Questions about upgrading to Scrivener 3

Scrivener Scrivener for macOS
1

I am running Scrivener 2.8.1.2 on my MacBook Pro. I would like to upgrade to Scrivener 3, but I do not want to lose any of my Scrivener 2.8 projects.

  1. What would be the easiest way to do that?
  2. Can Scrivener 3 open projects created in Scrivener 2.8?

Thanks,
Howard

2

Hi there,

this is just my personal experience, but:

1 - you’re not going to lose your v2 projects. Scriv3 converts the v2 document when opening it and leaves a v2 copy in the same directory.

2 - Scriv3 can open any v2 project, it will convert it into a v3 document.

3 - From within Scriv3, you can always export as Scriv2 document.

4- You can still keep your Copy of Scriv 2.8 and you can work with both versions side by side, if you want to.

From my experience, you’re totally safe. No work is lost, it’s a very smooth transition and Scriv3 is well worth every penny.

Best,

J.

3

The simplest answer is:

  1. Just install Version 3 as you would any program.
  2. You won’t lose any of your old projects.

Slightly more detailed version…

The cleanest way is simply to drag the V2 program file to the trash, then install the new version [1]. This will not affect your projects because they are completely separated from the program files.

The first time you open a Version 2 project in Scrivener 3 it will convert it to the new format — but it makes a backup copy in the old format at the same time. Once you’ve converted a project to V3, it can’t be opened directly in V2 as the format is not backward compatible — but you can use File > Save As > Scrivener V2 format.

[1] You may want to keep a copy of the Version 2 program around as well – the only reasons why it is worth doing this is if you’re collaborating with somebody who doesn’t have version 3, or if you use both the Mac and Windows versions.

The simplest way to run both versions at once is first to go to your Applications folder in Finder and rename Scrivener to Scrivener 2, then install version 3. They use different preference files, so this doesn’t cause a problem.

A final note:

Even if you are an experienced Version 2 user (in fact especially if you are an experience Version 2 user), you will get a lot of benefit if you take half an hour to look at the Interactive Tutorial (on the Help Menu). Some of the concepts in Version 3 are quite different — they’re more powerful and they’re more flexible, but they are different — particularly Styles, Bookmarks and most of all Compilation. The Tutorial has a collection ‘What’s new in Version 3’ which gives you an overview of these new / altered concepts. To get the benefits of Version 3, it’s really worth giving this collection a quick skim through.

Hope this helps.

4

To Brookter’s excellent advice I will add that if you’re an experienced v2 user, L&L have provided an update guide to supplement the tutorial. You can download it at

https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener-3-update-guide

I found it especially helpful in understanding the new compile system.

5

If I want to continue using Scrivener 2 after I install Scrivener 3, do I have to upgrade Scrivener 2 to version 2.9?
Howard

6

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Maybe. There’s a conflict between the activation frameworks used by Scrivener 3 (and 2.9) and the frameworks used by Scrivener 2.8.1. This can cause both versions to insist on activating whenever you switch versions. It’s harmless, but annoying, and can be fixed by using Scrivener 2.9.

On the other hand, you should be using Scrivener 2.8.1 anyway on any system that will run Scrivener 3, and Scrivener 2.9 is functionally identical to 2.8.1, so why not?

Katherine

7

Katherine,
I’m a bit confused by “you should be using Scrivener 2.8.1 anyway on any system that will run Scrivener 3.” Why is that?
I have the trial version of Scrivener 3 on my system. Before I activate it, should I first install Scrivener 2.9? (Where can I find it?)
Thanks,
Howard

8

If you are going to use Scrivener 2. then Scrivener 2.8.1 (or 2.9) is the version that is the most compatible with the operating system versions that support Scrivener 3.

If you are going to use Scrivener 3 exclusively then no, there is no need to have any version of Scrivener 2 installed.

Order of installation doesn’t matter. Scrivener 2.9 can be downloaded here: literatureandlatte.com/legacy-download

Katherine

9

Thank you, everyone, for your very helpful replies.
Following Brookter’s advice, in my Applications folder in Finder I renamed Scrivener to Scrivener 2. Then, I installed version 3, registered it, and have begun using it on a new project that I began in 3’s trial version.
Howard