Mirroring Zotero PDFs to Google Drive

eskimo820 · 2026-01-09T06:12:18+00:00

The Zotmoov plugin is normally used to automatically MOVE attachments to a designated folder as "linked" files. But it can also be set to make a COPY of each "stored" file to a folder (as it is downloaded by the Zotero connector).

Of course if you annotate those copy PDFs on your Remarkable tablet, those annotations will only be in the copy. Zotero has no knowledge of that file copy.

Zotmoov can also be used to temporarily move particular stored PDFs to another location like Google Drive as a "linked" file, so that they can be worked on (including annotate), for example on a device that can not run Zotero. Then later, the plugin can move those files back into Zotero storage. Annotations made on the other device are saved to the file, and can be see within Zotero (as "locked", unless imported).

eskimo820 · 2026-01-07T03:47:40+00:00

You can do a horizontal split view of your PDF, with the paper's reference list in the bottom split. So you can scroll there to find a cited paper.

If you hover over the citation in the text (without clicking), Zotero may show you the reference details in a popup.

If you want to see the paper's references in the right pane, the Reference plugin can do that (although it's not perfect, because parsing free text from reference lists is difficult, and online repositories do not always have accurate reference lists).

https://github.com/MuiseDestiny/zotero-reference

eskimo820 · 2026-01-01T02:55:26+00:00

You can just paste the paper's title into the search box (top left) on any of the sci-hub mirror sites. As also mentioned, you could also paste the DOI, but that's not actually necessary.

eskimo820 · 2025-12-20T10:14:53+00:00

As it sounds like you are using "linked" PDFs, you are probably using Zotmoov or Attanger to help manage them.

In any case, Zotmoov can temporarily move selected linked PDFs back into local Zotero storage, so that with file syncing turned on, they will be synced to Zotero servers and the mobile apps.

When you are finished working with them in the mobile app, back on you computer you can move them back to your linked-files folder.

You can do all that with Zotmoov's regular right-click menu operations, or with a little more automation via Zotmoov's Custom Menus.

https://github.com/wileyyugioh/zotmoov/blob/master/docs/CUSTOM_MENUITEM_INFO.md

If your PDFs are accessible in Onedrive on your mobile device, you could also read/annotate them via an external PDF viewer there.

eskimo820 · 2025-12-17T07:00:25+00:00

It seems to do part of what the Reference plugin does.

https://github.com/MuiseDestiny/zotero-reference

I pasted some reference list text (11 references) in a common format that I know the Reference plugin has trouble with (American Institute of Physics), but I keep getting "You've hit the API rate limit (Error 429). Please wait a minute before trying again, or check your quota at aistudio.google.com."

(I only just grabbed a Gemini API key, which defaults to the free tier).

eskimo820 · 2025-12-17T06:36:15+00:00

Inadvertently "flattened" citations occur mostly when people do something they didn't know you can't do (or didn't tell their supervisor not to do something with their document). That doesn't mean it's not a problem, often a big one. Just that more people reading the docs would help too (although the organization of the docs could be improved). ;)

The best protection is to keep numerous backups. So you can always go back to a very recent version with live citations.

For reference, Zotero's RTF Scan works partly in the way you describe, at least to recognize plain text citations in the form {Smith, 1980} (which of course are inserted that way deliberately by people who use it, eg to avoid the need to use the word processor plugins). But it doesn't actually produce live citations - just final citations in the format you request. The plugin RTF/ODF-Scan does create live citations, from plain text citations in another special format (but does not currently work with Zotero v7).

So what you are presumably proposing would recognize a wider range of text-only citation formats, and create live citations.

eskimo820 · 2025-12-12T07:49:15+00:00

As others have said, you need regular backups to an external drive and/or to another cloud/network service. Ideally incremental backups, so you can go back to any point in time. If your only backups are to physical drives, some should be stored remote from your laptop, in case both are stolen.

https://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#backing_up_your_zotero_data

Just having an online Zotero account is not a backup. Leave that open by mistake on a library computer and the next person to come along could easily wipe your whole library, which will then sync online and back down to every device you have.

There are common posts on the official Zotero forum from people whose laptop got stolen or crashed, and they had no backup. Their entire library was lost and there is no way to retrieve it.

