Windows → Ubuntu (24.04.3): safest way to preserve Zotero DB and reconnect Zotmoov attachments

ejfeilich

Hi all — looking for a low-risk migration plan.

Context
-Current OS: Windows 11 Home 24H2 → moving to Ubuntu 24.04.3 (fresh install)
-Currently using Zotero (7.0.16) with Zotmoov (1.2.22), -which I'm using to store attachments on Proton Drive (1.11.2).
-Zotero sync is on for data; file sync is via Zotmoov, not Zotero Storage.
-Zotmoov is set to automatically move files to the cloud directory.
-Current Zotero data directory path is local to my device.

Goal
Replace Windows with Ubuntu and reconnect Zotero to my existing attachments on Proton Drive with minimal risk of corruption and minimal relinking.

My draft plan (please sanity-check / improve):
-In Zotero (Windows), run Help → Check Database Integrity and confirm no errors.
-On Windows, close Zotero completely and make a full backup of the Zotero Data Directory (including zotero.sqlite, storage, and translators, etc.) on an external device.
-Fresh-install Ubuntu 24.04.3.
-Install Zotero (Linux). Before first run, copy the backed-up Data Directory into my Ubuntu home (or point Zotero to it on first launch).
-Install/sign in to Proton Drive on Ubuntu and ensure it mounts to a stable path.
-Install/configure Zotmoov on Ubuntu, sign in, and point it to the same Proton Drive folder.
-In Zotero (Ubuntu), set Linked Attachment Base Directory to ???.
-Open a few items and test attachments; avoid enabling any auto-renames/moves until confirmed working.
-Only after validation, re-enable background sync features.

Questions
-Are the steps above sufficient to avoid DB or attachment corruption? Anything you would change?
-Any path/filename case-sensitivity gotchas moving from Windows to Linux with Zotero/Zotmoov?
-Recommended Proton Drive mount point on Ubuntu so Zotero/Zotmoov can reliably find files at boot?
-Any known issues running Zotero with Flatpak/Snap vs. tarball when external mounts (Proton Drive) are involved?
-If Zotmoov stores attachments as linked files, is the Linked Attachment Base Directory the preferred way to make the Windows→Linux path change painless?
-Anything else I should do (e.g., export library as a safety net, disable sync during the first launch, etc.)?

Thanks for any tips or traps to avoid!

tim820

My first step would be to verify that all the basic elements work. Install Zotero on your distro (without linking to your account), then add and set up Zotmoov and Proton drive, and the web connector for your preferred browser. Then test that Zotmoov can successfully move PDF files - as they are downloaded by the connector - to Proton drive. And that Zotero can open them. Then set a Linked Attachment Base Directory, as the path to your linked files folder in Linux will presumably be different to Windows. Test that Zotero can still find those files. If that is all OK, also set a LABD on Windows (if you haven't already got one). That modifies how existing PDF paths are stored in your database, so will be necessary for the (different) LABD path on Linux to work when you move your database across. This initial test process will also familiarize you with all the relevant paths on Linux.
https://www.zotero.org/support/preferences/advanced#files_and_folders

You should be able to do the move with either of the usual approaches (assuming all your metadata is synced online). Just with the addition of pointing Zotero to where your existing linked files are placed - which is what the local LABD setting does. Zotmoov settings are for future file downloads by the Web Connector.
https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/transferring_a_library

You will of course have excellent backups should anything go awry. ;)