# "Cannot Create Project Backup" Error **URL:** \ **Category:** Scrivener for Windows\ **Tags:** support, troubleshooting\ **Created:** [July 23, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413 "2025-07-23T02:17:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/1 "2025-07-23T02:17:35Z")
Recently I’ve begun receiving the following error when attempting to backup a project. > “Cannot create project backup. Temporary copy destination C:\Users\Qatesa\AppData\Local\Temp\5731B05C-6A0C-4C99-8FF2-AA597F332864\TBD” I have several projects and this error only occurs on one of them. The error pops up whether I manually backup or it attempts to auto backup. I save my project files to a USB drive and backups to OneDrive. I have no issues saving the files primary project files to the USB. Even switching the backup location, be it cloud or local, produces the same error. What’s more, there is no such temp location. Again, this is only happening to one of the five different projects I have going. Which, in and of itself, is odd. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 2:25am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/2 "2025-07-23T02:25:14Z")
Check in your project settings to see if the backup location for your problematic project is set to not be the one in `options / backups`. ![image](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/uploads/default/original/3X/1/7/174bb9b9c09d7f5a6dea71711e088aa9bb272994.png) If this (to not use the location set in the options) is intended, set a proper location. If not intended, uncheck the setting I’ve circled. ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 2:48am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/3 "2025-07-23T02:48:32Z")
Under Project Settings, I have each project set to save to in a custom project folder within my general backup folder. I have tried unchecking it to see if it would save to my general backup folder, but I still receive the same error. Even when I switch my general back location to my local drive it gives the same error. My backs are set as follows: > **Options/Backups** : OneDrive/Scrivener > **Project Settings/Backups** : OneDrive/Scrivener/Project Name It’s set up the same for all of my projects. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 2:53am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/4 "2025-07-23T02:53:29Z")
What happens if in project settings / backup, you click on “open backup folder” ? (In your problematic project, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 2:55am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/5 "2025-07-23T02:55:57Z")
It opens to correct folder. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 2:57am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/6 "2025-07-23T02:57:47Z")
Do you have non-conventional characters in your project’s name? ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:00am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/7 "2025-07-23T03:00:43Z")
None in this particular project. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:01am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/8 "2025-07-23T03:01:48Z")
Try to `save as` your project with a slightly different name (just add a few x’s at the end of the name) and see if this new version works. (?) . . . . . . . It could be your USB storage. Perhaps test with a local copy of your project. (I too have all my projects on USB. No issue. But I know there could potentially be a problem caused by system interrupt.) . . . . . . . Another thing : do you have foreign material (research files or whatever) in your project folder for this specific project? Stuff that you would have dropped there, not imported via Scrivener. ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:09am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/9 "2025-07-23T03:09:30Z")
When I try to save as on my USB, outside of the current project folder, I get the following: > You cannot save within the folder of the current project sub folder. Please select another location. When attempting to save anywhere else, be it locally or cloud, I get the following: > Scrivener does not allow saving to a project’s .scriv folder. Please select another location. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:10am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/10 "2025-07-23T03:10:27Z")
That means that the location(s) you’ve selected is/are inside a project’s folder. (You can’t do that.) Try to save-as to the root of your USB drive. Like D:\ (Or E or F, … whichever it is.) ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:19am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/11 "2025-07-23T03:19:40Z")
To answer your earlier question, I do have a couple images, but nothing else. My USB is D:\ and I’ve tried saving it locally to my C:\ as well as in D:\ both inside/outside the Scrivener folder. In my USB, saving inside the Scrivener folder but outside the project specific folder it gives the first error. Outside the Scrivener folder gives the second error. The second error also pops when saving any/everywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:23am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/12 "2025-07-23T03:23:50Z")
> [@Qatesa](#): > > D:\ both inside/outside the Scrivener folder. What Scrivener folder are you referring to ? Save to d: Nothing else. Just d:\ (Not D:\something\something) … ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:27am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/13 "2025-07-23T03:27:50Z")
I have a Scrivener folder on my USB (D:) where I save all of my projects in project specific sub folders. When I save as to just my D:, I get the following: > Scrivener does not allow saving to a project’s .scriv folder. Please select another location. I get this when I try to save as to my C:\ or cloud as well. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:30am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/14 "2025-07-23T03:30:09Z")
Perhaps at some point you manually moved a .scriv folder (a project) inside your project ? Scrivener won’t let you do it, but you could do it manually. (A bad idea, but doable.) In file explorer, search the folder of your problematic project for a .scriv folder inside it. If you find one, move it out of there. That would be your problem – most assuredly. ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:44am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/15 "2025-07-23T03:44:21Z")
I don’t edit my folders once they’re created, outside of the odd renaming, if needed. I have no reason to. I only have a settings, files, and project file within the project folder. Same as my other projects. Looking into the settings and files folders shows no ‘.scriv folder’. I don’t have any issues saving my projects within my USB. They auto save with no issues. I just cannot uncerstand why the backup has randomly stopped working when it was backing up fine a few weeks ago. I don’t know what the issue is ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:46am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/16 "2025-07-23T03:46:03Z")
Maybe I’ll just create a new project and recreate the project the tedious, copy/paste way. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:46am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/17 "2025-07-23T03:46:13Z")
> [@Qatesa](#): > > why the backup has randomly stopped working when it was backing up fine a few weeks ago. Well. The fact that you can’t either save-as to another (any) location is THE clue. I don’t know what your issue is either. ---
**Author:** ![Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/user_avatar/forum.literatureandlatte.com/vincent_vincent/32/19680_2.png) [@Vincent\_Vincent](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Vincent_Vincent)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:49am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/18 "2025-07-23T03:49:53Z")
> [@Qatesa](#): > > Maybe I’ll just create a new project and recreate the project the tedious, copy/paste way. If your current project doesn’t use specifics (likes styles and whatnot), meaning you just wrote and used standard formatting etc, create a new project, and either drag everything from binder to binder with the two projects side by side, or use `File / Import / Scrivener project`. Whatever you do, first thing after the import would be to test backup. Wish I could help more, but I am clueless as of your issue. Ultimately, if that fails too, contact support. ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 3:58am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/19 "2025-07-23T03:58:08Z")
No worries, you’ve been plenty helpful and I appreciate your assistance. I’m of the mind that since there’s no issue with other projects, I should be able to create a new project without running into this issue. I’ll try the methods you outlined first before going the more tedious route. Thanks, again, for your assistance. ---
**Author:** ![Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/a9a28c/32.png) [@Qatesa](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/u/Qatesa)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 4:22am UTC](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413/20 "2025-07-23T04:22:55Z")
Created a new project using the drag/drop method you mentioned and I was able to backup with no issue to my usual OneDrive backup folder. Whatever the error was, hopefully it doesn’t happn again. But, thanks again for your assistance. [Next page](https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/cannot-create-project-backup-error/149413.md?page=2)