Scrivener 3 for Windows First Impressions: It’s About Time! 🍻

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Will you be picking up Scrivener 3 for Windows?

[@NickSklias]

As a windows user, this is pretty exciting. I'm definitely picking it up!

[@Iwasonceanonionwithnolayers]

Ofc! I know they were all working hard, I just wish they'd have stopped saying "it's coming, it's coming". Now that it's here, I'm ready to finally get some real utility out of this software

[@luisaah5707]

Thanks Michael for all the great content. You helped me so much during lockdown to keep believing in myself and working on my novel although I am in the painful middle.

[@milliam11]

Yes. I got the upgrade and love it better than the first one I had.

[@CraigAPriceJr]

Already grabbed it! 49% discount since I have a Scrivener 1 license. I can now open my Scrivener projects from Mac on windows now! Yes!

[@nicolasstag]

Honestly of all the writing KZbinrs out there you're my favorite. You don't fill your videos with a ton of digressive tangents (which is something every other writing KZbinr that I have found does). You share some subjective opinions, yes, but you're to-the-point and don't fill your videos with so much bullshit that it's impossible to get any concise information out of them. You deserve more than 30k subscribers! I hope the algorithm picks up on you soon.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Thank you very much. :)

[@luisaah5707]

Agree =). Michael is my favorite writing KZbinr because of his presence. I can tell he listens to the audience and really thinks about what could benefit us all for our writing life. The monthly life writing power hours are so much fun. There 2 other youtubers I like I think is Abbie Emmons and Alexa Done. They are also consice.

[@gainesdominique]

Agreed.

[@robertsutherland4629]

Completely agree also. I've tried watching other KZbinrs on writing tips and tools like Scrivener and they all seem to prattle endlessly. You're clear, concise and accurate. Now to look for some tutorials for this thing. The built in one kind of stinks.

[@Jonas_Fox]

I've had Scrivener 3 for Windows for years and finally it's done. I hope you do a whole masterclass on it because the support for Scrivener, even in the KZbin world is scarce pickins. Thanks for all you do!

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Oooh, awesome idea on the masterclass!!

[@Avionne_Parris]

Upgrading from Scrivener 1 to Scrivener 3 as we speak! Thanks Michael!

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Enjoy!

[@taylordiamond]

I just bought it, that's why I'm here. It's working VERY well for me so far. It's really helped me organize my story from a jumbled mess to a fleshed out book and it's only the first day of writing with it. I really feel like it would have taken me AGES longer to get to where I am already if I had just stuck with a basic word processor. I really like it!

[@AuthorLevelUp]

That’s awesome. Glad it’s going well for you!

[@LANLPseminars]

LOVE YOUR TEACHING STYLE!!!

[@BanCorporateGreed62]

Awesome thank you! I had the original version of scrivener for windows and up graded to the new version a month or two ago. I'm experiencing that original learning curve issue, so finding your channel today is perfect!

[@radiogirlnyc]

Thank you so much for this video and review. I didn't even know this update was available! Immediately downloaded and am very impressed. This will make finishing my novel so much easier. Love your videos!

[@Claire18Hi]

FINALLY! Thank you so much for every video you have that's windows focused!

[@thomaswakefield3352]

I got scrivener with the free upgrade, after first finding your channel about a year ago, and I wouldn't have known they'd finished 3 if I hadn't seen your recent stuff. As a anti-subscription guy I'm thankful that Scrivener has finally got there and to you for covering it.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

I agree. Scrivener is still an amazing value and I’m glad they haven’t gone down the subscription route yet.

[@beautifulbadassery]

Thanks for the tips and review! You may have found it already but after searching, I found that the 'linguistics focus' tool is called 'dialogue focus' in windows. Thanks for introducing me to this. I didn't know it was going to be such a handy tool! 🙂

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Yes, I believe it started as Linguistic focus but due to backlash they renamed it since it wasn’t truly the same as the Mac version.

