Helicon Support

Helicon is a writing studio for macOS published by PhDTutorials LLC. If something isn’t working or you have a question, we’re happy to help.

Contact us

Email support@phdtutorials.com. To help us resolve things quickly, please include:

• Your Mac model and macOS version.
• Your Helicon version (Helicon → About Helicon).
• Which room you were in: Manuscript, Timeline, Beats, Cast, Archive, and so on.
• What you did, what you expected, and what happened instead. Screenshots help.

Please don’t send us your manuscript unless we specifically ask for it, and never send a project you wouldn’t want a stranger to read. In almost every case a description and a screenshot are enough.

Frequently asked questions

What happens when the 30-day trial ends?

Nothing you wrote is ever locked away. When the trial ends, Helicon becomes a reader and exporter: you can still open any .helicon project, read and scroll it, run a full-project search, and export in every supported format, forever, at no cost. What waits for the unlock is new writing: creating projects, editing the manuscript, importing, and modifying canon, structure, beats, or snapshots.

How much does Helicon cost?

A single one-time purchase, Helicon Lifetime ($21.99), unlocks all local writing forever, with unlimited projects. It is not a subscription, so there is nothing to renew and it never expires.

How do I restore my purchase?

The unlock is a non-consumable tied to your Apple ID. On a new Mac, or after a reinstall, use Restore Purchases in Helicon’s settings. Family Sharing is not enabled on the lifetime unlock.

How do I cancel or get a refund?

Because the unlock is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, there is nothing to cancel. Refunds for Mac App Store purchases are handled by Apple. Visit reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID. Where required by law, we will honor statutory refund rights.

Where is my project stored, and how do I back it up?

Each Helicon project is a single .helicon file that you save wherever you like: a folder on your Mac, an external drive, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or a synced work folder. There is no Helicon account and no Helicon server, so back it up the same way you back up any other document. Named snapshots inside the project give you a second layer of safety for big revisions.

Can I get my writing out of Helicon?

Always, and at any time, including after the trial ends. Helicon exports Markdown, DOCX, ePub 3, FDX, and a 6×9-inch PDF, and imports Markdown, DOCX, Fountain, and Scrivener .scrivx projects.

Does Helicon work offline?

Yes. Helicon is a local, document-based Mac app. Writing, planning, canon, snapshots, and export all work with no network connection.

What is the Chorus room?

Chorus is a labeled preview of shared reading and beta-reader feedback. It performs no hosted network actions in the shipping app. If and when a hosted service arrives, it will be a separate, optional subscription. The local app you bought is never reduced to make room for it.

Does Helicon use AI to write for me?

No. Helicon’s consistency checks look for possible contradictions in the rules you defined and show them to you in story order. You decide what is a mistake and what is the exception that makes the story interesting.

Is there a Windows or iPad version?

Not today. Helicon is a native Mac app first. Other platforms are on the roadmap, and we’ll announce them here when they are real rather than planned.

Accessibility

Helicon supports scalable type, VoiceOver navigation, increased contrast, reduced motion, the Atkinson Hyperlegible typeface, adjustable letter spacing, and tinted paper. If an accessibility need isn’t met, please write to us. Those reports go to the front of the queue.

Other requests

For privacy or legal questions, email legal@phdtutorials.com. For anything else about PhDTutorials LLC, see our company support page.