Hi all, I just got a new PC laptop and soon realised that the serial code I had for my Mac version of Scrivener wasn’t working to activate the full version of Windows Scrivener. Is there any way to get the full version of Windows Scrivener without having to pay for another license? 
1 Like
No
As the owner of a Mac licence you can get a discount on a Windows licence; I think you’ll need to have your Mac licence details to hand. They are entirely separate programs, so you will have to pay the crossgrade price.
Mark
LOL
This answers either the question posed in the title of the thread, or the completely opposite question posed in the thread itself.
I think I know which one you answered, but a little clarity might be better.
It’s dangerous to ask opposite questions in the title and the text, but then again, we’re all authors in here so a little play with words is always amusing, right?
Yup! :mrgreen:
This so absolute garbage. Every other software I buy gets me the PC and Mac version. Whether it’s recording software, Steam games, whatever, it all works with Mac and PC. To have to buy two licenses is just plain ridiculous. I’m honestly just considering getting a refund and finding better software at this point.
I’m sorry, but that claim is garbage.
Microsoft Office purchases (don’t know about 365) are pc or mac, and no discount if you want you swap machines. The old Adobe CS (don’t know about sub) were mac or win. I could go on with a list as long as your arm, including a number I have licences purchased for each os.
If you aren’t happy with the L&L policy you do have the right to go elsewhere, but that would be accepting second or third best assuming you can find a writing program even close to Scrivener available on both platforms.
There’s an old saying, ‘cutting off nose to spite face.’
While I personally have paid for both versions myself, and overall agree with what your saying. I think his point is still somewhat valid as more software/games/etc do offer one license for either OS rather than not. So I could understand how this would be somewhat frustrating.
So I do think Scrivener should be one license to rule them all. But I also (and likely not a popular opinion) do think they should to charge more for Scrivener too. Just my 2 cents.
It’s not garbage; there is a lot of other software out there that does not do cross-platform licensing. Some of it may be more niche, but it exists.
I will also point out that most of the software I have seen that does do cross-platform licensing doesn’t give you the same liberal “install on multiple systems” licensing that Scrivener does – and the ones that do all cost more than the cost of the pair of Mac + Windows licenses for Scrivener. Now, neither of us have seen all the software that exists so we can’t say exclusively, but given the price, the discount, and the liberal installation rights…it’s still a deal.
I won’t even go into the technical reasons why Scrivener’s licensing is separate per platform, but there are reasons. They aren’t garbage. You may not like them, but that’s your right.
Saying that a single-platform license is “garbage” is effectively arguing that Scrivener should cost twice as much as it does. I’m not sure our single-platform users would enjoy paying double in order to get a second license that they don’t need and won’t use.
Katherine
It seems there should be a way for Scrivener to deactivate the mac license then transfer it. Having to pay twice doesn’t make sense. I could be wrong, I’m not a software developer. But I have a more important issue. What is up with the windows version? I downloaded the free trial and was blown away. It was like I time warped to some Windows 95 horror movie or something. Are you kidding me? The awful blurry text. The UI? It looked so unbelievably dated. Us Mac users don’t know how good we have it I guess. I guess I will have to use Scrivener on my wife’s Mac and run Blender on my PC.
77 percent of the computer market runs a Microsoft OS. Is Scrivener coming out with an updated solution anytime soon? Scrivener kicks ass, but I would have to tell any new potential customers to either weight (which I guess I will do) or find something else. Why have the better version for an OS that only runs on 17 percent of computers?
You are wrong. If Scrivener across all versions was being developed as mostly a single shared code base perhaps your argument would make sense, as all the development effort that went into it would benefit all users. But given the technologies involved, this is not the case with Scrivener’s codebase. The Windows version is a separate codebase. The IOS version is a separate codebase. Hence, why you pay for them separately.
It would be like, having bought a nice mountain bike, now you expect to get a new bike for free by “transferring” the license (e.g. the cost you paid) of the old one. Both have been built and both took labor and materials that need to be paid for.
If you’re arguing for a transferrable license, then you would seem to be arguing for a subscription model…
You can download the Win Scrivener 3 public beta here:
https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/scrivener-3-0-beta-release-candidate-10-download-links-change-list/38228/1
That will probably look quite a bit more like what you’re expecting as a Mac user.
Why is the Mac version ahead of the Windows version? Because the original creator of Scrivener uses a Mac.
Katherine
Because Mac is better in so many ways - including easier to develop with the provided tools. (And Keith uses a Mac)
Grenade thrown, now to duck for cover, 8) 8) 8) 8)
Note: I use both Win and Mac
Puffy Smoke, did you mean to report AStaff’s post, or just reply to it? – Katherine
Is this version being worked on currently? The link is posted in a comment that was made in 2017. If I convert a mac 3 version of my project over to Windows 2, will it open in the beta version?
Ignore the confusing date. They update that post with each new rev of the beta.
No need to convert. Mac 3 Scriv and Win Beta 3 Scriv are compatible formats.
Whoops, no, just meant to reply.
great. Do you know if there will ever be an official release date for windows?