How Sheaf works
The plain-English version — no jargon.
Sheaf works a little differently from most writing apps, in ways that are good for you. Here's what's actually happening with your words.
Your writing lives on your device
When you type in Sheaf, every word is saved right on your own computer or phone — instantly, even with no internet. Your work doesn't sit on our servers waiting to be downloaded; it lives with you, on your machine, the moment you write it. That's why Sheaf is quick and keeps working on a plane, in a cabin, or anywhere the wifi drops.
“It opens in a browser — so where are my files, really?”
Fair question — here's the plainest way to say it. Think of your text messages: they're on your phone, but there's no “messages folder” you can open — the phone keeps them safely inside the app. Sheaf keeps your writing the same way: in its own protected space on your device, not as a loose pile of documents in your Documents folder. That's what keeps your book organised, quick to open, and safe from stray edits by other programs — and whenever you want a normal file you can see and hold, Export gives you one in a click.
That has one important upshot: writing that lives on only one device is only as safe as that device. So Sheaf gives you two easy ways to keep it safe — a backup and an export, below.
“What if my computer dies? Can I move to a new one?”
Yes — and it's worth setting up early. You have two ways to make sure a lost or broken device never means a lost manuscript:
- Turn on sync (optional). Create an account and your writing is safely backed up and kept in step across every device you sign into. New laptop? Sign in, and your novel is already there — mid-sentence. Sync is the simplest safety net. It's free to try for 30 days, then a single one-time purchase — no subscription — which also unlocks the publishing suite: a store-ready eBook or an agent-ready manuscript built from your draft in a click, plus cover tools and step-by-step publishing checklists.
- Export anytime. Save any project as a Word or Markdown file whenever you like — real files you can keep on a USB stick, email to yourself, or drop in your own cloud drive. Handy for sending a draft to an editor, too.
Between the two, your writing is both on your device (fast and private) and recoverable (safe if anything ever happens to that device).
Sync is optional, and you're in control
Nothing leaves your device unless you choose it. Sync is off until you switch it on. When you do, your writing travels safely to and from your other devices — but only because you asked it to. Switch it off and you're back to purely local, no fuss.
One honest detail: with standard sync on, your writing is stored on our servers — that's what makes the backup real. We only ever touch it to run the service, never for anything else. If you'd rather we hold only locked boxes we can't open at all, that's exactly what Vault mode is for — and we don't pick for you. The first time you turn sync on with a new account, Sheaf stops and asks which way your writing should be stored, before a single word leaves your device. You can change your mind later in Settings.
No AI — and your words never train one
There is no AI in Sheaf. Nothing reads your manuscript, nothing autocompletes your sentences, nothing “learns” from your style. And the pledge behind that is permanent: your writing is never used to train AI — not ours, not anyone's — and is never handed to an AI service. Plenty of apps promise not to look at your work; Sheaf is built so that, with Vault mode on, we couldn't. Your words are yours, full stop.
Vault mode: even we can't read it
If privacy matters most, choose Vault mode. Your writing is scrambled on your device with a key only you hold, before it ever leaves. What reaches our servers is a locked box we genuinely cannot open — not for support, not for anyone. The honest trade-off: if you lose your Vault passphrase and recovery code, no one can unlock it, because “only you” really means only you. (So keep that recovery code somewhere safe.)
You're offered Vault the first time you turn sync on, and it's one switch away in Settings after that. On devices you trust, “Keep me unlocked on this device” skips the passphrase prompt at launch — worth knowing what that means: anyone who can open that computer could open your novel on it. It's off unless you turn it on, and signing out always clears it.
Browser or desktop, the same writing
Use Sheaf in your browser today, with a desktop app on the way. Either way it's the same Sheaf and the same writing — sign in and it follows you.