The Only 5 Compile Settings You Actually Need

You finished your manuscript. You click File > Compile. A window opens with tabs, columns, checkboxes, dropdown menus, and terminology you've never seen before. Section types. Section layouts. Separators. Format overrides. You spend two hours clicking things, and your output still looks wrong.

This is the number one complaint about Scrivener. The writing environment is excellent. The compile feature makes people want to throw their laptops out windows.

The good news: you don't need most of those settings. Five options control nearly everything about your compiled output. Learn those five, and you can produce clean manuscripts for agents, properly formatted ebooks, and print-ready PDFs without ever touching the advanced options.

The Mental Model: Section Types + Section Layouts

Before touching the compile window, you need to understand how Scrivener thinks about formatting. The software separates what something is from how it looks.

Section types describe what something is. A folder in your binder might be a "Chapter" or a "Part." A document might be a "Scene" or a "Heading." Scrivener assigns these automatically based on your project structure, but you can override them.

Section layouts describe how things look in the final output. A section layout might add "Chapter One" as a heading, start on a new page, use a specific font, or suppress the title entirely. Multiple layouts exist for each output format.

The compile process matches section types to section layouts. When you tell Scrivener "all items with section type 'Chapter' should use the 'Chapter Heading' layout," every chapter folder in your manuscript gets formatted the same way automatically.

This separation is why compile confuses people. In Word, you format directly: select text, make it bold. In Scrivener, you label things by type, then assign appearances to those types. The payoff is that you can change how every chapter heading looks by changing one setting instead of reformatting each one manually.

Setting 1: The Output Format

Open File > Compile. At the top of the window, you'll see "Compile for:" with a dropdown menu. This is your first and most consequential choice.

For submitting to agents or editors: Microsoft Word (.docx). This produces a standard manuscript format that anyone can open and comment on.

For ebooks: ePub. Amazon now accepts ePub directly, so you don't need the old .mobi format. One ePub file works for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and other platforms.

For print-on-demand: PDF. This preserves exact formatting, margins, and page breaks.

For sharing with beta readers: PDF again. It looks the same on every device and prevents accidental edits.

Choose your output format before adjusting anything else. Different formats have different section layouts available, and switching formats resets some of your choices.

Setting 2: The Compile Format (Your Template)

On the left side of the compile window, you'll see a list of formats: Manuscript (Times), Manuscript (Courier), Paperback, Ebook, and others. These are templates that bundle dozens of settings into one choice.

For agent submissions, use Manuscript (Times) or Manuscript (Courier). These produce industry-standard formatting: double-spaced, one-inch margins, headers with your name and title.

For ebooks, use Ebook. This produces clean HTML with proper chapter breaks and a working table of contents.

For print, use Paperback (for 5"x8" or 5.5"x8.5") or 6"x9" Paperback for larger formats.

Start with these built-in formats. They work for 90% of projects without modification. You can create custom formats later, but resist the urge until you understand what the defaults do.

Setting 3: Section Type Assignments

In the middle column of the compile window, you'll see your manuscript structure. Each folder and document shows its section type in gray text.

Scrivener assigns section types automatically based on your binder structure. Top-level folders become "Chapter" types. Documents inside folders become "Scene" types. This automatic assignment is usually correct for novels.

If a section type is wrong, click on the item and use the dropdown to change it. For example, if you have a prologue that Scrivener labeled as "Chapter," you might change it to "Heading" so it doesn't get numbered.

For most novel manuscripts, you need three section types:

• Chapter for your chapter folders
• Scene for documents containing story text
• Heading for front matter, back matter, and titled sections that shouldn't be numbered

Don't overcomplicate this. If your novel has chapters containing scenes, Scrivener's automatic assignments are probably correct already.

Setting 4: Section Layout Assignments

This is where people get lost. Click the "Assign Section Layouts" button at the bottom of the middle column. A new window opens showing your section types on the left and available layouts on the right.

For each section type, you're choosing how it appears in the compiled output. Click "Chapter" on the left, then look at the layout options on the right. You'll see previews showing what each layout produces: some add "Chapter One" headings, some use only numbers, some show the folder title, some show nothing.

For standard novel formatting:

• Chapter section type: Choose a layout that shows "Chapter" plus the number (e.g., "Chapter One" or "Chapter 1")
• Scene section type: Choose "Section Text" or similar, which shows the document text without any heading
• Heading section type: Choose a layout that shows the document title without a number

Click a layout to select it, then click OK. The preview on the right side of the main compile window updates to show your choices. Scroll through the preview to verify your chapters look right.

Setting 5: Separators

Separators control what appears between documents when they compile into a single output. Click the gear icon next to your chosen format on the left, then select "Edit Format." Navigate to "Separators" in the sidebar.

