What does Formatly actually do?

Formatly formats your document for margins, spacing, fonts, headings, page layout, and structure, matched to your chosen style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). We do not edit your writing, check grammar, or rewrite citations.

Do I need to know anything about formatting?

Not at all. If you can upload a document and choose a style, you can use Formatly. The workflow stays focused and direct.

What gets formatted automatically?

Margins, fonts, spacing, headings, page numbers, table of contents, title pages, and structural layout are applied according to the selected style guide.

What doesn't Formatly do?

We format documents, not write them. We do not generate citations, write reference entries, create content for title pages or abstracts, or check grammar and spelling.

How does pricing work?

Documents up to 3 per month are free with our basic plan, which includes all formatting styles. Upgrade to Pro for 50 documents per month. No per-page or per-word charges.

Yes. Your documents are processed in real-time and only you can access them. We never see, store, or share your content.

What is tracked changes?

Tracked Changes shows every formatting adjustment we make to your document so you can see exactly what changed and approve or reject each change before finalizing your file.

Which citation styles are supported?

Formatly supports APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, Chicago Manual of Style, Harvard, and Turabian. We continuously evaluate new styles based on user requests.

Can I switch my document to a different citation style?

Yes. You can convert your document between any supported style in one click. All headings, citations, and references update automatically.

How long does formatting take?

Most documents are formatted in seconds. The time depends on document size and length, but the workflow is designed to stay quick.

What file formats do you support?

We support Microsoft Word (.docx) files only. Upload your .docx document and download the formatted version in the same format.

Does Formatly handle the Table of Contents?

Yes. Formatly automatically generates a proper table of contents with correct headings and page numbers. After downloading the formatted document, open it in Microsoft Word and use Update Field to populate the table.

What is Formatting & Structure Review?

Formatting & Structure Review is a premium feature that reviews your document for citation mismatches, heading hierarchy gaps, misplaced sections, spacing issues, and style compliance. It explains the underlying rule alongside the issue.

New: Formatting & Structure Review

Perfect Research Formattingin Seconds

Upload your draft. Formatly fixes the headings, fonts, line spacing, margins and every citation to match your required style guide — then hands back a .docx you can submit.

APAMLAChicagoHarvardIEEETurabian

Start formatting Watch demo

No credit card required• 3 free previews — .docx download with Pro• Formatted in seconds

100% Private & Secure

Clear checks without extra guessing

Select Your Style & Upload

Select your formatting style and upload your document

AI Formatting Applied

With Tracked Revisions

Tracked changes preview in Microsoft Word

Built to eliminate formatting friction from academic research.

APAMLAChicagoHarvardTurabian

Trusted by Researchers & Students from World-Class Institutions

Harvard•Stanford•MIT•Oxford•Cambridge•Yale•Universidad Santo Tomás•Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana•Harvard•Stanford•MIT•Oxford•Cambridge•Yale•Universidad Santo Tomás•Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana•

99%

Accuracy

Trained on official style manuals

480x

Faster formatting

Compared to manual word-by-word formatting

100%

Style compliance

Guaranteed check against APA/MLA rules

Why Choose Formatly?

Everything you need to create perfectly formatted academic documents, including citation and reference checks.

All Citation Styles

Instant compliance with APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago, Harvard, and Turabian. Margins, headers, and hanging indents configure automatically.

Citation & Reference Integrity

Cross-checks in-text citations against your reference list to flag missing in-text citations, uncited reference entries, and bibliography style mismatches.

Style & Document Structure Review

Audits document layout structure, heading hierarchy, margins, line spacing, and section ordering against target style guide rules.

Tracked Changes

Download a Tracked Changes document showing every styling change alongside your clean copy. Compare every adjustment side-by-side.

Instant Style Conversion

Reformat your manuscript from APA to Chicago or MLA in one click. Headings, citations, and reference lists rebuild dynamically.

Privacy-First Data Protection

Processed securely in real time with encrypted data handling. We do not sell or monetize user content, provide it for advertising, or allow third parties to train AI models on your work.

See Formatly in Action

Watch how Formatly transforms your documents in seconds

Create Account

Select Style

Upload Document

Preview

Download

Trusted by Researchers Worldwide

See what our users have to say

“I was about to submit a manuscript and lost too much time adjusting margins and header spacing by hand. Formatly handled the document quickly, and the tracked changes view made review straightforward for my co-authors.”

Dr. Sarah Chen

Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford

“My professor rejected my lit review because the running head kept shifting on page two. I did not realize Word had section breaks. Formatly caught the problem and removed a lot of formatting stress.”

Marcus Johnson

Graduate Student, UT Austin

“I had a deadline coming up and needed a clean MLA layout. I uploaded my paper, picked MLA, and got a formatted document back without extra cleanup.”

Priya Patel

Undergraduate, UC Berkeley

“Chicago Manual of Style footnotes are a challenge. Formatly fixed spacing, indentation, and the overall layout so the document was easier to review.”

James Mitchell

PhD Candidate, UChicago

“The Formatting & Structure Review flagged a citation issue I had missed. It explained the rule clearly, which made the revision much easier.”

Amanda Rodriguez

Master's Student, NYU

“We have to submit lab reports in APA 7. I used to budget too much time for formatting. Now I upload the .docx to Formatly and get a clean result without the Word cleanup cycle.”

David Kim

Research Assistant, Johns Hopkins

Dr. Sarah Chen

Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford

Marcus Johnson

Graduate Student, UT Austin

“I had a deadline coming up and needed a clean MLA layout. I uploaded my paper, picked MLA, and got a formatted document back without extra cleanup.”

Priya Patel

Undergraduate, UC Berkeley

“Chicago Manual of Style footnotes are a challenge. Formatly fixed spacing, indentation, and the overall layout so the document was easier to review.”

James Mitchell

PhD Candidate, UChicago

“The Formatting & Structure Review flagged a citation issue I had missed. It explained the rule clearly, which made the revision much easier.”

Amanda Rodriguez

Master's Student, NYU

“We have to submit lab reports in APA 7. I used to budget too much time for formatting. Now I upload the .docx to Formatly and get a clean result without the Word cleanup cycle.”

David Kim

Research Assistant, Johns Hopkins

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Choose the plan that fits your needs

Monthly

Annual

Save 17%

Free

$0 / mo

Get started with Formatly

3 documents per month

All formatting styles

Preview before you pay — .docx download with Pro

Standard email support

Get Started

Feature Details

Feature	Free	Pro	Business
Documents	3	50	Unlimited
Priority Support	•
Custom Styles	•
Tracked Changes	•
Citation & Reference Integrity	•
Style Compliance Report	•
Team Collab	•	•

FAQ

Questions, Answered

Have questions about how Formatly works? We have compiled a list of the most common inquiries to help you understand our features, security, and process.

Focus on Research, Not Formatting

Formatly takes care of every citation, margin, and reference so you can spend your time on the work itself instead of fixing styles.

Try Formatly Now