical document, I'll shift+enter a few times so that my first paragraph is at eye level. The margins for the bottom of the page, by contrast, are a mandatory 10. I wish I could have margin:0 for the bottom of the page, and margin:30 for the top of the page.
Summary
very fast, user-friendly, customization is excellent
Old School - a blank sheet of paper in the typewriter.
espeletajMay 29, 2012
Pros
No distractions while writing. Formatting is handled easily after the writing, during the edit phase. Thoughts flow onto paper without interruption. Love the option to hear typewriter sounds!!
Cons
Eyesight is failing... would be nice to increase the font size.
Summary
Very happy so far!<br /><br /><span class='notifyMsg'> Updated </span>on May 29, 2012<p/>Update: Discovered the font can be increased by changing "text" choices in the "theme". I'm happy now and would like to upgrade my rating to 5 of 5.
Less is more
chrisrustFebruary 7, 2011
Pros
Distraction free, elegant, minimal. Everything that you need to write and nothing that you don't need.
Cons
You can paste in a background image to put back the clutter. But you don't have to :o)
Summary
A blank screen with your text in the centre. Set up a theme with font, size and background colour (I just do white and 14pt Century, deliciously cool). Minimal formatting (bold, italic, indent) a simple configurable toolbar (so you can remove everything you don't really need) and menu that appear when you roll over them. Another rollover bar that appears at the bottom with wordcount and that's it. The nicest thing on my computer.
Perfect for the easily distracted writer.
cd527phdFebruary 2, 2011
Pros
Integrated with the Portable Apps.com software menu. No distractions for options to change fonts, insert images, create tables, etc. Can set daily work goals for number of words to write or minutes to work with a timer.
Cons
Opening screen is just blank - no viewable familiar icons so getting started is a little intimidating. Saves only as an RTF file document. Cannot change font size which is very small or font type.
Summary
This is the most stripped down word processing program you have ever seen. When the program starts it just shows a blank screen with a blinking cursor. Not even the old familiar toolbars are in evidence unless you move the mouse pointer to the top of the screen. Great for writers that work with a stream of conciousness style of writing. By default all of the formatting options for your text are unavailable unless the text is selected although this is easily changed in the settings preferences. However, changing the font (which appears to be Times New Roman) or size (on my screen it looks to be about 8 points or maybe smaller) is not allowed which is very frustrating. There is no place to insert graphics so this software is more designed for people writing the next great American novel and not a text with illustrations. The help only provides information on the version of FocusWriter you have and the program was written using a C++ program for cross application development. I would not recommend this program for anyone at this stage of development.

Developer’s Description

By PortableApps

Get a word processor that manages and simplifies your work.

FocusWriter is a fullscreen, distraction-free word processor designed to immerse you as much as possible in your work. The program autosaves your progress, and reloads the last files you had open to make it easy to jump back in during your next writing session, and has many other features that make it such that only one thing matters: your writing. The portable version is designed to work as open source and completely free.