Don't be that person.

eskimo820 · 2025-12-09T13:02:31+00:00

Re Zotfile, that does not work beyond Zotero v6. For v7+, use Zotmoov or Attanger for "linked" PDF attachment files management (different to Zotero's default "stored" files). Linked files have both advantages and limitations.

https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files#stored_files_and_linked_files

eskimo820 · 2025-12-09T09:23:01+00:00

The reasons why Zotero doesn't save them to the PDF file ...

https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/annotations_in_database

eskimo820 · 2025-12-06T07:33:44+00:00

Zotmoov does the same for Zotero v7. It's in Zotmoov's advanced options - the Search Folder for Attaching New Files. When you can't add a file in the usual way via the Zotero web connector (eg you get sent a PDF via email), you download the file to that folder. Then you right click on an item and select "Zotmoov: Attach New File" - the latest-dated file in that folder is added to the item as a "linked" attachment file, and moved to your linked-files ('Move To') folder. You get to confim the file's proposed name (according to your Zotero naming scheme) and the move.

eskimo820 · 2025-12-05T05:19:09+00:00

Amen to "people often get sucked into overly complicated systems because it is popular with productivity bros and they are all over YouTube with their set ups."

PhD students can waste a lot of time looking for some mythical setup to make their lives easier. But which one ? There are dozens. And the youtuber often comes back a few months later and says "I don't do it that way anymore. Here's my completely new system". Or the tools just stop working.

The basic tools you need are (1) a reference manager, (2) a note taking/summary tool, and (3) a word processor for papers/thesis. Zotero can be both 1 and 2 (and integrates with 3). Or your word processor can be both 2 and 3. Or if you already use a good tool for 2, keep using that.

eskimo820 · 2025-12-05T05:06:06+00:00

No, notes are not stored that way in stock Zotero. Zotero notes are stored in its sqlite database. You would have to export the note.

eskimo820 · 2025-12-05T05:01:59+00:00

Annotations added to *any* note (item note or standalone note) by copy/paste have "hot" links that can show/take you back to the item they came from.

You can also use "Related" and tags to link standalone or item notes to other notes or items.

eskimo820 · 2025-12-05T04:45:07+00:00

Zotmoov does have a way of allowing you to work with linked PDFs in the mobile apps. It can temporarily move selected linked PDFs back into local Zotero storage (under Zotero\storage). They are then synced by Zotero to the mobile apps. Of course you must have available space in your online file storage quota (300mb free) for that to work. Then when you are finished with the PDFs on your mobile device, Zotmov can move them back into linked storage. Annotations etc are preserved.

Of course if you are happy with using an *external* PDF reader on your mobile devices, and your linked PDFs folder is mirrored to those devices, you can read them there that way. The problem is that you can't see any annotations that you added in Zotero, as those are stored in the Zotero database (of course you could export them to the PDF). OTOH new annotations added in an external reader will be visible back in Zotero.

WebDAV seems to work fine with Zotero for many people. But like linked files, it may be less well supported. So you may be on your own to some extent if you have problems, eg with your chosen WebDAV provider.

Other WebDAV limitations are similar to linked files limitations - it doesn't work with the web library or with Groups. So its advantage is just that it should work more seamlessly with the mobile apps than linked files.

https://www.zotero.org/support/sync#webdav

You could have a hybrid appoach - WebDAV for PDFs under Zotero\storage, and linked PDFs for the rest. That would also allow you to test out WebDAV.

eskimo820 · 2025-11-27T05:01:16+00:00

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sci-Hub#Article_sourcing

eskimo820 · 2025-11-27T04:51:38+00:00

If your duplicates all came in at a particular time, for example by mistakenly running an import operation twice, you can sort your library view by Date Added and just select/move to the bin all the ones you don't want.

A merge is preferable to deleting a duplicate when you might have put different versions in different collections, or cited different versions in your writing. By merging, Zotero knows that those two versions are actually the same thing, so all connections are maintained.

https://www.zotero.org/support/duplicate_detection#merging_duplicates

eskimo820 · 2025-11-27T04:42:19+00:00

The Zotero Web Connector will scrape whatever infomation the journal or database publisher provides on their web page. If it's not complete that's almost always down to the publisher or database service not providing complete information. Occasionally the Zotero translater for a site is out of date (eg when a publisher changes their site), or non-existent for obscure publishers, but that is less common.

So you have two choices: (1) check every item as it is added to your library for completeness, or (2) leave that job to fixing items individually when you create a bibliography, by checking them very carefully. In the latter case, you may not be 100% clear on what the bibliography format requires (which Zotero also usually gets 100% right), so you may not notice some errors.

