Paratext 9
Training Videos

What is Paratext?

Paratext is Bible translation software used by over 15,000 people worldwide in over 2,400 languages*. It offers tools for planning, managing, drafting, reviewing, and checking Bible translations. The software includes a Project Plan, a note system for team communication, and support for translation with resources and Enhanced Resources for translators less confident in the source text languages. Collaboration is possible through Paratext Live. *stats as of March, 2026.

Paratext 9: Why Change the Menus

A description of how the menus work in Paratext 9

Paratext 9: How the Windows Work, Part 1

How to open projects and resources and arrange windows. Windows are arranged by dragging and dropping. Resources can be opened as panels, tabs, floating windows, and auto-hide. They can also be changed from one type to another.

Paratext 9: How the Windows Work. Part 2

How to use floating windows, autohide windows, and text collections. Learn to save and restore your window layouts.

Quick Reference Window

Use the Quick Reference window in Paratext to jump to another verse in a separate window (without affecting your current windows).

Change user Interface language

How to change the user interface language in Paratext. This changes the language Paratext menus and commands are displayed in.

Basics of Projects and Resources with Search

In this video, we will explore Paratext, highlighting editable projects and non-editable resources which can be viewed at the same time.

Finding Menu Items

In this video, explore Paratext's two menus: program-wide and project-specific. Learn about menu types and how to search for menu items/commands.

Arranging windows

Discover Paratext's window configuration options: panels, tabs, autohide, and floating. Learn how to arrange various windows and save layouts.

How to open and modify a text collection

Discover Paratext's Text Collection: View multiple resources in one window. Learn to create, modify, and manage collections with various display options, including reordering resources.

Scroll groups

Discover Paratext's Scroll Groups feature: Set up to five groups (A-E) or choose 'none' for independent scrolling. Learn how changing references affects windows within the active scroll group

How to set the keyboard for a project

How to tell Paratext which keyboard to use for each project so that it switches keyboards automatically when we move between project windows.

How to swap a text in a window

You can change which text a window displays. This is a way of opening a different text instead of one of your open ones, leaving your window layout the same.

Further Tips on Arranging Windows

Tip 1: How to swap two windows in Paratext. Tip 2: How to undo a window. Tip 3: How to unpin floating windows. Tip 4: How to widen the autohide column

Viewing non-Biblical texts in Paratext

Discover additional books in Paratext, including non-biblical and Deuterocanonical books after REV. Access them easily through the toolbar's 'Select book' option

Quickly Navigate to a Bible Reference in Paratext

Explore Paratext 9's reference navigation! Learn shortcuts like Ctrl+B for efficient moves to specific references, book beginnings, and chapters. Discover how to navigate to a book by title in this tutorial.

Find Help in Paratext

Get help when using Paratext. Learn to use the 'Search menus/help' feature to quickly find commands and access help topics. Discover helpful guides when opening dialog boxes like Paratext Settings.

Download and Install Resources and Enhanced Resources

Access a wealth of Bible resources in Paratext for enhanced translation work. Paratext 9 introduces enhanced resources alongside standard ones, downloadable from the Digital Bible Library (DBL).

What is Send & Receive?

Collaborate with Paratext's Send/Receive feature. Also, safeguard your project through backup on another device. Explore methods: Internet (ideal), USB, Network folder, or Chorus Hub

Receive a Project for the First Time

When the administrator has added you to the project, use the Send/Receive command to get a copy of the project on your computer.

Keeping a Project in Sync with Send & Receive

Use send/receive regularly to keep sharing your work with your colleagues, and to receive their changes. You can use the Send/Receive icon, menu item, and also schedule regular Send/Receives.

Avoiding Conflicts in a Shared Project

How to avoid causing conflicts when using Send & Receive. •Only one member at a time should have editing permission. •Other users should add notes. •Do Send/receive more often when making extensive changes.

Introduction to Enhanced Resources

Explore Enhanced Resources: Major language translations with linked keywords to Greek or Hebrew terms. Access encyclopedic info, audio-visual media, and maps for enriched understanding.

Enhanced Resources 1 - Linking a Project

When you link a translation project with an Enhanced Resource, additional functionality becomes available in the Enhanced Resource. This video describes how to do this linking.

Enhanced Resources 2 - Found and Problem Terms

Learn about the uses of the grey Found and orange Problem buttons in an Enhanced Resource.

Enhanced Resources - Biblical Terms List Project Setting

Biblical terms in Enhanced Resources. Set the associated Biblical Terms List in Project Settings to control term highlighting. Note: changes in the Biblical Terms Tool won't affect Enhanced Resources.

