Word could not communicate with Zotero. Please ensure that Zotero is open and try again.

Entelektuel · 2025-11-25T15:35:50+00:00

Hi, I've been using Zotero for quite some time without any issues, until recently. Today, I encountered a problem where I couldn't insert any citations or bibliographies. An error message keeps popping up, stating: "Word could not communicate with Zotero. Please ensure that Zotero is open and try again." I attempted to troubleshoot the issue by uninstalling Zotero and then re-downloading it. Additionally, I tried disabling and enabling the Word extension from the add-ons menu, but unfortunately, these steps did not resolve the problem. For reference, my Zotero version is 6.0.26, and I'm using macOS Ventura 13.4.1. If you have any suggestions on how to fix this communication error between Zotero and Word, I would greatly appreciate your help.

dstillman · 2025-11-25T15:36:23+00:00

You're running a version of Zotero from April 2023. You should install the latest version from the download page and figure out why you haven't received automatic updates in 2.5 years.

dstillman · 2025-11-25T15:40:05+00:00

@Entelektuel: Wait, you just copied and pasted someone else's old post. Please never do that — it's incredibly confusing. If you're not comfortable posting in English, post in your native language.

Your Report ID is 671028197, from 7.0.30 on Windows.

[JavaScript Error: "Could not remove C:\Users\[…]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\Startup\Zotero.dotm" {file: "resource://zotero-winword-integration/installer.jsm" line: 186}]"

Zotero isn't able to update the plugin in Word, likely because of security software on your computer. Follow these steps:

https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#error_or_non-responsive_plugin_buttons