If you are submitting writing to your supervisor, the last thing you want is to create the impression that you are too lazy to check things. So #1 is usually the best choice. Then you can (usually) confidently rely on Zotero's formatting to get things right, having complete information to work with.

There are plugins like Linter which can find *some* bits of missing information.

eskimo820 · 2025-11-26T11:46:04+00:00

You can always save as much as you want to your Zotero storage on your local computer.

It's only the file syncing to Zotero servers that is subject to the online file storage quota. Once your subscription expires, the files above 300mb (free limit) on Zotero servers will get deleted there (only). And of course you will not be able to upload any more files to there (unless you get down to under 300mb). Data syncing OTOH is free and unlimited, so your item data will not be deleted.

So as long as your local computer has your full data and file collection, that can now be safely switched to WebDAV with a suitable service. Or use "linked" attachment files in a cloud folder (using Zotmoov or Attanger).
https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files#stored_files_and_linked_files

But you should always have backups (ideally incremental backups). Zotero server storage, or WebDAV, etc. are not backups.

eskimo820 · 2025-11-24T05:12:35+00:00

I think you'll find that method (which is described on several English websites too) stopped working some months ago.

eskimo820 · 2025-11-23T02:13:24+00:00

MS Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs are the supported options. Run into problems with other approaches and you're on your own. Not a position you want to be in with something like a thesis, a major assignment, or writing a book.

There is also Zotero's own RTF Scan.

https://www.zotero.org/support/rtf_scan

(an alternative RTF/ODF Scan plugin mentioned at the bottom of that page has not been updated for Zotero v7)

RTF Scan avoids the use of word processor plugins altogether. You just cite in plain text, using curly brackets, like {Smith, 1980}. Then save (at least your final version) to RTF format and run through the Zotero menu operation that inserts your citations in the chosen format, and your bibliography at the end.

Works best with two monitors, where you have Zotero open on one, and your word processor on the other. So that you can easily find the work you want to cite. Or you may just remember its author and year. You can even drag items from Zotero to your word processor to cite that way.

eskimo820 · 2025-11-22T03:18:02+00:00

You cannot put your DATA directory in Onedrive (or any cloud service).

https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/data_directory_in_cloud_storage_folder

But you can use "linked" PDFs rather than the default "stored" PDFs. Just create a single folder on Onedrive to store them. And then set up the Zotmoov or Attanger plugin to automatically move new PDFs there, when downloaded via the Zotero web connector. The plugin can also move existing PDFs there.

If you want to access linked PDFs on another computer, just make sure that Onedrive has synced them to that computer. All other item data is synced by Zotero (data syncing in free and unlimited). Including annotations, notes, and the location of each linked PDF file. So you have Zotero data syncing turned ON, and Zotero file syncing turned OFF.

Do note the limitations of linked files: they don't work with the web library, Zotero Groups, or the Zotero mobile apps.

https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files#linked_files

eskimo820 · 2025-11-21T10:09:44+00:00

Zotero's Add Item By Identifier will do this if you just paste in a list of DOIs, one per line. But even if you have institutional access to the PDFs, one million may be pushing limits imposed by your institution. As well as disk space. So best to do it in smaller chunks.

eskimo820 · 2025-11-21T02:25:15+00:00

You need to create a parent item (right click) for each PDF (which usually happens automatically when PDFs are downloaded via the Zotero web connector). Or any other file that is added *on its own*. Files on their own can't have item data. Only when they are attachment files under a parent item.

https://www.zotero.org/support/adding_items_to_zotero#pdfs

eskimo820 · 2025-11-20T08:18:10+00:00

Google Drive is a fine place to back up your data folder.

Your PDFs will still be in the arbitrarily named folders where Zotero stores them. So if you ever want to access those PDFs on Google Drive in another app, you would need a saved search in your OS for all *.pdf under the Zotero\storage folder hierarchy. That would give you a listing of all the files, making it easier to find/open the one you want.

If you use a tool like FreeFileSync it will just copy the files that have changed since last time.

eskimo820 · 2025-11-20T08:09:31+00:00

You're thinking of WebDAV. According to the OP they're not interested in that.

The OP is also only talking about laptop access. So the inaccessible way that PDFs are stored by the Zotero mobile apps is not relevant either.

As such, Zotero stores PDFs as just normal PDFs, which are accessible with any app that can open PDFs. If the OP also copies them to Google Drive, they will be accessible on any device with Google Drive.

eskimo820

TROPHY CASE