Enhanced Resources - Searching with Right-Click

You can search on the underlying source language words by clicking on the blue links in the research pane or by right-clicking on the word in the Enhanced Resource.

Enhanced Resources - Searching for Words Using a Shortcut Key

How to search for any word in an Enhanced Resource, including using the optional Ctrl + F shortcut key.

My Tasks

Discover your assigned tasks in Paratext! This video guides you on finding tasks set by your project administrator, ensuring you know what to focus on. Note: This feature relies on project planning and task assignments by the administrator.

Understanding USFMs: Introduction

Explore how Paratext uses USFM (special tags) to establish structure, assist in navigation, and aid in formatting translations correctly.

USFM 2 - Standard view and adding markers

Standard view is recommended for use when drafting and editing a translation. The markers are editable, but they are harder to edit accidentally. One can focus on editing text.

USFM 3 working in Formatted View

Formatted view hides the USFM tags, displaying only formatting of associated styles. Access the USFM character styles menu with backslash, and use the toolbar style chooser to apply styles.

USFM 4 Using Basic View

Basic view in Paratext shows the Bible's structure via USFM tags without allowing changes. Ideal for drafting, it simplifies content entry and editing.

USFM 5 - Unformatted view

In Unformatted view in Paratext, USFM tags and Bible text lack visual distinction, with no tools for tag application. Direct typing allows tag editing, making it suitable for manual adjustments. Not recommended for drafting the translation.

What is Preview?

Preview view looks similar to Formatted view but does not allow any editing of the text or styles at all. It is useful for viewing the text without any risk of editing.

How to type backslash if missing from your keyboard

Backslash key (\) in Paratext, starts USFM tags and opens the marker menu in some views. Use F5 as an alternative key. Find the shortcut in the project menu by hovering over ‘Insert backslash’.

The Best Way to Add Verse numbers

Add verse numbers efficiently in Paratext using 'Insert Verse Number' in the project menu. It ensures accuracy, adds the correct marker, and restricts errors. Shortcut: Ctrl + K.

Markers for Non-Biblical Text

Learn to mark non-Biblical text in Paratext. Translators often include extra text for introductions, topic shifts, or different events in narrative. This video guides you through the process.

Show all chapters

You can load more than one chapter at a time into a Paratext window, so that you can scroll up and down between chapters. We can control whether Paratext loads an entire book into a project window.

Change Text Size with Zoom

You can change the size of text in any Paratext window using the zoom feature. This is found on the menu for the window. You can alternatively change the text size using Ctrl + and Ctrl -.

Required Paragraph Markers

When you start typing a new book in Paratext, you may see only chapter and verse numbers. You can start inserting the verse text, but you must add paragraphs to your text also.

How to use Checking Tools

How to use basic check results in Paratext to find assigned checks, view issues, handle missing verses, manage error listings, rerun checks, and track remaining issues.

Marking Tasks as Complete

Mark tasks as complete in Paratext based on their type: one-off, by chapter, or specific chapters. Ensure to Send/Receive for team updates and to initiate dependent tasks.

Conflict Note

When two users edit the same item in Paratext between using send and receive, Paratext creates a conflict note. The user with most edits in a chapter are accepted and displayed.

Insert, View and Edit Footnotes

How to insert, edit, view, and delete footnotes in your Paratext project, and how to use the footnote pane.

How to Add a Glossary Entry

Using the Edit Renderings dialog box > Glossary tab, is the best way to add an entry to the Glossary. This dialog can be accessed by double clicking Renderings listed in the Biblical Terms Tool and the Biblical Terms Renderings window.

Glossary Permission

Users must have the appropriate permissions to add renderings to the glossary or edit the glossary entries directly. If nececssary, contact your administrator for permission.

How to Find and Link to a Glossary Entry

Learn three ways in Paratext to check if a term is in the glossary. If found, learn how to link it to the rendering, ensuring accurate and linked glossary entries.

Edit Glossary Entries

Learn how to edit Glossary Entries in Paratext. While editing definitions is straightforward, be aware of potential consequences when editing Citation Forms. Discover recommendations from the experts to avoid issues.

Insert Illustrations

Enhance your Bible text in Paratext by inserting illustrations. Confirm usage permissions with your admin or consultant. Add the image file, captions and adjust settings. Switch to Formatted view or Preview to view the picture.

