Encoding bug when compiling

Context: Until recently, I had exclusively used the old native version of Linux on Linux Mint 22. I started using a Mac Mini and I have been testing its compatibility with the Windows version. Maybe because of the legacy metadata or some other version conflict, my experience when writing between a Mac device and another computer with Windows 11 (trial period before buying it) has been a disaster.

In this thread I highlight a work-breaking bug on the latest version of Scrivener of Windows: when I compile my manuscript to PDF, some chapters (independent documents) appear with incorrect coding (strange characters). This seems to happen randomly between the documents. If it is re-exported, other chapters may appear right or wrong.

I do have observed a pattern, it seems that only text contents may be corrupted; the headings never corrupt. The text is set “as-is” in the editor. The section type assigned to the document seems to be irrelevant.

Might be me, but I can’t tell what software you are running. Specifically, what versions of all software (Linux, Windows, Mac, Scrivener, …) are running to produce this error?

On the latest version of Scrivener for Windows (3.1.5.1). After migrating my project from the old format, I was creating build profiles on Mac/Windows and this bug occurs only on Windows.

Does this happen with another output format, for instance .rtf?

Or this could be a cross-platform font issue. L&L has an article on this topic in their Knowledgebase. Ensure that the Mac font(s) in use have been installed on Windows. See if changing the font(s) on both platforms makes a difference, particularly if the font(s) you are currently using are out of the ordinary. For example, try something vanilla like TNR on both Mac & Windows.

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