Issue occurs when compiling using Default, to Word .docx; PDF spacing is fine
Issue also occurs when compiling using my own compiling formats, where I “override” the text settings and set to the same parameters as my project, noted above
When I click View–>Text editing–>Show invisibles it shows only one paragraph symbol at the end of the line, and then follows the one indent/tab I have at .5 inches. When in the project, I click enter at the end of a paragraph, then tab over once to start a new paragraph
It’s only one newer project with this issue. I have older projects that compile to Word just fine using the Default setting
Finding the cause of added spaces can sometimes be a bit tricky without seeing a copy of the project to review its compile settings.
Are these unwanted extra lines occurring between paragraphs from a single document in the binder? Or, are they occurring between two different documents in the binder?
I ask because if these additional spaces are between documents, it could be the compile separators coming into play.
If they’re falling within a single document, then I’d be curious if this particular project has different settings in the Project > Project Settings > Formatting panel that might be a factor.
I’d also caution you not to use the Tab key to indent the text. Instead, the better approach in Scrivener is to use the Scrivener > Preferences/Settings > Editing > Formatting panel and place the T-shaped marker where you want the paragraph indents to fall.
That will give you more flexibility and control in the compile tools for formatting your indents or removing them from first paragraphs if needed.
Hi, thanks for the response! I did some trouble shooting and the issue seems only to occur when I export to a .docx. At this point I believe there’s some setting in Word that’s causing this to happen (though it doesn’t happen with all my Scrivener docs.) I tried changing the Normal.dotm in Word, but that had no effect. At any rate, I’ll just keep changing the paragraph spacing manually in Word.
I’m having the same problem. It’s only with .docx - .doc is as it should be.
Old projects and new ones both due this now. It did not happen before… whenever before was.
I don’t know if this helps, but it appears that Scrivener is feeding Word a new “Normal” style when it sends the file to .docx. This style has an 8 point buffer between paragraphs that default Normal style in Word does not have. Not sure where that’s happening.
I can confirm the same issue, which also only happens with .docx files. That said, I’ve also noticed that it seems to happen only when I compile certain selected text levels. I’m working on my dissertation (so I’d really love to not have to mess with formatting problems!) and it seems to happen when I’m compiling only certain selections and not when compiling the whole document. This is good news of course, if you don’t count the added time and frustration that I’ve endured trying to figure out what it was adding an extra 7.92 pt (not 8) after each line in .docx files!
Driving me crazy. I can confirm it’s only when compiling to Word. Tried other formats and it didn’t happen. Definitely a thing with Scrivener’s compile. It’s adding “points” after each paragraph to the Normal style.
The fix I’ve been using, is after the compile, I open the .docx file. Select a blank line - I usually use one of the lines around the title. Open Styles, select normal, modify, and then remove the extra points. Then I apply it to the whole document. If you choose a line with text on it to monkey with, results are wonky.
LL really needs to fix this. I see it everywhere in my classes and feel embarrassed for having recommended Scrivener when this has been going on for so long.
If you compile to RTF and open the result in Word, do you see the same behavior? There’s a known issue in our RTF → DOCX converter that might be causing this.
If you have java installed, there’s also a checkbox option in Scrivener ▸ Settings in the Conversion tab of the Sharing pane to use a different, java-based, converter for DOCX, which should avoid triggering the 8pt after-paragraph spacing.
This resolved the issue for me. I’m on MacOS. For others looking to replicate this fix: I installed Java from Oracle’s website, quit and reopened Scrivener, then navigated to Scrivener > Settings > Sharing Pane > Conversion Tab and set the option to Java. Then when I exported, the extra 8pt space after paragraphs was not present in exported .docx files. Thanks for the fix!