More about Illustrations

Edit Paratext illustrations settings. Adjust details like description, verse range, or media type by clicking figure markers or the picture in Figure Properties. Description is for non-published details in a major language. Location designates print or electronic use. Use Copyright for the artist's name.

Characters Inventory

How to set up the Characters Inventory and mark characters as valid or invalid, so that you can use the Characters Check.

Book Introductions

Learn about the essential standard format markers for adding an introduction to a book.

Punctuation Inventory

Learn how to use the Punctuation Inventory to record what valid and invalid punctuation usage patterns are in the language of your project. so that you can use the Punctuation Check.

Spell Check: Approve Spelling of Common Words

The very first step towards checking spellings is to mark commonly occurring words as correctly spelled. This is done with the Approve Spelling of Common Words feature. Updated for 9.3.

Spell Check Current Book

The second step in checking spelling is to use Spell Check Current Book. Work through the list of words marking their status as correct or incorrect, or using suggested re-spellings. Any changes to spellings are always offered in context.

Spell Check: How to use Common Typos Check

What is the Common Typos Check, where is it, and how do I use it?

Spell Check: More Features of the Wordlist Tool

How to quickly open the Wordlist, filter the wordlist by status, verse range, or a text search, sort the list, view old spellings, change the spelling status of multiple words at once, change or discard a saved correction.

Wordlist: How to Edit a Verse

Edit text easily in concordance views like the Wordlist tool. Double-click an occurrence to jump to the verse in the main window, or use Shift + double-click for a simple edit window.

Spell Check: How to use Display Spelling Errors

Explore Display Spelling Errors feature, which highlights incorrect and suspicious words with red and grey squiggly underlines. Learn Paratext’s different implementation in this video tutorial.

Biblical Terms: Introduction

It can be confusing that there are two very similarly named Biblical Terms windows. What are they for? How are they different? Watch this video to find out.

Biblical Terms: How to Identify a Rendering

To use of the Biblical Terms window or the Biblical Terms Rendering panel it is essential to be able to identify which word(s) in your draft translation are the renderings of the biblical terms.

Biblical Terms: How to Edit or Delete a Rendering

Edit or delete a rendering in Paratext with ease. Discover how to use the asterisk as a wildcard and add a gloss for distinguishing alternative renderings.

How to Print a Draft - Introduction to PTXprint

The best way to do a print out is by using a special option to export to PTXprint. PTXprint is a separate program which formats the text and produces a good looking layout which can then be printed.

How to Print a Draft: 1 - Install PTXprint

The best way to print a good-looking draft from Paratext is to use Export Draft PDF (PTXprint). Learn how to install PTXprint.

How to Print a Draft: 2 - Make Initial PDF with PTXPrint

The best way to get started in PTXprint is to set the book range and make a PDF. Don’t be intimidated by all the settings! The defaults produce a good layout.

How to Print a Draft: 3 - Adjust Settings in PTXprint

Change the page size, add a custom footer, and learn how to find and understand settings in PTXprint.

How to Print a Draft: 4 - Booklet

Learn how to adjust settings in PTXprint to produce a ready-to-print booklet layout with correctly ordered pages.

How to Print a Draft: 5 - Reopen PDF to Reprint

Comment localiser rapidement et facilement le fichier PDF que vous avez précédemment créé avec PTXprint afin de pouvoir le rouvrir.

How to Print a Draft: 6 - Check for PTXprint Updates

PTXprint is updated often as of early 2024, so it is worth checking frequently for updates. Learn how to do this quickly and easily.

How to Insert Notes

Insert Notes in your project to communicate with other team members such as asking questions, making suggestions, noting uncertainties, etc.

Notes: Comment, Assign, Edit, Tag, Delete

After someone adds a note in Paratext, take various actions: reply (add a comment), assign, change tags, edit, or delete.

Notes: Show Changes, Resolve

How to see what has changed in the verse since the note was created, and how to resolve a note when the to-do item has been taken care of.

Notes List

Open the Notes List which allows you to more efficiently work through Notes.

Notes List: How to Filter and Sort Notes

How to filter notes in the Notes List, including how to see Resolved Notes -- and unresolve them! Also how to Sort notes, and how to use the Assignments and Progress dialog to filter for relevant Notes that need attending to.

Notes List: How to Search and Use Hashtags

How to search for Notes in the Notes list. Also learn to add hashtags (or abbreviations) to notes in order to be able to find sets of similar notes using search later.

Notes: Reattach Note

If a note doesn't refer to the right scripture text, what can you do? In the Note dialog box there is a “Reattach Note” button which allows you to make a new text selection, in effect moving the note.

