Delete synced files from groups

simon.loewe · 2024-11-09T01:14:26+00:00

Hi,

How do I delete synced files from groups? To be clear, I want to keep my files locally but I don't want them on my online storage. Purge files seems to only work on My Library, and I could not find a different way of doing it which didn't involve delete the group online, but keeping it locally.

Thanks!

dstillman · 2024-11-09T09:03:58+00:00

The point of groups is to sync everything. If you don't want the files in the group, you'll need to delete the attachments from the group.

simon.loewe · 2024-11-09T13:33:59+00:00

Thank you for your answer. I am slightly confused by the answer though. It is possible to have groups without syncing and personally I use some of them in that way to have the references shared but not necessarily the actual files. Right now my memory is maxed out with a group for which I don't actually need the files to be synced. Is there a way of just telling Zotero to delete the attachments for that group?

Thank you!

dstillman · 2024-11-09T13:55:23+00:00

It is possible to have groups without syncing and personally I use some of them in that way to have the references shared but not necessarily the actual files

I'm not sure what you're referring to here.

You can disable file syncing for all groups or set them to download files as needed, but that's for controlling what gets downloaded to a given computer, not what gets uploaded. Groups are for collaboration, so again, the point is to make everything available to all devices (whether or not the files are actually downloaded on a given device).

If you don't actually want files in the group, you should delete the attachments and/or adjust the group settings to disable files altogether, in which case they won't be saved to begin with.

simon.loewe · 2024-11-09T14:31:55+00:00

Ah ok sorry, yes for some groups I want this option of having the references but not the files, so I think disabling files is what I want.
But how do I delete the attachments? I want to only delete them from the online storage not locally.
Thanks for your help!

dstillman · 2024-11-09T14:34:10+00:00

Again, what you want is not possible — it's not how groups work. If you don't want the files, you need to delete the attachment items, and then they'll be deleted everywhere.

simon.loewe · 2024-11-09T14:38:01+00:00

I'm sorry but I am confused by this. I have many groups where I have the attachments (as in the pdfs of the papers) locally but online I only have the references.

dstillman · 2024-11-09T15:00:32+00:00

Yes, because you're at your file sync quota, so no additional files are being uploaded in any groups you own, and possibly haven't been for some time. Zotero would be showing you a warning icon about that on every sync. That doesn't mean there's some feature to avoid uploading files in specific groups (beyond turning off files in a group altogether, which prevents files from being saved in the first place).

simon.loewe · 2024-11-09T16:40:45+00:00

Ah ok, thank you for your help. I personally would have use of an option where in groups the attachment is not synced but the reference is. But I can see how this might be a niche use case.
So what is the best way for me to liberate my storage while keeping the group library? If I delete the group online but keep it locally, it is not a library anymore right?
Thank you for your help, and sorry to be this slow.