Novelcrafter

My formatting isn't kept when pasting text from Scrivener

How to copy text with formatting from Scrivener to Novelcrafter

1 min read Last updated Oct 12, 2025

When you copy text from Scrivener using the standard copy function ( CTRL C or C ), Scrivener does not copy the formatting data that Novelcrafter can read into the clipboard.

Solution

To preserve formatting when copying from Scrivener to Novelcrafter, you need to use Scrivener’s special copy function:

  1. Select the text you want to copy in Scrivener
  2. Go to Edit Copy Special Copy as Markdown
  3. Paste the text into Novelcrafter’s text editor

This will copy your text as markdown, which Novelcrafter can properly interpret to maintain basic formatting like bold and italic.

Why does this happen?

Scrivener uses a proprietary formatting system internally. When you use the regular copy function, it doesn’t translate this formatting into a format that other applications can understand. By using “Copy as Markdown”, Scrivener converts your formatting into markdown syntax, which Novelcrafter fully supports.