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How to Fix Scrivener Crashing on macOS

· 2 min read
Luke Murray
Luke Murray
Author

If Scrivener crashes or closes immediately after launching on macOS, the issue is often related to incorrect file permissions on the application bundle. This can happen after a macOS update, a failed Scrivener update, or if the application was moved between user accounts.

How to fix it​

  1. Open Terminal (found in Applications > Utilities).

  2. Type the following command and press Enter:

    sudo chmod -R 0755 /Applications/Scrivener.app

  3. Enter your administrator password when prompted.

  4. Try opening Scrivener again.

What this command does​

  • sudo — Runs the command with administrator privileges.
  • chmod -R 0755 — Recursively sets the file permissions so the owner can read, write, and execute, while other users can read and execute. This is the standard permission set for macOS applications.
  • /Applications/Scrivener.app — The path to the Scrivener application bundle.

Other applications​

This fix works for other macOS applications that refuse to launch due to permission issues. Simply replace /Applications/Scrivener.app with the path to the affected application.

If the problem persists​

  • Try deleting Scrivener's preferences by removing the file at ~/Library/Preferences/com.literatureandlatte.scrivener*.plist and relaunching.
  • Reinstall Scrivener by downloading a fresh copy from the Literature and Latte website.
  • Check the Console app (Applications > Utilities > Console) for crash logs that may provide more detail about the failure.