I think that is key. As I understand it, it is presently very difficult to manually tell iCloud Drive to do anything. It’s good they are finally adding the ability to be able to fully download (and keep synced) a resource.
I’m still bemused over the whole concept of using the Internet to move 8gb folders around, though—but we’ve already been over that and back again. 
Airdrop could be an alternative, with iCloud Files. I’m going from iPad Air + Macbook Air & iMac, to a combination of iPad Pro and iMac. So I’m checking workflow-wise what are my best options, what works and what doesn’t.
My first post after I found this forum trying to work out how to ditch Dropbox and keep the ONE thing I need it for, which is Scrivener.
Dropbox changing its terms and limiting devices to three doesn’t work for me, or lots of others by the sound of it. I pay for Office 365 and get the MS apps and 1tb of synced data, so why would I pay for Dropbox as well? I love Scrivener to be able to use an alternative method of syncing.
I suspect that, medium term, limiting easy syncing to one platform is a risk for Scrivener,
Go read the (by now) hundreds of other posts on this subject. The simple answer is to many of the rest of us do: use OneDrive to manage the rest of your synced data, including archived Scrivener projects. Use Dropbox to sync only your active Scrivener projects. Limit Dropbox to only the devices you actually use to work on your projects (one PC/mac, one smart phone, one tablet) to stay under the three device limit. That way, you don’t have to pay for Dropbox at all.
But you still need to keep DropBox to sync between Scrivener for Mac/PC and iOS, unless you want to use AirDrop or iTunes File Sharing to manually sync your files instead. Those are your options at this time, as far as L&L have told us, and there is no public roadmap on that changing any time soon (unless Apple actually helps address the shortcoming in iCloud that are preventing KB from adding support for that).
Hello! I’ve been a Scrivener user on and off since the earliest launch of the product. I’ve moved back and forth between Scrivener and Storyist ONLY because syncing Scrivener to Dropbox is such a hassle and has created conflicts that make me so nervous I can’t really stand it. Syncing Storyist via iCloud is seamless and lovely and almost makes up for the lack of Scrivener’s superior design.
I work almost exclusively on my larger iPad Pro these days and am actually AFRAID to open the program on my Mac, or even on one of my other iOS devices, which definitely inhibits my creative flow. I find it very difficult to understand why syncing to iCloud has still not been implemented. I don’t know what it might take to get this issue pushed to top priority, and I hope I can hold on, because I’m about to start a new novel and really want to use Scrivener for all my manuscripts.
I look forward to an announcement that iCloud syncing is ready for Scrivener users at last 
If you read this thread from the start you will learn why it isn’t possible. Hopefully you will then understand that there are technical limitations.
Good luck with Storyist! 
(I dumped Storyist when iOS Scrivener came into existence)
i have read it, actually. More than once. And that is why I wrote. KB said a while back that the matter is being investigated. Did I miss an announcement that iCloud syncing has been abandoned for good? Totally?
I don’t want to go back to Storyist, by the way. I’m still hoping L&L will come through.
Did you miss then that iCloud sync requires that Apple changes the way iCloud currently works, and that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
So it’s Dropbox or Storyist then for you. 
I have used Dropbox for a long time. No problems, ever. But plenty of problems with iCloud. I definitely prefer Dropbox.
If you are so concerned about synchronization conflicts that you are “afraid” to switch devices, you should probably take a closer look at your synchronization habits. (And yes, we’re happy to help you do that.) I’ve been working back and forth between iOS and Mac OS since iOS Scrivener was in beta, and I’ve never lost a syllable. Mine seems to be a much more typical experience than those who report frequent conflicts.
I’d also like to point out that iCloud is not magic, no matter what Apple’s marketing people claim. All of the fundamental causes of synchronization conflicts will continue to exist regardless of the platform used: If you disconnect your device from the internet with unsynchronized changes, there is no power on Earth that will cause those changes to appear on your other devices.
Katherine
Even less magic on Catalina 
And I am not talking .scriv syncing (which I do on Dropbox, obviously), I am talking much simpler syncs. It seems we are back to the early days of iCloud…
BTW, I should add that Dropbox too has syncing issues with Catalina, but they can be easily fixed with pausing and restarting syncing. With iCloud, I have not found yet a fix
I take it you’ve submitted the feedback to Apple/Dropbox on those ‘bugs’.
Any beta will have issues, which is the whole purpose of the program.
Yeah of course. I have been on both MacOS and iOS public beta programs since their beginnings and always submit feedback. This one is particularly annoying though, because I rely on iCloud syncing for Notes, Noteplan, and other little apps. I also rely on it for Keynote and other iWork apps, but at the moment I don’t need to. Funny thing is, under Catalina Google Drive syncing is flawless
Katherine, I respect a lot the work that you and LL do — but I don’t think you’re entirely right on this point. I too stopped using Scrivener midway through my dissertation and switched to Ulysses because the sync conflict implementation is simply too cumbersome. I never lost a syllable, and most of the sync “conflicts” seemed to have been created out of an excess of caution on the app’s part, as it were. But it did get to the point where the first 20-30 minutes of any writing session were spent to undo the damage of having dared to open the app on my iMac between sessions of work on my iPad. When I switched to Ulysses I had none of that. In fact I would often edit my dissertation on my iPad and watch the new text appear on the iMac screen a few moments later.
