The Zotero Word plugins will be installed automatically into Word for most users. If you don't see a Zotero toolbar in Word, you should attempt to reinstall the plugin from the Cite → Word Processors pane of the Zotero preferences. If you receive an error or still don't see the plugin after trying to reinstall from the preferences, you can try the manual installation instructions below.
Note that, if you rely on manual installation, you may run into problems later due to the plugin in Word becoming outdated, so it's better to figure out why automatic installation isn't working (e.g., security software blocking the installation or an incorrect Word Startup folder location) and fix the underlying problem.
Word for Windows
- Open the Zotero installation folder (usually C:Program Files (x86)Zotero).
- In the installation folder, open extensionszoteroWinWordIntegration@zotero.orginstall, where you can find a copy of the Zotero.dotm file.
- If the folder is empty, the file was somehow deleted — possibly by security software — and you should reinstall Zotero.
- If the folder is empty immediately after reinstalling Zotero, you can download Zotero.dotm, but your security software may delete the downloaded file as well, and you'll need to configure it not to do so.
- If you see two “Zotero” files without file extensions, your computer is set not to display file extensions, and you can determine which one is Zotero.dotm by right-clicking on each file and selecting Properties. One will say “Microsoft Word 97-2003 Template (.dot)” and one will say “Microsoft Word Template (.dotm)”.
- Find your Word startup folder and copy the path to the clipboard:
- In the Word ribbon, click the File tab, click Options, and then click Advanced.
- Under General, click File Locations. The current Startup folder should be listed.
- In most cases, the Startup folder path should be the default location of
C:Users::username::AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWordSTARTUP(orStartup), where::username::is your computer username. The path should not include “Zotero” in any way, and if it does you previously configured it incorrectly. If that's the case, you should reset the path to the default location.
- Select the Startup folder path and click Modify, click in the whitespace to the right of the path in the location bar at the top of the window, copy the complete path to the clipboard with Ctrl-C, and then click Cancel to close the dialog without making changes.
- Open a new File Explorer window and paste the Startup folder path into the address bar. You should now have two folders open: the “install” folder containing Zotero.dotm and the Word startup folder.
- Copy the Zotero.dotm file from “install” to your Word Startup folder. (Be sure to copy the file rather than moving it. If dragging, hold down Ctrl.)
Word for Mac 2016 and 2019
If the Zotero thread/toolbar (or the Zotero scripts menu in Word 2008/2011 for Mac) doesn't appear, follow these steps: Close Word or LibreOffice. In Zotero, go to Tools → Add-ons → Extensions. If either the Zotero Word for Mac/Windows Integration or Zotero LibreOffice Integration is disabled, click on the Enable button to re-enable the extension. The following word processors are compatible with Zotero: Word for Windows (excluding 2010 Starter Edition), Word for Mac (excluding 2015), Google Docs and LibreOffice from version 5.2 onwards. If you installed Zotero on your own computer then the tab will automatically appear in your word processor.
- In Finder, press Cmd-Shift-G and navigate to
where you can find a copy of the Zotero.dotm file. If the folder is empty, the file was somehow deleted — possibly by security software — and you should reinstall Zotero. Lg cameras.
- Find your Word startup folder by following the instructions below. You should now have two folders open: the Word startup folder and the “install” folder containing Zotero.dotm.
- Copy the Zotero.dotm file to your Word Startup folder. (Be sure to copy the file rather than moving it.)
- Start (or restart) Microsoft Word to begin using the plugin.
- 2014-02: There is/was a problem with Java 7 on Mac and LibreOffice in combination with Zotero, which requires to use Java 6 instead. However, as Simon pointed out this seems to be a known issue in Java itself.
- '1)Open LibreOffice Extension Manager in Tools Extension Manager. 2)Click Add in the Extension Manager dialog. 3) In your Zotero installation directory, navigate to zoteroOpenOfficeIntegration@zotero.org/install. 4) Choose the ZoteroOpenOfficeIntegration.oxt file.
Word for Mac 2011
- Download Zotero.dot.zip and double-click it to extract the Zotero.dot file. (Note: The file must be extracted in Finder, not via the command line.)
- Find your Word startup folder by following the instructions below.
- Move the Zotero.dot file to your Word Startup folder.
- If you have a non-English version of Office, you may need to move the Zotero.dot file into the “Word” directory within the equivalent of “Startup” in your language. The correct path should be listed in Tools → Templates and Add-ins in Word.
- If you're using a non-admin macOS user account, you will need to install the Word plugin from an administrative account or grant write access for the startup directory to the non-admin account to allow it to install Zotero.dot.
- Start (or restart) Microsoft Word to begin using the plugin.
LibreOffice
- Mac: In Finder, press Cmd-Shift-G and paste in
- Linux: Go to the directory where Zotero is installed and open
- Double-click the Zotero_OpenOffice_Integration.oxt file to install it.
If you get an error, there's a problem with your LibreOffice installation, and you should follow the troubleshooting steps.
Locating your Word Startup folder
Note: On non-English systems or in certain custom setups, these locations may be different.