[@beautifulbadassery]

@@AuthorLevelUp ahh that explains it! I was curious as to why it was named differently.

[@luisaah5707]

Hey =) I have used the old scrivener for windows and it was still better then using word. I am so happy to move on to the new version! Finally in can compile my work and print it.

[@keeganmaddock9411]

It's been 2 years since this came out, incase people are looking here it's "Dialogue Focus" for the Windows version. Same help locations.

[@nightsworer]

I've gotten Scrivener 3 for my windows pc. I'll check out your Scrivener 3 videos to learn how to use it :D

[@Drademdar]

I have the older version of Scrivener, but I haven't been using that program since March 2017. Since then, I've been trying out several other dedicated writing software, but none of them came close to Scrivener except for one (and the developer of that failed to help me solve a simple issue, so I dropped it). Today, I've been using Microsoft Words for a long while now and are happy with the setup I have there. But I'll watch your future videos on Scrivener 3 and see if it's worth going back or if I shall continue to stick with Words.

[@stingraysandwich]

it’s finally here after over 3 years :O luckily i got it for free because i had an old windows license :D

[@joslyncarter4813]

Sure hope it saves as epub3. Programs that save as fixed layout epub are so hard to find.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

It should. I’ll be testing in my full review.

[@joslyncarter4813]

@@AuthorLevelUp Awesome!😎

[@neopagan1976]

I love this version of Scrivner. It seems so much more user friendly to me. It was far easier for me to understand and use for my science fiction novel writing.

[@markm8188]

I feel like a man who just finished crawling across the desert. So long a wait!

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Well said!

[@12thDecember]

With a mirage of a fully-featured Windows version taunting you every year. 😄

[@cheryldahl9192]

Oh wow, I didn't even know it was out until now, 2023! I wonder if they will still honor my free upgrade lol

[@PorschaWrites]

I've been a Scrivener user for Windows for some time, I've been impressed with 3 and find myself having to use other software less to do things that were difficult or not available in version 1. I bought the new version the day it was released because FINALLY, we have something on par with Mac. I look forward to your reviews as you use the Windows version.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

So far I like it. The biggest failing so far? Now it needs an Android companion.

[@QueenAleenaFan]

Scrivener getting updated on windows is just wonderful.

[@SuperBenJacob]

Scrivener 3 for windows crashes (hangs) on startup. Many have reported this problem. Do you have a solution for it?

[@patrynaswritings7617]

Thanks a lot I will check this out soon. I am a new subscriber on Windows

[@TheRealMrWolf]

Nicely written and concise video. Subbed!

[@wretchelttv]

I've never been a Scrivener user because it felt so clunky and confusing. Nothing was intuitive. Maybe now I have a reason to try it out. I always trust your opinions.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Any questions let me know!

[@wretchelttv]

@@AuthorLevelUp I appreciate it!

[@12thDecember]

"We finally have a version of Scrivener that matches the Mac version." Well, hallelujah, thank you Jeebus. I actually had to buy a MacBook back in 2017 for the sole purpose of having a fully-featured version of Scrivener, because the PC version fell short. And now that I have a new Windows 10 computer, it's good to know that I can sync between Mac and PC and not worry about those missing features. I love your enthusiasm. Subscribed! Edit to add: I didn't know about Linguistic Focus. Just tried it on my Mac, Scrivener version 3.2.2. Despite having quotation marks just like yours, it doesn't find them with Direct Speech. It does find adjectives and pronouns (with occasional screw-ups like identifying "when" as a pronoun). I write a _lot_ of dialogue in my novels, so it's disappointing to learn of a new feature that doesn't work as it should.

[@RolandDenzel]

It looks better than v1, but the composition mode is worse in v3. For instance, the little floating box for words per session is no longer hidden by composition mode.

[@RolandDenzel]

Sometimes it takes a while to exit composition mode, too.

