diff --git a/bin/decrypt_names.py b/bin/decrypt_names.py
index 1fec84c61..55e9cc50a 100755
--- a/bin/decrypt_names.py
+++ b/bin/decrypt_names.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
 """
 This is a tool to decrypt file names in rclone logs.
 
@@ -43,13 +43,13 @@ def map_log_file(crypt_map, log_file):
     """
     with open(log_file) as fd:
         for line in fd:
-            for cipher, plain in crypt_map.iteritems():
+            for cipher, plain in crypt_map.items():
                 line = line.replace(cipher, plain)
             sys.stdout.write(line)
 
 def main():
     if len(sys.argv) < 3:
-        print "Syntax: %s <crypt-mapping-file> <log-file>" % sys.argv[0]
+        print("Syntax: %s <crypt-mapping-file> <log-file>" % sys.argv[0])
         raise SystemExit(1)
     mapping_file, log_file = sys.argv[1:]
     crypt_map = read_crypt_map(mapping_file)
diff --git a/bin/make_backend_docs.py b/bin/make_backend_docs.py
index 046433050..a30df22ad 100755
--- a/bin/make_backend_docs.py
+++ b/bin/make_backend_docs.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python2
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
 """
 Make backend documentation
 """
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     for backend in find_backends():
         try:
             alter_doc(backend)
-        except Exception, e:
-            print "Failed adding docs for %s backend: %s" % (backend, e)
+        except Exception as e:
+            print("Failed adding docs for %s backend: %s" % (backend, e))
             failed += 1
         else:
             success += 1
-    print "Added docs for %d backends with %d failures" % (success, failed)
+    print("Added docs for %d backends with %d failures" % (success, failed))
diff --git a/bin/make_changelog.py b/bin/make_changelog.py
index e3f1a3cc3..f726ec3d0 100755
--- a/bin/make_changelog.py
+++ b/bin/make_changelog.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/python
+#!/usr/bin/python3
 """
 Generate a markdown changelog for the rclone project
 """
@@ -99,10 +99,11 @@ def process_log(log):
 
 def main():
     if len(sys.argv) != 3:
-        print >>sys.stderr, "Syntax: %s vX.XX vX.XY" % sys.argv[0]
+        print("Syntax: %s vX.XX vX.XY" % sys.argv[0], file=sys.stderr)
         sys.exit(1)
     version, next_version = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
     log = subprocess.check_output(["git", "log", '''--pretty=format:%H|%an|%aI|%s'''] + [version+".."+next_version])
+    log = log.decode("utf-8")
     by_category = process_log(log)
 
     # Output backends first so remaining in by_category are core items
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ def main():
     out("local", title="Local")
     out("cache", title="Cache")
     out("crypt", title="Crypt")
-    backend_names = sorted(x for x in by_category.keys() if x in backends)
+    backend_names = sorted(x for x in list(by_category.keys()) if x in backends)
     for backend_name in backend_names:
         if backend_name in backend_titles:
             backend_title = backend_titles[backend_name]
@@ -123,7 +124,7 @@ def main():
     # Split remaining in by_category into new features and fixes
     new_features = defaultdict(list)
     bugfixes = defaultdict(list)
-    for name, messages in by_category.iteritems():
+    for name, messages in by_category.items():
         for message in messages:
             if IS_FIX_RE.search(message):
                 bugfixes[name].append(message)
diff --git a/bin/make_manual.py b/bin/make_manual.py
index 3255cd4d0..afb29feb4 100755
--- a/bin/make_manual.py
+++ b/bin/make_manual.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python2
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
 """
 Make single page versions of the documentation for release and
 conversion into man pages etc.
@@ -118,8 +118,8 @@ def check_docs(docpath):
     docs_set = set(docs)
     if files == docs_set:
         return
-    print "Files on disk but not in docs variable: %s" % ", ".join(files - docs_set)
-    print "Files in docs variable but not on disk: %s" % ", ".join(docs_set - files)
+    print("Files on disk but not in docs variable: %s" % ", ".join(files - docs_set))
+    print("Files in docs variable but not on disk: %s" % ", ".join(docs_set - files))
     raise ValueError("Missing files")
 
 def read_command(command):
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def read_commands(docpath):
     
 def main():
     check_docs(docpath)
-    command_docs = read_commands(docpath)
+    command_docs = read_commands(docpath).replace("\\", "\\\\") # escape \ so we can use command_docs in re.sub
     with open(outfile, "w") as out:
         out.write("""\
 %% rclone(1) User Manual
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ def main():
             if doc == "docs.md":
                 contents = re.sub(r"The main rclone commands.*?for the full list.", command_docs, contents, 0, re.S)
             out.write(contents)
-    print "Written '%s'" % outfile
+    print("Written '%s'" % outfile)
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     main()
diff --git a/bin/update-authors.py b/bin/update-authors.py
index a8c7fc37e..0bf75c20e 100755
--- a/bin/update-authors.py
+++ b/bin/update-authors.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
 """
 Update the authors.md file with the authors from the git log
 """
@@ -23,13 +23,14 @@ def add_email(name, email):
     """
     adds the email passed in to the end of authors.md
     """
-    print "Adding %s <%s>" % (name, email)
+    print("Adding %s <%s>" % (name, email))
     with open(AUTHORS, "a+") as fd:
-        print >>fd, "  * %s <%s>" % (name, email)
+        print("  * %s <%s>" % (name, email), file=fd)
     subprocess.check_call(["git", "commit", "-m", "Add %s to contributors" % name, AUTHORS])
     
 def main():
     out = subprocess.check_output(["git", "log", '--reverse', '--format=%an|%ae', "master"])
+    out = out.decode("utf-8")
 
     previous = load()
     for line in out.split("\n"):