Understanding the Differences between Mac and Windows Versions

Scrivener was originally created for the Mac, but in November 2011, Literature & Latte — the company behind the software — released a much-anticipated version for Windows. At some point, the Windows version is expected to match the capabilities of the Mac version, but at the time of this book’s publication, some features still aren’t available to Windows users.

Take heart, Windows users, because those features will come in time, and the Windows programmers have done a fabulous job of incorporating the most beloved functions of Scrivener. I make note of differences between the two versions whenever I can.

I’m not going to talk about all the functional differences because program updates are frequent and the list would quickly be out of date. The best resource is provided by the Literature & Latte folks at http://literatureandlatte.com/forum . From this page, click Scrivener for Windows; click Technical Support (Windows) on the Scrivener for Windows page that appears; and on the Technical Support (Windows) page that appears, click Differences between the Mac and Windows Versions.

Although the programmers strive to put menu commands in the same location on both versions, there will always be some disparity because Windows and Mac each have their own rules and standards. For example, Mac software always has a program menu — in this case, the Scrivener menu — whereas Windows doesn’t.

Mac also has a standard menu called Window. Its commands can often be found in the Tools menu on the Windows version. Table 1-1 provides a list of commands that have different locations in the Mac and Windows versions and where to find those commands.

Table 1-1 Menu Locations of Scrivener Commands