Quickest way to move files/folders from Google Drive in to my ZOtero Storage?

whybethee

I presently have many files stored in folders on my Google Drive I would like to add into my Zotero Library collections and be stored in my Zotero storage. What is the quickest way to do this? It doesnt matter if I keep the folders or not. I want the files in certain collections and subcollections and for them to be eventually only in Zotero storage (I will would eventually delete them from Google storage).

dstillman

These are linked files or files that aren't in Zotero currently?

If the former, Tools → Manage Attachments → Convert Linked Files to Stored Files.

If the latter, just do a search for PDFs within the top-level folder and drag those all into Zotero.

whybethee

It is the latter. But I have a lot of files so maybe linking them first in google drive then converting them from linked files to stored files would be quicker than dragging them all. What is the quickest way to link from the Zotero collections to google drive files/folders? When I go to add file in Zotero I only see how to add files from my computer I don't see a way to link to files only in Google drive.

tim820

Adding them as linked files is still done via drag and drop, just with a modifier key held down while dragging/dropping ...
https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files#adding_files_via_the_zotero_window

And then the conversion from linked to stored files via the Tools menu option would take time, probably similar to the time taken to just drag them in as stored files in the first place (if it is your ultimate aim is for them to be stored files). The pros and cons of stored and linked files are described here:
https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files#stored_files_and_linked_files

Note that the files on Google Drive remain there in both scenarios (when added as stored files under Zotero\storage, Zotero makes a file copy to put there).

If you have a lot of files, just do the drag and drop in smaller chunks. If the PDF OS search is sorted alphabetically, do all the "A's", then the "B's" etc.

But if you did want to recreate each OS folder as a Zotero collection and keep the PDFs in that folder-collection, you can use the Folder Import plugin:
https://github.com/retorquere/zotero-folder-import

whybethee

1) What about uploading the files in bulk to zotero using "add files" into a special collection and then from that folder move them by right clicking them into collections? This would be quicker for more than dropping and dragging...

2) How does the Folder Import Plugin work? Would it take the folders directly from google drive? Or I would still have to drag the folders from google drive to zotero?
And would the folder import plug upload files from my hard drive in to Zotero?

adamsmith

1) Drag&drop and Add file are equivalent. Use whichever you find faster/more convenient.

2) It takes the folder from your local hard disk, you wouldn't have to drag anything (it won't access any online-only files, in case that's part of the question; they'd have to be present on your hard drive at the time you use the plugin)

whybethee

I added the Folder Import Plugin to Zotero. But I can figure out how it works?
How do I uses it take a folder from the local hard drive?

dstillman

I’m not sure why you’re complicating this? If you don’t care about preserving any folders, you can just do exactly what I say: do a search for all PDFs under that folder, select them all, and drag them into Zotero in one step. You would then delete the files in the original locations.

If there’s something else you’re trying to accomplish, we can help you, but there’s really nothing else to this.

DonnaCoxBaker

Dan, what about the files that are not PDFs?

dstillman

@DonnaCoxBaker: You can drag any files into Zotero. Only PDFs and EPUBs can be recognized.