For most novels, you want:

• Between sections of the same type (scenes within a chapter): An empty line or scene break marker (like "* * *" centered)
• Before sections of different types (chapter after chapter): A page break

If your scenes run together without breaks, or your chapters don't start on new pages, separator settings are the cause. Check that "Text Separator" is set to "Empty Line" or "Custom" (with your preferred scene break marker), and that chapter-level separators include a page break.

Separators trip up more writers than any other setting. If your output looks wrong, check separators before anything else.

The Compile Workflow

Now that you understand the five settings, here's the process from start to finish:

Step 1: Open File > Compile and choose your output format (Word, ePub, or PDF).

Step 2: Select a compile format from the left sidebar that matches your purpose (Manuscript, Ebook, or Paperback).

Step 3: Check the section types in the middle column. Look for anything Scrivener mislabeled. Fix assignments by clicking and selecting the correct type.

Step 4: Click "Assign Section Layouts" and match each section type to an appropriate layout. Use the preview images to guide your choices.

Step 5: Compile to a test file. Open it and scroll through. If scene breaks or chapter breaks look wrong, return to compile and check your separator settings.

This process takes ten minutes once you understand it. Your first compile will take longer as you learn where everything is. Your tenth compile will take two minutes.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Chapters don't start on new pages. Your chapter section type isn't assigned to a layout with page breaks, or your separator settings don't include page breaks between chapters. Check both.

Chapter headings don't appear. You assigned your chapter folders to a section layout that suppresses titles. Go back to "Assign Section Layouts" and choose one that includes a heading.

Scenes run together without breaks. Your separator setting for same-type sections is set to "Single Return" instead of "Empty Line" or a custom scene break marker.

Formatting looks different than in the editor. Section layouts override your editor formatting. This is intentional. Scrivener keeps your writing environment separate from your output format. If you need specific formatting in the output, modify the section layout, not the editor.

Some documents don't appear in the output. Each document has an "Include in Compile" checkbox in the Inspector. Click the document in your binder, open the Inspector (View > Inspector), and check the Metadata panel. Make sure "Include in Compile" is checked for every document you want in your output.

Font or spacing is wrong. The section layout controls this, not your editor formatting. If you're using a built-in compile format like Manuscript (Times), the layout specifies Times New Roman, double-spaced. If you need different fonts, you'll need to edit the section layout or create a custom compile format.

What You Can Safely Ignore

The compile window has dozens of options we haven't mentioned. Most of them handle edge cases you'll never encounter. Here's what you can skip:

Styles. Unless you're doing complex formatting with callout boxes or block quotes, the default handling is fine.

Replacements. This lets you find-and-replace text during compile. Useful for converting straight quotes to curly quotes, but modern word processors and ebook readers handle this automatically.

Footnotes/Comments. The defaults export footnotes correctly. Only adjust if you have specific requirements from a publisher.

Page Settings. The built-in formats have correct page sizes and margins. Don't touch these unless you're creating a custom print layout for unusual trim sizes.

Transformations. This converts case and straightens quotes. The defaults are sensible.

Learn the five core settings first. Return to advanced options only when you have a specific need they address. Most writers never touch them.

Saving Your Settings

Scrivener doesn't save compile settings automatically when you close the window. This frustrates new users who spend an hour configuring everything, close the window to check something, and lose their work.

To save your settings: click the Compile button at the bottom to generate your output. Your settings are now saved to the project. You can also click the format you created in the left sidebar, and select "Duplicate & Edit Format" to save it for use in other projects.

If you've modified a built-in format and want to keep those changes, duplicate the format first. This creates a personal copy you can modify without affecting the original.

The Scrivener-to-Publication Path

For submitting to agents: Compile to Word using the Manuscript (Times) format. You'll get a properly formatted manuscript with your name, title, word count, and standard margins. Agents expect this format.

For self-publishing ebooks: Compile to ePub using the Ebook format. Upload directly to KDP, Draft2Digital, or other platforms. No additional conversion needed.

For print books: Compile to PDF using the Paperback format that matches your trim size. Upload to KDP Print or IngramSpark. Check the PDF in a reader before uploading to verify margins and page breaks.

You don't need additional formatting software for most books. Scrivener handles manuscripts, ebooks, and basic print layouts. If you want fancier typography for print (drop caps, elaborate chapter headers, decorative elements), tools like Vellum or Atticus offer more options. For standard formatting, Scrivener's output is publication-ready.

The compile feature rewards understanding over experimentation. Random clicking rarely produces good results because options interact in ways that aren't obvious. Learn the five core settings. Use the built-in formats. Your compiles will go from frustrating to routine.