Biblical Terms: Comparative Texts

How to add other texts to the concordance area of the full Biblical Terms window for comparison purposes.

Biblical Terms: Achieving Consistency

Learn how Biblical Terms can help you produce a more consistent translation. This video shows how you can examine the verses with seemingly missing renderings of a specific Biblical term, and edit the translation to deal with the issues.

Biblical Terms: Custom Filters, Guess Renderings

Save a custom filter, have Paratext guess renderings for you. Approve guessed renderings in bulk, or reject all remaining guessed renderings. Mark all approved renderings as correctly spelled.

Back Translation: What is it and What Makes a Good One?

A good back translation is done by someone not involved in drafting, should be natural, reflecting the back translator's understanding of the vernacular text's sense. It must not use helps or other Bibles, and should mirror what the vernacular text says, not what it should say.

Back Translation: How to Prepare for and Create the Project

Prepare for drafting the back translation by resolving prerequisite tasks and clearing issues in the vernacular translation. Create a linked project with the correct format markers from the main Paratext menu.

Back Translation: How to Draft and Mark as Finished

Learn how to use the best view to draft the back translation in, and how to mark verses' back translations as finished.

Back Translation: How the Status Boxes Help

After marking a back translation as complete, changes in the vernacular are shown in the status box as 'outdated.' Review and, if needed, mark as finished. Utilize the 'view differences' button to see detailed changes, and correct errors in the vernacular translation to restore the check mark in the back translation.

Back Translation: Ready for the Consultant and their Notes

When is a back translation ready to pass on to the consultant? How do they send feedback? Learn these things in this brief video.

Interlinearizer: How to Start

Learn about the different ways to open the Interlinearizer window: 1. Create glosses based on a model text 2. Create glosses with no model text 3. Create a back translation 4. Create an adaptation or revision

How to Use the Interlinearizer

Learn how to use the interlinearizer - how to add glosses, change glosses, gloss a phrase or morphemes and control if the word parses line is displayed.

Basic Checks: References

The References check verifies that reference details inserted in Parallel Passage and Cross References complies with the project's settings for Scripture References. This helps ensure all references are written in a consistent way.

Basic Checks: Quotations

This video explains how the Quotations check ensures project-wide consistency by verifying punctuation across three different levels of quotes. It guides you through identifying and resolving errors like unmatched marks or missing continuers, while also explaining how to use advanced flagging options for easier troubleshooting. Finally, you will see how to run these checks across multiple books simultaneously to keep your entire translation polished and professional.

Basic Checks: Quoted Text

The Footnote Quotes check (formerly Quoted Text) verifies that scripture quoted in footnotes and cross references is up to date with any changes made in the text. This check has nothing to do with quotations within scripture itself.

Basic Checks: Unmatched Pairs of Punctuation

The unmatched Pairs of Punctuation Check finds all instances of punctuation characters that have been identified as occurring only in a pair (e.g. opening and closing brackets) but which currently occur on their own.

Basic Check: Numbers

The Numbers Check helps find numbers which are formatted incorrectly.

Basic Checks: Capitalization

Paratext's Capitalization check identifies potentially incorrect capitalization based on punctuation, markers, and word patterns. Customize the check for your project using three inventories.

Basic Checks: Repeated Words

The repeated words inventory and check helps you find words repeated in the scripture text so you can and examine whether they are deliberate and correct or accidental typing errors that need to be deleted.

Basic Checks: Exceptions

How to handle exceptions when running a basic check by using Deny.

Collaboration Tools: Paratext Live

Paratext Live offers real-time collaboration, similar to Google Docs. Version 9.3+ has two servers; the primary for 9.2 and above users and the secondary for 9.4, 9.3, 9.0, 9.1 and 8.x users.

Collaboration Tools: Chorus Hub

Chorus Hub facilitates Send/Receive over a Local Area Network - no Internet required.

Book Name USFMs

Special USFM markers contain different versions of a Bible book's names for various purposes. This video covers \h, \toc1, \toc2, \toc3 and \mt - and use of the Scripture Reference Settings Book Names tab.

Find and Replace

Search for a particular word (or "string") in a project or resource. If you have editing permission, optionally replace it with another word (or "string") .

Parallel Passages

Paratext's Parallel Passages tool aligns similar scripture passages for comparison. Ensure suitable consistency or variation in translation, especially in recounting events like the gospels

Parallel Passages: Filters and Changed Text

How to find Parallel Passages you need to review.

Paratext Lite

Paratext Lite: A Companion to Paratext Bible Translation Software