After several weeks of troubelfree use this morning Scrivener produced error message ‘can’t find project’ and shhut down. Some txt files in a ‘recovered’ folder but despite searcing iCloud and TiemMachine backup a 100k word novel has disappeared without trace. Any advice (apart from ending it all) would be helpful. FYI I am a v experienced Mac user but this is (was) my first Scrivener project.
Restore from back up not found is Scrivener Help or in menu drop downs. I can see a backup dated 19th March. Any one out there know how to get at it?
Hi John, and welcome to the forum.
In the Scrivener manual, §5.2.3 explains how to safely access your backups, and you can access the manual via Scrivener’s Help menu.
And, we have this Knowledge Base article that also has the process for safely accessing your backups.
I’ve found the back up and opened it {and cancelled the funeral of a promising writer}; from the zip file a message showed along the lines of ‘the project was not in an optimal location/could be overwritten’ and I should close > move. Can you tell/show me what that actually means? To date I have a sngle folder in Documents > iCloud called ‘Scrivener files.’
We have this Knowledge Base article with the steps to correct that “project not in recommended location” error you’re seeing.
For some background on why you’re seeing it: The main Scrivener project cannot be stored in the same location as its automatic backups.
That’s because Scrivener uses a “container file” structure for its projects.
That is: A Scrivener project is actually a folder with a .scriv file extension.
If you were to right-click on a project’s .scriv file and tell your Mac to Show Package Contents, you’d see that inside that folder is a .scrivx file as well as sub-folders and potentially hundreds of component files. The .scrivx file is the master index used to build the Binder.
For any Scrivener project to work correctly, all of the contents of its .scriv project folder must be kept together and intact.
On the macOS, that entire .scriv folder is hidden as a single file, but some tools like Dropbox or other cloud-syncing services will show that folder as an actual folder.
The main .scriv file should be in a different location than any of the backups because if a syncing tool or file-management program on the computer breaks some of those internal connections, the program might try to repair the issue by accessing the matching file in one of its backups.
Scrivener’s default settings when it’s installed on a Mac have the automatic backups directed to ∼/Library/Application Support/Scrivener/Backups. That’s a hidden folder, which makes it less likely that a user will either open a backup by accident or save the main project in that location.
Scrivener also suggests that new projects be stored in the Mac’s Documents folder. Since it’s a space designed by the operating system for user-created materials, it’s a common recommendation for a lot of programs.
It’s also typically included in cloud-syncing or automatic backups by programs like Apple’s Time Machine.
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I think Apple’s iCloud is your issue. It is unreliable for some, and if not configured for all files to be offline, will mess up things badly. And confirm macOS not set to “Optimise Mac Storage” in Apple Icon: System Settings → AppleID → iCloud
My folder structure (using Dropbox, not Apple’s iCLoud)
- Projects: /dropbox/apps/scrivener (or put on non-synched local drive, e.g. ~/documents/scrivener
- Backups: ~/backups/scrivener (on the local drive, preferred by me rather than default folder ~/Library/… as that too buried for my taste.)
TimeMachine for full system backups which then includes both projects and backups.
Thanks v much for today’s help Ruth; the lost project was in location iCloud/ScrivenerFiles. Was that a ‘bad place’? Because I’ve got plenty more writing projects in the cloud. Reason I ask is the haunting question ‘What happened that Scriver went rogue and couldn’t find the project I’d been working on since mid Feb?’
Hi John. If iCloud Drive is defaulting to the “storage optimized” settings, that could be a factor in the behavior you’re seeing.
A lot of cloud-syncing services are moving to that or an “online-only” setting, which can cause issues for Scrivener projects.
Apple have this Apple Support page on working with iCloud Drive.
They also have this support page about iCloud Drive settings.
I recommend reviewing both and changing the settings for any .scriv files you’re storing in iCloud Drive so that they’re available even if your Mac doesn’t have an internet connection.
That will reduce the chance that iCloud Drive’s settings cause issues with opening a project or seeing all its data.
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Hi Ruth. I’ve discovered how to create a Local Files folder that isn’t under the cosh of iCloud (I jest). That’s where my current and all future Scriv projects will dwell. Thanks for your assistance. And now a P.S.: the recovered text files that Scrivener packed into the escape pod with its dying breath (I am an author) are exactly the chapters and synopses which bring the magnum opus back to where it was before the crash that shook my world. Thanks again.