I just accidentally hit a button and it replaced my Synopsis paragraph with one letter. I tried CTRL+Z and even went to Edit > Undo but it was grayed out. What am I missing?
Welcome to the Scrivener forum.
Iâm guessing you are using Windows and that both Windows and Scrivener versions are mostly up to date. I did a Google search on âwindows undo not workingâ and the first hit (Google presents something AI-driven) and a number of suggestions on what might be wrong is presented. Take a look.
P.S. Cmd-Z works here in the synopsis inspector window on macOS.
P.P.S. Probably Windows system related issue, not Scrivener. But that a hunch.
I appreciate the advice. Ctrl + Z works everywhere else, including here as I type this. Thatâs what made me think it was Scrivener-specific. That, and the fact that it was grayed out in the menu. I downloaded Scrivener just yesterday, for reference.
If using Windows, any software, e.g. virus checkers or other, interfering?
I donât recall this issue being noted her on this forum, but ⊠brain fog may prevent me remembering.
I just tested Ctrl + Z in various spots in Scrivener. It seems to only work while the cursor is still active inside of the text. I was in corkboard view when I accidentally pressed a button and clicked my mouse at the same time - it turned my paragraph into one letter and then clicked out of the synopsis box. At that point, the undo option didnât work.
Iâm used to Notion where you can undo pretty much every action, not just text, so maybe Iâm making a mistake by assuming Scrivener would do the same.
That is the way it is supposed to work. There are so many areas in Scrivener where the focus could be Editor, Synopsis, Notes, Snapshot, Split Screen. Place the cursor inside the synopsis and it should work. did on my windows machine and did fine. But must be inside the part of Scrivener where this error occured to reverse using undo.
If grayed out your cursor may be in a blank portion of the program, if you clicked into notes but nothing is there for example, undo with be grayed out/not work.
Maybe I need to be more specific - the Synopsis said âParagraph.â In corkboard mode, I highlighted the text, accidentally pressed a letter, and clicked out of the box. Now, it only says âLâ. From there, I hit Ctrl + Z and nothing worked. I clicked back into the Synopsis box and tried again, and nothing changed. It seems as if clicking out of the text resets the âhistoryâ of what you typed.
Youâre right, Ctrl + Z does work if I stay inside of the Synopsis box without clicking out of it. It also works if I move in and out of the Synopsis box in the normal writing mode. But this happened in the Corkboard view.
If you donât close the app, Ctrl+Z (Undo) works even if youâre in the Editor and move to another document in the Editor and come back to the original and press Ctrl+Z.
However, the same experience is not available if you move from one Synopsis item to another and come back to the first.
What youâre in effect doing in your video looks like youâre moving from the Synopsis to the Corkboard and back. While the one is a reflection of the other, theyâre still different elements.
Yes, I clicked out of the Synopsis window and then clicked around in multiple spots to try to get the Undo command to work. Itâs starting to sound like thatâs just how the program is? I just wanted to make sure I wasnât missing something obvious.
Yes, Iâm afraid at the moment thatâs just how it is, but we would certainly prefer to have the undo still possible after clicking out of the card while youâre still on the corkboard. Itâs on the list to investigate and try to improve. ![]()
No worries, just glad to have an answer. Love this, thank you!
If recovering that paragraph is essential, you might check a backup.