Missing zotero.sqlite - copy storage

rogelio.luque

I lost my laptop. Naturally I had backed up all my documents, including zotero storage. But I had not backed up the other Zotero files [smacks forehead] including zotero.sqlite, which I believe contains all the information about collections, tags, etc.

(I do not sync Zotero online, instead doing regular backups of zotero storage. Data far exceeds Zotero free allowance.)

Does this mean I have to manually add pdfs one by one (from the storage folder) and reorganise them into collections, tag them, etc.?

At this point, are .zotero-ft-cache and .zotero-ft-info files of any use, or should I delete them?

Many thanks!

dstillman

If you don't have a backup of zotero.sqlite, the best you can do is re-add files from the backed-up storage folder and let it retrieve metadata, yes. (Don't put that storage folder within the new data directory.)

If you've created documents with the Word or LibreOffice plugin, you could use Reference Extractor to extract metadata and import it into Zotero, but the imported items won't be linked to the documents.

I do not sync Zotero online, instead doing regular backups of zotero storage. Data far exceeds Zotero free allowance.

Data syncing is free and unlimited, and would've let you restore your data in this case.

rogelio.luque

Thanks you, dstillman, that's very helpful! Much appreciated