How to Recover Lost Work in Scrivener

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Check the document first

   Copy steps
   1. Look in the binder Trash and use Project Search for a phrase from the missing text
   2. Check Snapshots for the document (Documents > Snapshots) if you took any
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Restore from Scrivener's automatic backups

   Copy steps
   1. Mac: Scrivener > Settings > Backup; Windows: File > Options > Backup
   2. Click Open backup folder
   3. Copy the newest relevant ZIP files to your Desktop - don't open them inside the backup folder
   4. Extract the ZIP and open the project; if the text isn't there, try the next most recent
   5. When you find a good copy, archive the damaged project and use the backup as your live project
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Use system backups

   Copy steps
   1. Mac: browse Time Machine for the .scriv project; Windows: right-click the folder > Restore previous versions (File History)
   2. Check your Dropbox/OneDrive version history for the project files
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Avoid losing work again

   Copy steps
   1. In the Backup pane, raise the number of backups kept and enable backups on open as well as close
   2. Keep the live project on a local drive and send backups to a cloud folder
   3. Contact Literature & Latte support if no backup contains your work
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

A chapter is empty or missing, the project vanished, or text reverted to an older version after a crash, power cut or sync.

Why it happens

• Crash or power loss during a long open session
• Sync service overwriting or emptying files
• Project deleted or moved
• Old backups rotated out (Scrivener keeps a limited number)

This guide also covers

• scrivener lost work
• scrivener recover backup
• scrivener deleted my work
• scrivener restore backup

The same problem in other apps

All missing or lost data guides →

• Ulysses Sheets Disappeared or Missing (Ulysses)
• Obsidian Images Not Showing in Notes (Obsidian)
• Notion 'Cannot Save Changes' Error (Notion)
• iA Writer Files Not Showing in Library (iA Writer)

Other Scrivener errors

• Scrivener Won't Open or Not Responding
• Scrivener Project Already Open Error
• Scrivener Compile Missing Text or Chapters
• Why Is Scrivener So Slow? Typing Lag & Laggy Scrolling
• Scrivener iOS Not Syncing With Dropbox
• Scrivener Sync Conflicts Detected
• Scrivener Project Corrupted in OneDrive or iCloud
• Scrivener Blurry Text on Windows (High DPI Scaling)