# Cold Turkey Writer

> Text editor that locks your computer until a writing goal is met

Cold Turkey Writer is a plain-text editor for Windows and macOS that fills the screen and blocks everything else on the computer until a writing goal is reached. The goal is either a number of minutes or a number of words, and a session cannot be left early once it has started. The free version covers both kinds of block, and a one-time Pro purchase adds soundtracks, a dark theme and options such as switching off the backspace key.

- **Category:** Writing Tools
- **Made by:** Cold Turkey Software, Inc.
- **Website:** https://getcoldturkey.com/writer/
- **Runs on:** macOS, Windows
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Cold Turkey Writer has a free plan. Paid plans start at $14.99 one-time (Writer Pro).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Writer Free: timed blocks, word-count blocks, distraction-free full-screen writing and auto save.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Writer Free | $0 | Timed blocks, word-count blocks, distraction-free writing and auto save. |
| Writer Pro | $14.99 one-time purchase | Adds soundtracks, a dark theme, a copy and paste toggle and key-disabling options. Covers every computer you personally use, with free lifetime updates. Refundable within 30 days. |

Read from https://getcoldturkey.com/writer/pricing/ on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Cold Turkey Writer before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Students can request 20% off** (Education): The pricing FAQ says students can request 20% off. A form on the support page sends the discount to an email address it recognizes as belonging to a school. Source: https://getcoldturkey.com/writer/pricing/
- **Save 10% on the three-product bundle** (Other savings): Buying Blocker, Writer and Micromanager together is advertised at 10% off. Each is a one-time payment with no subscription. Source: https://getcoldturkey.com/compare/

## Key features

- **Full-screen lock until the goal is met:** Once a session starts, Writer is the only thing the computer will run until the goal is reached. The vendor's FAQ says no key combination gets out of it.
- **Timer or word-count goals:** A block lasts a set number of minutes, from 1 to 999, or until a chosen number of words has been typed. A progress bar at the top shows how much is left.
- **Auto save to plain text:** The draft is saved to the Documents folder every 10 seconds, so the last version is still there if the computer crashes.
- **Portable, with no installer:** Writer runs as a stand-alone program, so it can be copied to a USB stick and used on other computers.
- **Key-disabling options (Pro):** Pro can switch off copy and paste, text selection, the backspace and delete keys and the arrow keys, to keep a first draft moving forward.
- **Soundtracks and dark theme (Pro):** Pro adds coffee shop and rain background sounds, supplied by Coffitivity and RainyMood, and a dark theme for writing at night.

## Good for

- Writers who want everything else on the computer shut out until a quota is done
- First drafts written against a word count or a timer
- People who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription

## Worth knowing

- Windows and macOS only: the vendor says Linux, ChromeOS, Android and iOS are not supported.
- Files open and save as plain text (.txt) only, so formatting has to be finished in another editor.
- Soundtracks, the dark theme, the copy and paste toggle and the key-disabling options need Writer Pro, and Pro has no free trial.
- A session cannot be ended before the goal is reached, so the rest of the computer is out of reach until then.

**Tags:** One-time purchase, Local-first, Works offline, Focus music

## Alternatives

- [FocusWriter](https://toolgpa.com/tools/focuswriter): Free distraction-free word processor for Windows and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cold-turkey-writer-vs-focuswriter)
- [Calmly Writer](https://toolgpa.com/tools/calmly-writer): Distraction-free Markdown writing app sold as a one-time purchase. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/calmly-writer-vs-cold-turkey-writer)
- [iA Writer](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ia-writer): Minimal plain-text Markdown writing app with Focus Mode. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cold-turkey-writer-vs-ia-writer)
- [4thewords](https://toolgpa.com/tools/4thewords): Writing game where your word count defeats monsters. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/4thewords-vs-cold-turkey-writer)
- [Cold Turkey Blocker](https://toolgpa.com/tools/cold-turkey): Website and app blocker for Windows and Mac with strict locks. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cold-turkey-vs-cold-turkey-writer)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://getcoldturkey.com/writer/pricing/
- https://getcoldturkey.com/writer/
- https://getcoldturkey.com/writer/features/
- https://getcoldturkey.com/writer/support/
- https://getcoldturkey.com/compare/
- https://checkout.paddle.com/api/2.0/prices?product_ids=601190,601195&customer_country=US

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/cold-turkey-writer
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).