WordFokus Ghost Mode: user guide

Get started

Open a Google Doc, or a document in Word on the web. A small control bar appears at the bottom of the page.

To open the WordFokus menu, click the WordFokus icon in Chrome's toolbar (if you don't see it, click the puzzle-piece icon: WordFokus is listed there), or press Alt+Shift+W.

Tip: You can change that shortcut on Chrome's page chrome://extensions/shortcuts.

Sign in and the free trial

Your 14-day free trial starts the first time you open a document. You do not need to sign in during the trial.

To use a purchase or WordFokus Pro, open Settings in the menu and click Sign in. A sign-in page opens: type your email, click Continue with email, then type the 6-digit code WordFokus emails you and click Sign in. Use the same email you used at checkout.

When you are signed in, the menu shows how many days of your trial are left.

Ghost mode

Ghost mode hides everything above the line you are typing on, so you look forward, not back.

• Turn it on with Ghost in the menu (Off turns it off), or with the ghost button on the bar.
• On Google Docs, Lines visible above lets you keep 0 to 3 lines above your line in view.
• On Word on the web it is always 0 lines.
• Clicking and typing work as normal.

Dark mode

On Google Docs, turn dark mode on or off with the Dark mode switch in the menu or the moon button on the bar.

On Word on the web, the bar's Dark button presses Word's own dark mode (View > Dark Mode).

The control bar

The bar sits at the bottom centre of the page. Its buttons are icons; point at one to see its name.

• Ghost: Ghost mode on or off.
• Lines: how many lines stay visible above your line (the button shows the number). Google Docs only.
• Dark: dark mode on or off.
• Focus timer (switch it on in the menu, on the Timer row): click it to start or pause. It counts down 25 minutes of focus and a 5 minute break, or 50 and 10, then stops. When a time is up you hear a soft chime and the timer glows. Reset it with the small arrow in the menu.
• Full screen: see below.
• Make small (the minus): the bar shrinks to the word counter and "WF". Click "WF" to bring the buttons back.

Drag the bar by the dots at its left end (or by its edge) to move it. WordFokus remembers the place. Two quick taps on the dots put it back in its usual place.

Now and then a short note appears beside the bar for about 15 seconds: after your first focus round, on the last 3 days of your free trial, and later to ask how you like WordFokus Ghost Mode. Click × to close it.

Full screen

Click the bar's Full screen button. Click it again (its name is now Exit full screen) to leave.

On Google Docs it also turns on Docs' own View > Full screen, which hides the Docs menus. Press Esc to leave full screen; if the Docs menus are still hidden, press Esc once more.

On Word on the web it also folds Word's ribbon so only the tabs show.

Word count and target

• The bar shows your document's word count. You can switch it off with Word count on the bar in the menu.
• On Google Docs, the count comes from Docs' own word count. WordFokus ticks Docs' "Display word count while typing" for you after each page load and hides Docs' own box.
• On Word on the web, the count comes from Word's status bar.
• Type a number in Word target in the menu to set a goal. The target counts the words you write today in this document. Leave it empty for no target.
• When you reach your target, the bar gets a green edge.

Word on the web

WordFokus works in Word on the web too:

• Ghost mode, always with 0 lines above.
• The Dark button, which presses Word's own dark mode.
• Full screen, which also folds the ribbon to tabs only.
• The word count and target, read from Word's status bar.

Keyboard shortcuts

• Alt+Shift+W: open the WordFokus menu (change it at chrome://extensions/shortcuts).
• Ctrl+End (Mac: ⌘+↓): jump to the end of the document, a good place to start writing.

Pro

WordFokus is free for 14 days from the first time you open a document. When the trial ends, the menu offers two ways to keep going. Checkout is handled by Lemon Squeezy.

Extension only: lifetime. WordFokus Ghost Mode for Google Docs and Word on the web. It does not include the Google Docs add-on.

WordFokus Pro: add-on + extension. The Google Docs add-on and this extension.

Tip: Buy with the same email you sign in with, so WordFokus can find your purchase.

Already have WordFokus Pro for the Google Docs add-on? Sign in with the same email and the extension is included. If you subscribe, it is included while your subscription runs.

Bought the extension only and want WordFokus Pro? Email support@wordfokus.com and ask for an upgrade code.

When the trial ends, the bar says "Your WordFokus free trial has ended. Upgrade to keep using it" and the controls stay locked until you upgrade.

If something looks wrong

• "WordFokus was updated. Refresh this page (F5) to use it again." Reload the page with F5.
• The Docs menus are hidden after full screen. Press Esc once.
• The bar covers your text. Drag it somewhere else by its dots.
• The counter shows "…". Wait a moment after the page loads.
• The counter says "Turn on Docs word count". In Docs, tick Tools > Word count > Display word count while typing.
• Two dark modes. Dark Mode for Google Docs by WordFokus can stay on your computer next to this extension: pictures still look right. Switch dark mode with only one of them; if the page looks wrong after you switch one off, refresh the page (F5). Don't run a dark mode extension from another maker on the same page.

Still stuck? Email support@wordfokus.com.

Your data

Your WordFokus settings are kept in Chrome's own synced storage. Your sign-in is kept on this computer.

Your email is sent to WordFokus only to email you the sign-in code and to check your trial or Pro plan, and it is filled in on the checkout page when you open a checkout from the menu. Each time it checks your plan, WordFokus notes the date and counts on how many different days your account was checked. If you tick "Send me welcome emails and tips" when you sign in, WordFokus keeps that answer with your email address; if you do not tick it, no welcome emails are sent.

WordFokus does not copy, store or send what you write.

Read the full privacy page.