Word 2007 or later for Windows
The default location of the Startup folder is C:Users::username::AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWordStartup, where ::username:: is your computer username. The AppData folder may be hidden on your system, but you can get there by opening the Windows File Explorer, typing %AppData% in the address bar, and pressing Enter, which will take you into the Roaming directory. From there you can navigate to MicrosoftWordStartup.
If changes you make to the Startup folder aren't taking effect, you can confirm that Word isn't set to a different location. In the Word ribbon, click the File tab, click Options, and click Advanced. Under General, click File Locations. The Startup folder should be listed there. Select it and click Modify. In the window that opens, click the whitespace to the right of the path in the location bar at the top and copy the complete path to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl-C. Click Cancel to close the dialog without making changes. You can then open a new File Explorer dialog and paste the path into the address bar to open the Startup folder.
Note that the path should not include “Zotero” in any way, and if it does you previously configured it incorrectly. If that's the case, you should reset the path to the default location.
Word 2016 and 2019 for Mac
The default location of the Startup folder is ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Startup/Word. (~/Library refers to the Library folder within your home directory.) You can open it from the Finder by pressing Cmd-Shift-G and copying in the path. Alternatively, to navigate to it in Finder, hold down Option, click the Go menu, and select Library (which is hidden by default), and then follow the rest of the path.
If changes you make to the Startup folder aren't taking effect, you can confirm that Word isn't set to a different location. In Word, open the “Word” menu in the top-left of the screen and select “Preferences”. Click on “File Locations” under “Personal Settings” and click on “Startup” at the bottom of the list.
Generally, no location should be listed, causing Word to use the default location. If another location is listed (e.g., /Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office/Startup/Word, from an earlier version of Word), clearing the setting and letting Word use the default location may fix installation problems and allow Zotero to install the plugin automatically going forward.
Note that the path should not include “Zotero” in any way, and if it does you previously configured it incorrectly. If that's the case, you should reset the path so that it is blank and the default location is used.
Word 2011 for Mac
The default location of the startup folder is /Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office/Startup/Word. You can open it from the Finder by pressing Cmd-Shift-G and copying in the path or by navigating to it.
If changes you make to the startup folder aren't taking effect, you can confirm that Word isn't set to a different location. In Word, open the “Word” menu in the top-left of the screen and select “Preferences”. Click on “File Locations” under “Personal Settings” and click on “Startup” at the bottom of the list.
Adding Content to Zotero
Zotero Download Mac
Netindex port devices driver. Capture a citation from a web page
The Zotero Connector makes it easy to save citations from web page content, whether you're viewing an online article from a database, a book listing on Amazon, or a blog post. (Note: Standalone must be running for the Connector to work properly.)
The Connector icon changes to reflect the type of content it detects on the current web page. For example, if you are reading a journal article online, the icon will change to a journal article:
For a book entry in SuperSearch or Amazon, for example, the icon changes to a book:
The Connector does its best to fill in all of the necessary information to create a complete citation. However, we recommend that you always review citations for completeness and accuracy.
Export citation(s) from a database
Zotero Libreoffice Plugin
Most databases offer a way to export or save citations for the research material you find. Some may even be able to export directly into Zotero when the Standalone client is running. That process will look something like this:
- On the database's citation page, select a file format for the exported citations. The file formats offered will depend on the database, but RIS will almost always be one of them, as it is the standard citation format.
- Export the citation(s). The button may say Export or Download or Save; again, this depends on the database platform.
- If the database offers direct export, you may see a dialog window like the one below. If so, select Zotero as the 'open with' option.
- If Zotero Standalone is running, it will immediately begin the import process and confirm that you want to import the file. If you check the 'Import into new collection' box, Zotero will create a timestamped folder for the citations. If you uncheck the box, Zotero will import the citations into the 'Unfiled Items' folder.
If the database does not allow direct export, but simply allows you to download and save the file, follow the first two steps above, save the file, then follow the steps in the 'Import a file of citations' section, below.
Import a file of citations
When importing a file of citations (for example, from another citation manager or a bulk file exported from a database), the file will likely be in RIS format. RIS is the standardized tag format that allows citation management tools to exchange data.
Zotero For Word
- Go to File > Import.., select the type of file being imported, and click Next.
- Navigate to the file you want to import and click Open.
- If you select 'Place imported collections and items into new collection,' Zotero will name a new folder in your library and place the imported citations into it. You can rename the folder at any time. If you uncheck this box, Zotero imports the citations into the Unfiled Items folder.
- Click Next, and Zotero will display the list of imported citations.
Add a citation manually
To manually add an item to your Zotero library, click the green “New Item” button at the top of the Standalone window, and select an item type from the drop-down menu. Recently selected item types display at the top the menu, and a complete list of item types can be found under “More”. An empty item of the selected item type appears in the center column, and you can enter the item's bibliographic information via the right-hand pane.
Zotero Extension
Note: Web Page is not available in the New Item menu, because it is easiest to visit the page in your browser and then save it to Zotero using the Connector (see Capture a citation from a web page, above). However, if you really want to create a webpage item by hand, simply create an empty item of another type and switch the item type to Web Page in the right-hand pane.
Take a look at Zotero's guide to adding items for additional details.