Upgrade StorageAvailable for beta testing: Zotero, redesigned
This is a big one. In the latest Zotero 7 beta, we’ve introduced a major redesign of Zotero, as well as a new app icon. This redesign represents a monumental effort from the entire team, and we couldn’t be more excited to finally share it.
We’ve tried to create a beautiful, modern design that will still feel familiar to long-time Zotero users. And, yes, there’s a dark mode.
As part of the redesign, we’ve taken the opportunity to rethink some core elements of Zotero. One of the biggest changes is in the item pane, where we’ve replaced the horizontal tabs (Info, Tags, Notes, etc.) with collapsible vertical sections and a side navigation bar for quick access to specific sections. This approach allows us to show additional information right in the item pane without compromising usability. Plugins will also be able to easily create dedicated sections with custom information or actions.
We now offer two UI density options, Compact and Comfortable. Compact resembles the previous density, while Comfortable, the new default, provides a more approachable experience for new users with smaller libraries or people who just prefer a bit more breathing room.
The new design also incorporates a number of long-standing feature requests:
Finally, to complete the look, we’ve created a delightful new app icon. If you’re on Windows, the easiest way to make sure you see the new icon is to re-run the installer — Windows has a bad habit of showing cached versions of icons.
Note that some plugins might not work properly with the new design, so please be prepared to disable them if you run into trouble. You can use Help → “Restart in Troubleshooting Mode…” to quickly restart with all plugins temporarily disabled and check if the problem you’re seeing goes away. If you do encounter a problem, be sure to report it to the plugin developer ASAP.
We’re still fixing bugs and fine-tuning things, so expect to see improvements leading up to the Zotero 7 release and beyond, and let us know if you run into any problems or have other feedback. Please start new threads here in the forums for any specific issues, and be sure to include “Zotero 7 Beta” in your thread title.
You can install the beta from the Beta Builds page. For more details on Zotero 7, see the initial beta announcement and the announcement of the updated reader.
We hope you enjoy it!
We’ve tried to create a beautiful, modern design that will still feel familiar to long-time Zotero users. And, yes, there’s a dark mode.
As part of the redesign, we’ve taken the opportunity to rethink some core elements of Zotero. One of the biggest changes is in the item pane, where we’ve replaced the horizontal tabs (Info, Tags, Notes, etc.) with collapsible vertical sections and a side navigation bar for quick access to specific sections. This approach allows us to show additional information right in the item pane without compromising usability. Plugins will also be able to easily create dedicated sections with custom information or actions.
We now offer two UI density options, Compact and Comfortable. Compact resembles the previous density, while Comfortable, the new default, provides a more approachable experience for new users with smaller libraries or people who just prefer a bit more breathing room.
The new design also incorporates a number of long-standing feature requests:
- Collection search
- An open-tabs menu, with tab search and fast tab closing/reordering
- Attachment previews in the item pane (currently for PDFs, EPUBs, webpage snapshots, and images)
- A new item-pane section showing the collections and libraries an item is in
- Improved keyboard access and better support for screen readers (with more improvements to come)
Finally, to complete the look, we’ve created a delightful new app icon. If you’re on Windows, the easiest way to make sure you see the new icon is to re-run the installer — Windows has a bad habit of showing cached versions of icons.
Note that some plugins might not work properly with the new design, so please be prepared to disable them if you run into trouble. You can use Help → “Restart in Troubleshooting Mode…” to quickly restart with all plugins temporarily disabled and check if the problem you’re seeing goes away. If you do encounter a problem, be sure to report it to the plugin developer ASAP.
We’re still fixing bugs and fine-tuning things, so expect to see improvements leading up to the Zotero 7 release and beyond, and let us know if you run into any problems or have other feedback. Please start new threads here in the forums for any specific issues, and be sure to include “Zotero 7 Beta” in your thread title.
You can install the beta from the Beta Builds page. For more details on Zotero 7, see the initial beta announcement and the announcement of the updated reader.
We hope you enjoy it!
Edit: speaking of which, I saw you've since closed the discussion on my icon proposal, and it's only fitting (I would've acknowledged this over there, but I can't exactly do so anymore). :) If anyone likes the classic look of the old chonker of a Z with the standard squircle mask and shadow, it's still there if you want it, but I'm even dropping it myself.
The new one is much more in line with all of Zotero's other branding, and I especially like the subtle and messy skeumorphism of those coloured stickies, it reminds me a bit of my dissertation. :P
As for the dark mode, I would like to extend my thanks to tefkah for his dependable Night plugin, which has served me well for years but has now been rendered obsolete, and also to the Zotero team for doing so. Having that functionality by default, complete with alternating row backgrounds and system setting-compliant highlight colours, is the ideal scenario, and I've just touted it in my reference manager users' Facebook group. Do you have any tentative ETA for the RC and GM stages? I wouldn't want to hype people too much over there…
One thing I may suggest to add (I know, I know, it's so new and I'm already here with demands XD): the capability to toggle off the dark theme just for the pdf (documents) reader, since it may happen that some texts using colors for charts or other things may appear less legible due to dark theme. it's already there and I didn't notice. Sorry and and let me say great work again
Also, since I'm gathering hate with this post, can I ask you when you're going to port in transifex all the new strings added with the version 7? there's quite a bunch of them not yet present, and we'll like to start translating! Joke aside, can it help if I compile a list of missing strings to speed up the process?
(thanks for including me on the contributors page, never spotted that!!)
Congratulations!!
There have two problem and one suggest about this vision：
Problem：
1. the item list style have some trouble：
if the column "attachment" at the first，（before title），the line‘s style has some malposition。
2. the file by link has not the link mark。
Suggest :
The additional information right can be customized order？
ex: I want to seen "Tag" before "Info" 。
1) Yes, we're aware — thanks.
2) Not sure what you mean. Can you start a new thread and say more?
Section reordering is planned.
(Please create new threads for specific issues.)