diff --git a/apps/essimporter/convertscpt.cpp b/apps/essimporter/convertscpt.cpp
index dad3ed7b0b..f3f689f38a 100644
--- a/apps/essimporter/convertscpt.cpp
+++ b/apps/essimporter/convertscpt.cpp
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ namespace ESSImport
     {
         out.mId = ESM::RefId::stringRefId(scpt.mSCHD.mName.toString());
         out.mRunning = scpt.mRunning;
-        out.mTargetRef = ESM::RefNum{}; // TODO: convert target reference of global script
+        out.mTargetRef = scpt.mRefNum;
         convertSCRI(scpt.mSCRI, out.mLocals);
     }
 
diff --git a/apps/essimporter/importscpt.cpp b/apps/essimporter/importscpt.cpp
index bb62c61103..b048fc6806 100644
--- a/apps/essimporter/importscpt.cpp
+++ b/apps/essimporter/importscpt.cpp
@@ -12,11 +12,13 @@ namespace ESSImport
 
         mSCRI.load(esm);
 
-        mRefNum = -1;
         if (esm.isNextSub("RNAM"))
         {
             mRunning = true;
-            esm.getHT(mRefNum);
+            ESM::FormId32 refNum;
+            esm.getHT(refNum);
+            mRefNum = ESM::RefNum::fromUint32(refNum);
+            mRefNum.mContentFile--;
         }
         else
             mRunning = false;
diff --git a/apps/essimporter/importscpt.hpp b/apps/essimporter/importscpt.hpp
index 7c728ee97e..fc7ccc2ef9 100644
--- a/apps/essimporter/importscpt.hpp
+++ b/apps/essimporter/importscpt.hpp
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 #include <components/esm/esmcommon.hpp>
 #include <components/esm3/loadscpt.hpp>
+#include <components/esm3/refnum.hpp>
 
 namespace ESM
 {
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ namespace ESSImport
         SCRI mSCRI;
 
         bool mRunning;
-        int32_t mRefNum; // Targeted reference, -1: no reference
+        ESM::RefNum mRefNum; // Targeted reference
 
         void load(ESM::ESMReader& esm);
     };
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwscript/globalscripts.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwscript/globalscripts.cpp
index c20e2fe255..69806870c0 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwscript/globalscripts.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwscript/globalscripts.cpp
@@ -26,13 +26,13 @@ namespace
             script.mRunning = false;
             if (!ptr.isEmpty())
             {
-                if (ptr.getCellRef().hasContentFile())
+                if (MWBase::Environment::get().getWorld()->getPlayerPtr() == ptr)
+                    script.mTargetId = ptr.getCellRef().getRefId();
+                else if (ptr.getCellRef().getRefNum().isSet())
                 {
                     script.mTargetId = ptr.getCellRef().getRefId();
                     script.mTargetRef = ptr.getCellRef().getRefNum();
                 }
-                else if (MWBase::Environment::get().getWorld()->getPlayerPtr() == ptr)
-                    script.mTargetId = ptr.getCellRef().getRefId();
             }
             return script;
         }
@@ -60,10 +60,10 @@ namespace
 
         MWWorld::Ptr operator()(const std::pair<ESM::RefNum, ESM::RefId>& pair) const
         {
-            if (pair.second.empty())
-                return MWWorld::Ptr();
-            else if (pair.first.hasContentFile())
+            if (pair.first.isSet())
                 return MWBase::Environment::get().getWorldModel()->getPtr(pair.first);
+            else if (pair.second.empty())
+                return MWWorld::Ptr();
             return MWBase::Environment::get().getWorld()->searchPtr(pair.second, false);
         }
     };
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ namespace MWScript
                     try
                     {
                         auto desc = std::make_shared<GlobalScriptDesc>();
-                        if (!script.mTargetId.empty())
+                        if (!script.mTargetId.empty() || script.mTargetRef.isSet())
                         {
                             desc->mTarget = std::make_pair(script.mTargetRef, script.mTargetId);
                         }
diff --git a/components/esm3/globalscript.cpp b/components/esm3/globalscript.cpp
index ca33428abd..a55e5623c4 100644
--- a/components/esm3/globalscript.cpp
+++ b/components/esm3/globalscript.cpp
@@ -38,12 +38,9 @@ namespace ESM
         if (mRunning)
             esm.writeHNT("RUN_", int32_t{ 1 });
 
-        if (!mTargetId.empty())
-        {
-            esm.writeHNORefId("TARG", mTargetId);
-            if (mTargetRef.isSet())
-                esm.writeFormId(mTargetRef, true, "FRMR");
-        }
+        esm.writeHNORefId("TARG", mTargetId);
+        if (mTargetRef.isSet())
+            esm.writeFormId(mTargetRef, true, "FRMR");
     }
 
 }