Saving and autosave#
Your work saves itself as you type — there's no Save button to remember.
How autosave works#
Nabu saves after you pause, regularly while you type, and when you leave the page.
The save indicator#
The indicator at the bottom of the left menu says where your newest words are:
- Saving… — your newest words are waiting to reach Nabu; a quiet dot becomes a spinner if a request takes a moment.
- All changes saved — Nabu has everything you've written.
- Save failed — Nabu couldn't save your latest words yet.
Saving on purpose: checkpoints#
Sometimes you want to plant a flag you can return to. That's a checkpoint. To create one, press:
Cmd+S(Mac) orCtrl+S(Windows)
Nabu saves all pending edits immediately and records a checkpoint in your project's History, labeled something like "Checkpoint · 3:42 PM." Saved · 3:42 PM appears briefly above your script. If nothing has changed since your last checkpoint this session, Nabu won't create a duplicate.
You can also create a checkpoint from the History page using the Save Version button.
Note: Versions you save by hand, name, or pin are kept from the automatic tidy-up that clears old snapshots.
What each shortcut does#
| You press… | What happens |
|---|---|
| (nothing) | Autosave keeps your work saved as you type. |
Cmd+S / Ctrl+S |
Saves all pending edits immediately and records a checkpoint in History. |
Good to know#
- There is no Save button. Saving happens for you.
- If a checkpoint can't go through, Nabu tells you. If there's a problem saving, you'll see a retry flow and a local copy is kept. If your words save but the checkpoint fails to reach History, a message reads: "Your words are saved. This time the named checkpoint did not reach History."
- If your treatment or synopsis changes while you type — Nisaba revised it, or you edited it in another tab — Nabu keeps both when you changed different paragraphs. When you both changed the same words, nothing is saved over the other: the bar under the editor reads Changed while you were typing — not saved. Choose Keep mine or Load latest. Keep mine puts the other version in History first; if it can't, nothing is saved and the choice stays open.
- If a scene changes in another tab or device while you type in the full script — words, raw pages, marks, or a scene heading renamed on the board — your save doesn't write over it. The scene's message reads Scene changed elsewhere — reload to keep editing. Your unsaved words are kept for you when you reload. Your own typing in one tab never triggers this.
- Notes and reads wait for your newest words. Ask for a note or a read while a save is on its way and it waits: Saving first…. If the save can't go through, choose Wait, Use last saved or Cancel. If you leave the page first, it isn't sent, and Nabu says so.
- Nabu keeps automatic snapshots as you work and tidies old ones over time. The History & versions page covers the full tour.
Related#
- History & versions — browse, compare, and restore earlier states
- The editor — your writing canvas
- Keyboard shortcuts — keys worth memorizing
- Writing your screenplay — section overview