We are thrilled to announce the release of Fidus Writer 4.1 — a major update that brings significant security enhancements, powerful new features, and deeper integration with the tools you already use. Whether you are writing your next paper, collaborating with colleagues across the globe, or managing citations for an entire research group, Fidus Writer 4.1 has something for you. The development has been possible thanks to another NLNet grant financed by the European Commission and Switzerland we have been able to create y.
Security Comes First
In an era where academic accounts hold valuable research data, we have made security a top priority. Fidus Writer has been audited fro security issues by independent experts and in this release we have incorporated their recommendations. Fidus Writer 4.1 introduces Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for all users, adding an essential extra layer of protection to your account. We have also implemented brute-force protection that automatically locks out attackers after repeated failed login attempts, raised minimum password requirements to 12 characters, and tightened password reset windows to 24 hours. Several cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities have been identified and patched. Your research deserves a fortress — and that is what we are building.
Open editing access
Sometimes you want to collaborate with third parties on a document but you don’t want them to have to go through the sign-up process of yet another software. That’s now possible in Fidus Writer with open editing access. The document owner still needs to have an account, but it is now possible to invite others to collaborate by sending them a link which gives access to a document with specified access rights.
End-to-End Encryption (Experimental)
For users handling sensitive or embargoed research, Fidus Writer 4.1 introduces experimental End-to-End Encryption (E2EE). Documents can now be encrypted in the browser before they ever reach the server, meaning even server administrators cannot read your work. Admins can configure E2EE in three modes: disabled for open collaboration, enabled for optional encryption, or required for maximum security. Please note this is an experimental feature that we are actively developing — we welcome feedback from early adopters.
Import from Anywhere
Your existing reference libraries are no longer islands. Fidus Writer 4.1 can now import bibliography files from over ten formats — including BibLaTeX, CSL, Citavi XML, RIS, EndNote XML, ENW, NBIB, and more. We also now extract citations directly from Word (DOCX) and LibreOffice (ODT) files: DOCX files containing Mendeley, Zotero, Citavi, or EndNote citations, and ODT files containing Zotero, legacy Mendeley, or JabRef citations. Bring your entire research history into Fidus Writer in just a few clicks.
Subscript, superscript, inline code and code block language
The editor itself has gained new formatting capabilities. For example, you can now use subscript and superscript for chemical formulas, mathematical expressions, and footnote references. Inline code marks make it easy to highlight technical terms, variable names, and code snippets within your prose. Code blocks now support language tagging, categories, and captions — perfect for research software documentation or reproducibility sections. What exactly is allowed where continues to be determined by the document template.
Push to Your Git Repository
The Git Repository Export plugin has been massively expanded. You can now export documents and books directly to GitHub, GitLab, and Forgejo repositories — not just as source files, but as DOCX, ODT, and native formats. Combined with the Pandoc plugin, this means your Fidus Writer documents can flow seamlessly into version-controlled publication pipelines, preprint servers, or institutional repositories.
Faster, Leaner Infrastructure
Behind the scenes, Fidus Writer 4.1 has undergone significant modernization. The ASGI server has been replaced with Granian, a high-performance Rust-based alternative. All Python and JavaScript dependencies have been updated to their latest stable versions, including Django 6 and FontAwesome 7. These changes mean quicker deployments, snappier development, and a smoother experience for self-hosters. And for Debian and Ubuntu users, we now provide official .deb packages — making installation as simple as a double-click.
Plugins Updated for 4.1
All official Fidus Writer plugins have been updated for compatibility with the 4.1 release: Books (4.1.3), Pandoc integration (4.1.2), LanguageTool grammar checking (4.1.0), Git Repository Export (4.1.1), and Citation API Import (4.1.0). The LanguageTool plugin brings the latest LanguageTool 6.5 engine, while the Git Repository Export plugin adds Forgejo support and multi-format exports including DOCX and ODT.
Get It Now
Fidus Writer 4.1 is available now. If you host your own instance, follow the upgrade guide in our documentation in case you have created your own plugins. New users can get started with our Ubuntu Snap package, the new Debian package, or Docker containers. As always, Fidus Writer remains free and open-source software licensed under the AGPL.
We would like to thank all contributors, translators, and community members who made this release possible. Your bug reports, pull requests, and feedback shape every version of Fidus Writer. Ready to write your next paper? Visit https://www.fiduswriter.com to try it out or get your institution to set it up for you. Contact us if you need help integrating it into your specific environment.
Going forward
We expect Fidus Writer 4.1 to have been the last major release that came as just one big package. Fidus Writer 5.0, which is expected at the end of the year, will be mainly about turning Fidus Writer into many small modules so that it can be integrated into different other software or be used in new ways – for example by integrating it directly into cloud platforms or making a desktop version for personal usage that doesn’t require a server at all. That being said, if you are missing a feature, now is the time to speak up in our forum and let us know so that we can see if it is something that could still be added to Fidus Writer 5.0.