I am having difficulty (for the first time ever) with Saving As… When I try to Save As… an error message is returned: Scrivener does not allow saving to a project’s .scriv folder. I am trying to save the file in the folder I made called Scrivener where I have saved all the other .scriv folders. I’ve tried Save As… in other locations and receive the same error message no matter where I try. Thus, I am unable to give a new version name to an ongoing project.
Additionally, I am unable to save a backup file, despite having set the backup file destination in Settings.
The only thing I can think of that could be related to this problem is that I have recently reorganized my files in OneDrive. They all seem to have synchronized correctly.
That error message you’re seeing in Scrivener is telling you that the system has detected the folder you’re trying to save into is already an existing .scriv project folder.
For your Scrivener folder where you’re saving all your projects, does that folder have .scriv as the end of the folder’s name? Or, does that folder have a .scrivx file loose inside it?
Either of those could be the cause of the issue you’ve encountered.
A Scrivener project is actually a folder, with sub-folders and potentially hundreds of component files. The .scrivx file is the master index used to build the Binder.
For the backup folder, where are you having the backups saved? Is it the same folder where your live, working projects are stored? Or, is it a different folder?
The filename I am using is unique. There is no other file or folder by that name on my computer. If I try to save as… to a different folder the same error message crops up. There are no .scrivx files visible either.
Re backup: If I close the project, it returns “Cannot create project backup.” followed by: Temporary copy destination: “C:\Users\mcolv\AppData\Local\Temp\2A077EFA-D90C-4F19-BBD5-1D2B22A44C25\LQ - 2.082623.scriv”
Clicking OK returns:
“Project backup failed.
Scrivener is set to back up on project close but the backup could not be created. This could be because the backup location is inaccessible or there is insufficient space. Automatic backup preferences can be adjusted in Options or Project Settings.”
Clicking Continue closes the project.
Backup under both Options and Project Settings is set for: C:/Users/mcolv/OneDrive/Michael/Writing/Novels/The Scots Chronicles/Book 1 Lailoken’s Quest/Backups
Trying manual backup to my desktop causes Scrivener to lock up.
I have over 150GB unused on the local drive, and almost 1 TB on OneDrive.
I am not getting involved with the rest, but that part you can do by hand.
Close Scrivener.
Go to your project’s folder in File Explorer.
Copy the project’s master folder and paste it somewhere else on your computer. (Or next to the original if you want, the OS should then suffix the name with " – copy".)
Rename the new version’s parent folder.
Open that folder, double click the .scrivx file in it.
Scrivener will launch, that .scrivx file will rename itself.
You now have two versions of your project, one with the new name.
(And there is nothing preventing you from simply renaming the original directly, this way but without first cloning it, if you want. – Note that if you have links leading to material that you placed inside the project’s folder, this I believe won’t then do.)
P.S. To otherwise allow myself an opinion : if your main location for your projects is within One Drive’s reach, 95% certain it is the source of your current torment.
Agree 100% with Vincent. I always keep my project folder out of any cloud backup folders. However, all my zip backups are on the cloud folders. Place your project folder on your C drive or any other non cloud drive and separate from where you backup your zipped saves.
We’re seeing a lot more issues with cloud-syncing services causing errors on saving and backing up if the cloud server uses an “online-only” or “storage-optimized” setting like that “Files on Demand” default for OneDrive.