Showing 1-20 out of 36 articles sorted by relevance (switch to date)

  1. Typing Lags and Sluggishness

    General (14) Article updated on 07 Oct, 2022 05:16 PM

    Change the auto-save interval by setting Auto save after X seconds of inactivity to a larger number in the General: Savings options pane. Try not to make it too large, as it’s best to keep it under 60 seconds. This will not eliminate the problem, but it will reduce the frequency of it, which may be enough.

  2. Add a "Save" Button to the Toolbar

    Common Feature Requests (2) Article updated on 30 Jan, 2023 04:12 PM

    In a program like Scrivener, saving---as the kind of action one takes periodically with a text editor or word processor---isn't something one ever has to do, except in rare scenarios. Instead, Scrivener works more like OneNote in that it manages a large collection of information where everything you do is automatically saved as you work.

  3. “Project not in a recommended save location” error

    macOS: Troubleshooting (13) Article updated on 30 Jan, 2023 03:53 PM

    If when opening a project you see a "Project not in a recommended save location" warning this means that you are trying to open the project from Scrivener's automatic backup location.

  4. Using Windows Keyboard Shortcuts in Scapple

    Scapple (6) Article updated on 09 Oct, 2023 10:52 AM

    At the moment, it is not possible to assign or customize keyboard shortcuts in Scapple for Windows. However, Windows does provide built-in menu navigation shortcuts which you can utilize in Scapple.

  5. Fixing Permissions for Read-Only Projects

    macOS: Troubleshooting (13) Article updated on 13 Sep, 2022 10:57 AM

    Scrivener cannot open files that have been set to be read-only, because it always needs write access to a file, even if it is only opening it. It requires such access so that it can create a "lock file" inside the file, which will allow other copies of Scrivener to know that the project is open; it also requires it for auto-save to work correctly.

  6. Keyboard Shortcuts

    macOS (7) Article updated on 30 Aug, 2021 03:04 PM

    This article lists the default keyboard shortcuts in Scrivener 3 for macOS. Some common macOS shortcuts, such as copy and paste, have been omitted for brevity. You can also customise the shortcuts, or add your own.

  7. Will I lose my work if I upgrade or uninstall Scrivener?

    General (14) Article updated on 26 Aug, 2022 02:53 PM

    No. Scrivener is a standard file-based computer program, not a web-based or mobile application. This means that any projects you create in Scrivener are saved outside of the program, on your hard drive. They are not kept within Scrivener itself. This is similar to the way Microsoft Word works, in that you can keep .DOCX files on your computer even if you don't have Word installed. Thus, upgrading, uninstalling, or even switching from trial or beta versions of the program to the purchased version, will not affect the work you've done so far.

  8. "Location Access Error" when opening project

    Windows: Troubleshooting (1) Article updated on 08 Sep, 2022 11:14 AM

    Scrivener's automatic backups are saved as zipped archives by default. You may also have zipped up a project in order to transfer it via email or thumb drive. On Windows, a ZIP folder can be difficult to spot, as File Explorer will allow you to double-click on it to view its contents. You may not realize the project is zipped when you attempt to open it.

  9. Storing and Organising Projects

    General (14) Article updated on 16 Aug, 2022 03:59 PM

    In case something should happen to your live project, Scrivener has a built-in automatic backup feature which ensures that you always have backup copies of your projects to recover work from. By default, Scrivener will create a backup each time your project is closed, saving it to the archive location noted in your Preferences/Options under the Backup tab. This works on a rotating basis to save hard drive space, meaning that each time a new backup is created, it will overwrite the oldest one. The number of automatic backups you can store at one time range from 3 to 25, and you can adjust these settings at any time in your Preferences/Options. You can also force a backup at any time via File ▸ Back Up ▸ Back Up Now.

