What is the STORY file format?
.story is the native project file format for Storyist, a writing application for macOS and iOS aimed at novelists, screenwriters, and playwrights. Structurally, a .story file is a ZIP package - similar in layout to a .docx or EPUB file - containing UTF-8 XML files that store every element of the project.
A single .story package holds the manuscript text alongside story sheets (character profiles, plot summaries, location descriptions), research notes, and embedded images. The main project index lives at storyist/document.xml inside the archive. Because the outer container is a standard ZIP, contents can be inspected with any archive utility such as 7-Zip, though the XML schemas are Storyist-specific.
Storyist 1.0 launched in 2006 for macOS. As of 2025, Storyist 4.x is actively maintained and available through the Mac App Store and the iOS App Store, with iCloud sync between devices.
The format supports export to several industry-standard formats:
- Final Draft (
.fdx) - Fountain plain-text screenplay
- RTF, DOCX, HTML, plain text, and PDF
There is no Windows version of Storyist; .story files have no native handler outside the Storyist ecosystem, though the XML content inside is human-readable once the ZIP is unpacked.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWCreative writing document in a ZIP/XML package. No macro or script execution. Standard ZIP malformed-archive precautions apply.
Format details
in a nutshell- Twine Story Archive - Older versions of the Twine interactive fiction tool used .story as a project export format (XML-based); superseded by .twee and .html exports.
- StoryCraft / generic story file - Some lesser-known writing apps use .story generically for plain-text or XML story project files.
Programs that open STORY files
Windows1 app
7-Zip (inspect contents only)
Open-source Right-click > Open archive - reveals internal XML files. No Windows app opens .story natively. 
macOS1 app
Storyist
Paid Double-click the .story file or use File > Open. Full editing access to all project components. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | ZIP package with UTF-8 XML content |
| Magic bytes | `50 4B 03 04` (standard ZIP local file header) |
| Container | ZIP (same pattern as DOCX / EPUB) |
| Compression | DEFLATE per entry |
| Encoding | UTF-8 XML inside the ZIP container |
| Main index file | `storyist/document.xml` |
| Integrity | ZIP CRC-32 per entry |
| Typical file size | 50 KB - 50 MB (larger with embedded research images) |
| Content stored | Manuscript text, story sheets (character/plot/setting profiles), research notes, embedded images |
| Associated OS | macOS, iOS |
| Export formats | Final Draft (`.fdx`), Fountain, RTF, DOCX, HTML, plain text, PDF |
| Released | 2006 (Storyist 1.0 for macOS) |
| Latest version | Storyist 4.4 (2025) |
| Specification | www.storyist.com |
STORY conversions
Community Q&A
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