[@emorocks91]

Just wanted to let you know that I was one of the Scrivener 3 Beta testers and I use it on Windows quite a bit (me and my partner just got the package for both os) and I'm surprised that you had problems with the composition mode. Within the composition mode there's a bottom bar and at the bottom right side with a slider to block things out more or less.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Yep, that slider is where things went wrong for me. Not sure if it was because I use Parallels. I’ll test it more thoroughly before I do my full review.

[@emorocks91]

@@AuthorLevelUp Happy to help. I will say that I did have Scrivener 3 crash once in composition mode within an hour or so after updating it on my desktop, but never did it again, after a computer restart (at least so far), which makes me think something didn’t install fully at the time. But between my partner and I, we’ve been testing the windows version on two desktops and two laptops and none of the other machines have crashed at all.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Good to know.

[@KungfuFreerunning]

Great video, thank you

[@jordendarrett1725]

Love it, can't wait for the full review

[@Stoffel.D]

I use Scrivener 3 on Mac. This is a good video :)

[@MisterDivineAdVenture]

Got an emergency - I can't read the screen - the default fonts are too small and too light. I used /File/Options to change that and the interactive tutorial hasn't changed. Looking for a way to just magnify or enlarge the fonts like the usual ^UP - doesn't work. ANYBODY?

[@AdamCollings]

Thanks for your thoughts. Shame about the compile feature. I was really hoping Scrivener 3 would be a big improvement in terms of compile, from Scrivener 1. (Especially since Vellum isn't available to us) I'm excited to try Scrivener 3 but I'm also very keen to see what the up-coming Atticus product will be like. That promises to be a competitor to Vellum in regards to formatting. I suspect Scrivener will be the cheaper option, though.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

From what I understand about it, Atticus will also be a Scrivener competitor. I’m following very closely and will do a video on it when it comes out.

[@AdamCollings]

@@AuthorLevelUp Yes, kind of an all-in-one product, which sounds appealing. I'll be very interested in your thoughts on it when the time comes.

[@NickSklias]

Awesome! Great review. Loving your new set up ❤

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Thank you!

[@deeptisrivatsan]

Thank you. This is all very useful.

[@CraigAPriceJr]

I was so looking forward to this! Excited to dive in! (:

[@ladylo-fi6979]

Thanks for the great intro. I know this is only an aesthetic concern, but I'm using Scrivener 3 on trial and cannot get the " cork" background in the corkboard view. It doesn't seem to be an option either, which is kind of a bummer.

[@ThePixeljunker]

Amazing! Knew this would be up soon.

[@LandyVlad_Rides]

IF I have scrivener 1 data etc how do I import that into scrivener 3?

[@TomVega]

I just bought it and could use S3 tutorials for Windows and could use your input on the software. I'm currently looking to see if it has any Citation/Bibliography functions for my non-fiction work. I'm looking forward to your tutorials for S3 Windows.

[@andieluke1366]

Does Scrivener have a track changes feature like in Word doc? Thanks! Found your video really helpful. Subbed!

[@AuthorLevelUp]

No it does not unfortunately.

[@andieluke1366]

@@AuthorLevelUp ah, damn. This is the one thing that held me back from getting Scrivener in the past. I use the track changes a lot to see what and how I edited the docs during review stage. Helps me to compare

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Yep. It’s a dealbreaker for lots of people. Maybe the good people at L&L will see this comment and that will be all they need to develop it! If this is important for you, check out Papyrus Author. Very similar to Scrivener and it has tracked changes that are very very good. You can even import a manuscript and the changes will show up properly.

[@andieluke1366]

@@AuthorLevelUp oh wow, thank you! Will check it out. Would never have known about Papyrus Author if it weren't for you!

[@AuthorLevelUp]

I just discovered it. I’ve been very impressed with it and some in my YT community swear by. They have some very interesting ideas about how they execute a writing app and they’re worth paying attention to.