  10. Resetting a Project's Display Settings

    macOS: Troubleshooting (13) Article updated on 19 Aug, 2022 02:47 PM

    Everything that determines how a project is seen and used is considered part of its display or interface settings. Therefore, if you are experiencing a problem in Scrivener whereby the user interface is behaving oddly or looks strange, you can't fix the issue by tweaking relevant Preferences/Options, and it only happens in a single project, then you may need to reset your project's user interface settings.

  11. Resetting Preferences

    macOS: Troubleshooting (13) Article updated on 30 Jan, 2023 04:11 PM

    Many of the problems that can arise when using Mac software can be solved by resetting the preferences for the program. This is because the Mac's preference writer can occasionally malfunction, causing the preference file to become corrupt. This can lead to general instability or even an inability to launch the software at all. Resetting preferences is considered a sensible "first step" whenever you run into issues, along with rebooting your computer to create a clean working environment.

  12. "Scrivener/Scapple can't be updated" error

    Windows (4) Article updated on 26 May, 2023 03:09 PM

    If you run into an error when trying to update Scrivener or Scapple via the Help ▸ Check for Updates… command or the automatic update dialogue, we would suggest updating manually with a simple "overwrite" install. However, if the update dialogue box indicates that a full reinstall of the software is recommended, please proceed to the next section of this article.

  13. I have just finished the tutorial and am ready to begin, what should I do first?

    Features and Usage (11) Article updated on 08 Sep, 2022 05:16 PM

    The first thing you should do is close the tutorial and create a new project. The tutorial was designed to be an interactive way to learn Scrivener, and is thus a fully editable project. However you will want to create a new project file for your first endeavour, either using one of our built-in templates, or begin from scratch with the Blank template.

  14. No Qt Platform Plugin Error

    Scapple (6) Article updated on 09 May, 2023 01:54 PM

    If you are receiving the following error, it is likely that you are trying to run Scapple on an unsupported version of Windows:

  15. Installing the Direct-Sale Version as a Mac App Store Customer

    Purchasing and Installation (13) Article updated on 09 Nov, 2018 06:30 PM

    IMPORTANT: These instructions constitute an optional installation procedure. You would only need to follow these instructions if you purchased the software from Apple and intend to beta test the software or wish to run the direct-sale version on an indefinite basis for reasons of preference. For normal installation guidance, read the basic installation instructions.

  16. Keyboard Shortcuts & Gestures

    iOS (14) Article updated on 15 Jun, 2022 12:00 PM

    As with most modern iOS apps, if you need to quickly look up a keyboard shortcut you can hold down the Command key for a few seconds. Not every shortcut will be listed in the cheat sheet. Common commands such as Copy and Paste will be implied, and some commands are simply not listed as their usage is more advanced in nature (such as moving a document around in the binder outside of edit mode).

  17. "The backup folder does not exist" error

    macOS: Troubleshooting (13) Article updated on 19 Sep, 2024 03:31 PM

    If you’re seeing an error stating your backup folder does not exist, this means Scrivener cannot access the backup folder you have set in the application’s settings, perhaps because it has been moved, renamed, or deleted.

  18. Lists and Tables on iOS

    iOS (14) Article updated on 16 May, 2025 02:07 PM

    Because Scrivener for iOS is bound by the limitations of Apple's built-in text engine, unfortunately the iOS app does not officially support tables and only has limited support for bullets and lists. Specifically:

  19. Organising Multiple Scapple Documents

    Scapple (6) Article updated on 09 Sep, 2022 01:46 PM

    Note: macOS 10.12 thru 10.15 support tabs in applications, including Scapple. Apple sadly removed this feature from borderless windows in macOS 11, and we await them adding it back in.

  20. Installing on Additional Computers

    Windows (4) Article updated on 08 Dec, 2022 03:13 PM

    If you have not changed the default location for Scrivener's automatic backups, they will be included when copying the Scrivener application data folder in the steps above. Likewise, if the backups are already saved in a cloud-sync folder such as Dropbox or OneDrive that automatically synchronises with your second machine, you do not need to follow these next steps.