You are entirely right that iCloud is not magic, of course, but my experience with Dropbox is just one of annoyance. It feels like a poorly integrated early 2000s hack. A while ago I decided to stop using it and gradually eliminated all apps that depended on it from my life. Now as I take on my next big project, I want to return to Scrivener — because it is, indeed, superior to Ulysses in certain respects, most notably having to use Markdown is a gigantic pain. (Incidentally, yes, I do pay Ulysses’ subscription proudly, and even wear their t-shirt sometimes when I teach — I am happy to share my very small wages with the developers that enable my work, and I would encourage Scrivener to switch to a subscription model too). Where were we — I want to return to Scrivener but there is no way that I will return to Dropbox. Thankfully, at present I have stopped using a Mac altogether and have been going iPad-only, so I have no need for syncing — just backups. But I am worried about what will happen in the future: Apple will release a laptop I cannot resist, I will want syncing again, iCloud will still not support Scrivener and viceversa, Dropbox will still suck, and then…? I’ll move to Ulysses again?
I know there is no solution, and I know you guys do what’s best for the app. I just wanted my situation recorded, should the question ever be reassessed. Thanks for your work!
For the long term, Apple appears to be working on making the iOS Files app more capable, which at some point may allow synchronizing on iDevices to work similarly to synchronizing on Macs: a separate operating system service that isn’t really tied to any particular application. That day has not yet arrived, but iOS 13 appears to be a step in that direction.
For the short term, the best alternative to Dropbox continues to be file sharing via iTunes.
Katherine
Apologies if this question has been asked already in this very long thread. I am just starting to use iCloud for my general document syncing— because it turns out that Google Backup and Sync was slowing all my computer activity pretty dramatically, and I figured a built in sync solution would be simpler, less strain on the cpu, etc. I am now in the deep tangle of iCloud settings— could anything be more confusing??
My main question: I use Scrivener on two macs and iOS, so do syncing of all of my active scrivener projects through a Dropbox folder. Why would I want to turn Scrivener ON in the iCloud Drive settings? (In iOS, Settings>iCloud>Apps Using iCloud) I can sync all of my archived Scrivener projects via iCloud Drive without turning Scrivener ON in settings, so what exactly does turning it on do?
Bonus, and slightly off topic, if anybody with more experience could clarify: some apps seem to sync their data seamlessly in the background when you turn them “on” in iCloud. Those seem to be apps that store their documents internally, like Notability. Some apps (iThoughts) that store documents externally, will open iCloud documents even if you don’t turn them on. As above, I’m not really sure what turning them on does. Others (PDF Expert) will not even SEE the “Files/iCloud” folder to open or write to files unless you turn them on. Is there any standard operating procedure? Thank you!
PS Also: I did just read through the entire thread, because I couldn’t resist, and appreciate the loquacious (of course) and thoughtful investigation of a topic that vexes me. Here’s something I don’t get: I, too, was concerned about the three device limit, since I have four, including my phone. But then I discovered, to my joy, that I don’t need the Dropbox App on any iOS device in order to use it— just sign in to my Dropbox account and Scrivener chugs happily away. Since I’m using Dropbox only to sync my few active Scrivener projects, I don’t even WANT the app on my phone. Problem solved, unless your four devices are all computers. Right?
I don’t have an answer to your question but I definitely turned it OFF. It seemed redundant and perhaps even creating troubles.
Could you explain what are the good synchronization habits? I still cannot figure it out. I am not so much concerned about conflicts, but I seem to do something wrong every single time, when I switch between iOS and Mac: forgetting to close Scrivener on Mac before opening on the iPad, forgetting to reset session on the iPad because it does not reset automatically, forgetting to synchronize projects on the ipad before opening Scrivener on Mac. Also, during synchronisation it’s impossible to work (on the iPad even work in another app is impossible, because it stops the process), which is very annoying.
So, what am I doing wrong and what would be these synchronisation habits to develop in the case when someone has to switch between computers several times a day?
First, enable the autoclose option on the Mac. Scrivener -> Preferences -> General -> Automatic Quit.
Second, on the iPad, go to Settings -> Scrivener -> Syncing & Sharing, and enable all the options.
Third, when you finish working on a document on the iPad, tap the gear icon below the Binder, and choose the option to Sync Now.
The autoclose option should reduce the number of times you come back to the Mac and find Scrivener wasn’t closed. But if you do, use the File -> Sync -> With Mobile Devices option to incorporate any mobile changes.
Those options should take care of the large majority of “risky” sync situations.
Katherine
Rule no. 1:
Slow down…
Give the Mac time to really upload any changes to the Dropbox server, and close the project before leaving the Mac.
On the iPad, back out of the project to the view where you see all projects, tap sync and wait until it’s finished, before leaving iOS Scrivener or your iPad.
Back at the Mac, give the Dropbox app time to download any changes from the Dropbox server before you open the project.
Upload and download aren’t instant processes. They take time, so slow down and you’lö be fine.
kewms:
lunk: unfortunately “slowing down” does not help at all – it is the question of planning (will I write on the iPad in 30 minutes or will I not?).
I mean – I do not have problems with corrupted files, because when in doubt I just don’t use Scrivener. But it is not an elegant solution.
… Oh yes, and you still have to remember to reset the session.