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Citation Managers : Zotero: Installation

About Zotero

Zotero [Zoh-TAIR-roh] is a free citation manager that collects, organizes, cites, and shares your sources. 

  • Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux
  • Zotero collects research materials in a single place - add PDFs, images, audio and video files, and more 
  • Automatically format bibliographies in the citation style of your choice

Installing Zotero: Video

Installing Zotero: 3 Steps

1. Installing Zotero

Go to the Zotero Download Page, and click "Install Zotero" 

  • For a Mac computer, drag the Zotero icon to the Applications folder and add it to your dock
  • For a PC, run the setup program 
  • For Linux, follow this link to get more instructions

If you are installing Zotero on a university-owned computer, you can bypass the Administration authentication page by downloading Zotero from the ITS Software Center.


  • A Word Processor Plugin is automatically installed when you download Zotero. This easy-to-use plug-in lets you insert citations and bibliographies directly into Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs. Although the plug-in automatically installs for Microsoft Word, you can learn more about plug-in functionality on the Zotero Word Processor Plug-In site

2. Install Zotero Connectors 

The Zotero Connectors allow your web browser to save citations to your Zotero library automatically. Open the web browser you would like to use Zotero with, and click the Zotero Connector link for that browser to install it. 

Each browser has its own version of the Zotero connector, so if you use Chrome and Firefox when doing research, you'll need to install both connectors. 

After you have installed the connector, be sure to close and restart the browser. 

3. Create an Account: 

Create an account on the Zotero website and, once you've validated your new account by email, Zotero will ask you to finish setting up your preferences. 

Log in on the Zotero website with your username and password, then open Zotero Standalone by clicking on the Zotero icon in the browser toolbar or opening the Zotero Standalone app from your computer's dock. 

On a Mac computer: click the actions menu button (which looks like a gear), at the top of the left column and click "Preference". Then click the "'Sync" tab.

On a PC computer: click the "Edit" drop-down from the top of the app, and click "Preference", then click the "Sync" tab 

Enter your username and password into the sync preferences. 

 

Zotero will now automatically sync your saved items!