How to Do a Page Break in Scrivener?

Scrivener provides two primary methods for inserting page breaks: automatically during the compilation process for major sections and manually within a document for specific formatting needs. Understanding both ensures your compiled project looks exactly as intended.

Setting Up Automatic Page Breaks in Scrivener's Compile

For new chapters, major sections, or parts of your manuscript, Scrivener's powerful compile feature allows you to automatically insert page breaks between your project documents (e.g., individual chapter files). This is the most common and efficient way to manage structural page breaks.

Steps to Configure Automatic Page Breaks:

Open the Compile Window: Navigate to File > Compile... from the Scrivener menu.
Select Your Format: In the left sidebar, choose the compile format that best suits your output (e.g., "Print," "PDF," "Ebook").
Access Layout Settings: Click on the Layout tab in the Compile window. This section controls how different document types are presented.
Identify Content Break Layouts: In the left list under the Layouts section, select the specific layout that represents your major content breaks, such as "Chapter," "Part," or any custom layout you've defined for your main document structure.
Change Separator Settings: For the selected layout, locate both the Separator before sections and Separator between sections settings. Change these from their default (often "Single Return" or "No Separator") to "Page Break". This tells Scrivener to insert a page break before and between documents using this layout during compilation.
Save Your Changes: Click Save (or OK/Compile if you're ready to generate the output) to apply these settings to your chosen compile format.

By setting these separators to "Page Break," every document or folder assigned this layout will automatically begin on a new page in your final compiled output, such as a PDF or printed manuscript.

Inserting Manual Page Breaks Within Your Scrivener Text

Sometimes you need a page break within a single Scrivener document, for example, after a title page, dedication, or to force a new page for a specific scene transition within a longer chapter file. For these instances, Scrivener allows you to insert a manual page break directly into your text.

Steps to Insert a Manual Page Break:

Position Your Cursor: Place your text cursor exactly where you want the page break to occur in the Scrivener editor.
Access the Insert Menu: Go to Format > Insert from the Scrivener menu bar.
Select Page Break: Choose Page Break from the submenu.
Use a Keyboard Shortcut: For quicker insertion, you can often use a keyboard shortcut:
- On Windows: Ctrl + Return (or Ctrl + Enter)
- On macOS: Cmd + Return (or Cmd + Enter)

Once inserted, a manual page break typically appears as a dotted line or a visual marker in the Scrivener editor, indicating where the break will occur in your compiled output.

Choosing the Right Page Break Method

Selecting the appropriate method depends on the structural needs of your writing:

Automatic Page Breaks (Compile Settings) Are Ideal For:

New Chapters: Ensuring each chapter starts on its own page.
Major Sections: Separating large parts of a book (e.g., Part One, Part Two).
Front Matter/Back Matter: Placing title pages, dedication, acknowledgments, or index on separate pages.

Manual Page Breaks Are Best For:

Internal Document Formatting: Forcing a new page for an internal title, a block quote, or a scene break within a single, long chapter document.
Specific Layout Needs: When you need precise control over a page break that isn't tied to a document's overall structure in the Binder.

Quick Reference: Page Break Methods in Scrivener

Method	Purpose	How to Do It	Appearance in Editor	Effect in Compile
Automatic	Between major structural sections/documents	`File > Compile... > Layout tab > Separators` set to "Page Break"	None (structural)	Forces a new page for each document/section
Manual	Within a single document (specific point in text)	`Format > Insert > Page Break` (or `Ctrl/Cmd + Return`)	Dotted line/Marker	Forces a new page at the cursor's position

By utilizing both Scrivener's compile settings and manual insertion options, you gain complete control over how page breaks are handled, ensuring a professional and polished final manuscript. For further details and advanced formatting options, always refer to the official Scrivener manual or community forums.