Scrivener 3.5.2 — macOS

You're halfway through a novel, with notes scattered across a dozen files, a folder of research PDFs, and a voice memo from an interview. Scrivener 3.5 keeps all of that in one place — it's a word processor and project management tool built for large writing projects.

Bug fixes and the same Research folder structure

Scrivener 3.5 is a bug-fix release. It doesn't add flashy features; it polishes what's already there. The Research folder still stores text notes, PDF files, audio, and images, so your source material sits right beside your manuscript. Automatic saving means you don't have to remember to hit Command-S. Snapshots let you keep multiple versions of a note or selected fragments, which is handy when you want to try a rewrite without losing the original.

Corkboard, outliner, and split-screen remain unchanged

The core workflow hasn't changed. You still get the corkboard, the outliner, and the split-screen editor that writers have relied on for years. Scrivener 3.5 runs on macOS 10.13 and later, supports both ARM and 64-bit Intel Macs, and is available in English. If you've been using an older version, this update is a safe, straightforward refresh.

Getting started — the first few days

After you've mounted the disk image and dragged Scrivener into Applications, take a moment to set up a practice project before you move your real work in. Open the app, choose "Blank" from the project templates, and give it a name. You'll see the binder on the left and an empty editor on the right. Spend ten minutes creating a few folders and text files — just to get a feel for how the hierarchy works.

One thing I do with any new install is turn on automatic backups. Scrivener saves your work as you go, but backups are separate. Open Scrivener's preferences, go to the Backup section, and pick a location. Set it to back up every time you close a project. This costs nothing and saves headaches later.

If you're moving an existing project from another word processor, import a small test file first — a chapter or an article — rather than the whole thing. That way you can see how Scrivener handles formatting before you commit to a full migration. The Research folder is a good place to drop those test imports, because it's designed for supporting material and keeps it separate from your main text.

A typical workflow from start to finish

Let's say you're writing a research article. Here's one way to work through it in Scrivener:

1. Create a new project using the "Non-Fiction" template. This gives you a Draft folder for your main text and a Research folder ready to hold your sources.
2. Drop your source files into Research. PDFs, web clippings, interview transcripts — drag them straight from Finder into the Research folder in the binder. Each file becomes its own item you can open and read inside Scrivener.
3. Outline your sections. In the Draft folder, create a folder for each major section of your article. Inside those folders, create individual text files for each subsection or idea. The binder shows you the whole structure at a glance.
4. Write in the editor. Click a text file in the binder and start typing. Use the corkboard view if you prefer index cards — each file becomes a card with a title and a short synopsis. Switch between editor and corkboard as you like.
5. Take snapshots before big edits. When you're about to rewrite a paragraph or restructure a section, select the text file and choose Documents > Snapshots > Take Snapshot. If the rewrite doesn't work, you can go back to the snapshot version without losing anything.
6. Compile when you're done. Scrivener's compile feature gathers all your text files from the Draft folder and outputs them as a single document. You can choose the format — plain text, rich text, or whatever your editor needs — and Scrivener handles the page breaks and headers.

This workflow keeps your research and your writing in the same project, so you're not switching between apps or hunting for files.

The mistake of ignoring the binder and typing in the first text file

The most common one is treating Scrivener like a simple word processor and ignoring the binder. People open a project and start typing in the first text file, never creating folders or splitting their work into smaller pieces. That defeats the purpose. The binder is where you organize; use it.

Another mistake is not using snapshots. Automatic saving protects you from losing work, but it doesn't protect you from a bad edit you made an hour ago. Snapshots give you a safety net for each document or fragment. Get in the habit of taking one before any significant change.

Some beginners also forget about the Research folder and leave source files scattered on the desktop. If you drop a PDF or an image into the Research folder, it stays with the project. That matters when you move the project to another Mac or archive it months later.

Lastly, people sometimes try to learn every feature at once. Scrivener has a lot of options — the outliner, the corkboard, labels, status flags, metadata fields — but you don't need all of them on day one. Start with the binder, the editor, and snapshots. Add the rest as you find a reason to use them.

Compatibility with macOS 10.13 and both ARM and Intel Macs

Scrivener 3.5 runs on any Mac with macOS 10.13 or later, whether it's an ARM-based Apple Silicon machine or a 64-bit Intel model. The installer comes as a disk image; you mount it, drag the app to your Applications folder, and you're done. No extra libraries or dependencies to install.

The app is in English only — interface, menus, and help files — so there's no language switching to worry about. It's a single download that handles both architectures, so you don't need to pick a separate version for Intel versus Apple Silicon.

Because it's a bug-fix release, you're getting the same interface and the same feature set as the previous version, just with the known issues cleaned up. If you're coming from an older version of Scrivener, the transition should be straightforward — your existing projects open and work the same way they did before.

• Bug-fix release.

• macOS 10.13 or later
• ARM and 64-bit Intel Macs
• English