Can't open any projects after installing app on new PC

Using Windows 11, new laptop. Downloaded the app, but projects do not show up when trying to open an existing project. I can open them in MS Word. Did I save the files incorrectly the first time? Is there a way to import the Word document into Scrivener?

Your projects are not in the App. They are in a location on the old machine where you put them. Do you have access to the old machine to copy that data across to the new machine?

What do you mean by “don’t show up”?

Of course, they won’t show in any “recent projects” list, them having never been loaded into this install of Scrivener.

If this is what you meant, you need to navigate to them through File/Open, or double click the scrivx file in the project folder, using Windows’ File Explorer. (Only needed the first time.)
… As @rms said, your projects aren’t – and never were – part of Scrivener per se.

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It’s not possible to open a Scrivener project in Word, or vice versa. They are different formats. (Though Scrivener can import Word documents.)

How did you transfer the data from the old machine?

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Perhaps the info on L&L’ FAQ website may help.

https://scrivener.tenderapp.com/help/kb/windows/installing-on-additional-computers

I have all the files stored on an external hard drive. The backups would not open. I did make copies in a Word document, so I did not lose my work, but I do not know why a .scriv file would not open from backup. Perhaps it was corrupted. Thank you, everyone.

How specifically did you make the backup? Did you use Scrivener’s Backup command, or did you drag and drop from Windows Explorer?

Are these ZIP backups? Are they stored on the external drive, or did you move them to the new computer?

If the letters “zip” are in the error message, unzip the backup before double-clicking the scrvx-file.

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Are you still using Version 3.1.1.0, as stated in your profile?
The latest version of Scrivener is 3.1.5.1 on Windows.
It’s a free upgrade for users on a lower version of Scrivener 3.
For your information .SCRIV is a project’s folder, in which is a project control file .SCRIVX.
You should open a .SCRIVX file in a .SCRIV folder to launch a project.

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