[@DutchDiederik]

Thanks for this video. I've used Scrivener 1 for years. I had no idea that version 3 was this much of an upgrade. My main problem with version 1 is that it doesn't handle high PPI screens very well. I thought version 3 was mostly a visual update but I'm happy to see there's much more! Does it have a dark mode?

[@arunfernandez1999]

thanks a lot for making this video i just install Scrivener 3 for windows 10

[@essentialapproaches]

still doesn't have emoji and symbols section 😭

[@cjpreach]

Michael - in your older video on Scrivener 3.0 for Mac, you showed a feature that isolates individual characters' dialogue. Is that feature on Scriv 3.0 for Windows?

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Yep it’s Linguistic focus. It’s available but it only has support for dialogue right now.

[@elbib908]

One of the things I was looking forward to is Linguistic Focus. I’m disappointed that it only has Direct Speech. Like you, I’m hoping that changes in the future. Other than that, love Scrivener. Thanks!

[@orlandofurioso7958]

Is there a good HARDCOPY "how to" manual for Scrivener 3.0 for Windows that you may recommend? I detest PDF tutorials and hate printing them too.

[@wedgiednerd]

Hi Michael. I accidentally started writing my first novel this January. Once it was over 100 pages, I noticed my Word file was getting unwieldy. Then I just happened to see a video of yours about Scrivener and I immediately bought it. That was probably early February. I have Windows. I love Scrivener. It's been amazing! Now I have my first novel written (but not edited). And just saw this new video. I'm not good with technology, so is this better version of Scrivener for Windows a free update? Or do I have to pay another $50 to get this? And do I need to go back to Literature and Latte again to re-download? Anyway, thanks for all the help! I like your channel!

[@AuthorLevelUp]

If you bought Scrivener Windows after a certain date, then the upgrade is free. If you bought it before, then you get a 50% discount.

[@dookyshoes2684]

Thanks for the video! I've been concerned about the spell checker. Are you aware of any issues with this?

[@Iwasonceanonionwithnolayers]

Finally

[@GailBecker-MSED-CM-Author]

Anything great is not made quickly, it takes time to perfect it.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

Agree up to a point.

[@SherbertLomon]

Now if they’d just update iOS version on iPad...

[@maximendobjv614]

If only I can remember my License key

[@kathyf3656]

No, I can't use Scrivener for Windows 3. I purchased it, installed it, and within minutes, I was asking for a refund. My problem? It didn't play nice with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Because of physical limitations with both hands, and possibly another reconstructive surgery in the near future, I have to use dictation software. It worked okay with the Windows 1 version, but not with the Windows 3. When I dictated, Scrivener doubled the first letter for the first word in each sentence and for any word I verbally corrected. And if I said "period," I would sometimes get one period, other times, I would get two. It was random and frustrating. I can't say if the problem was from Scrivener or from Dragon, but in the end, it doesn't matter, since dictation creates errors I have to go back repeatedly and fix. I knew it would take a lot of time to manually fix the constant problems, so whatever advances are in the Windows 3 version, they aren't worth the hassle.....IN MY SITUATION. I'm sure others will have a better experience. I was delighted, however at the company's response. Within hours, I got an email telling me the refund had been processed and gave me the link to download the legacy version of Scrivener Windows 1. I am very impressed with their customer service.

[@josrozendaal5466]

Multiple projects with tabs. Yes v3 Mac, no v3 Windows. That’s a disappointment.

[@tallymcdonnells5453]

I hate to say it but - no - in the looks department Scrivener 1 looks better. Scriv 3 has lost its character and looks like just another windows app. The buttons are dinky and hard to identify. It has Styles and that's about it.

[@AuthorLevelUp]

I appreciate your viewpoint on this. Opinions seem to be 50/50 on the appearance.

[@docsekzi8968]

I have been waiting for this exact video!!!!!! Yayyyyyyyyyy!