Upgrade StorageFeature Request: “Add Item by URL” — Allow Zotero to import metadata directly from a pasted URL
Message:
I would like to propose a feature that would eliminate the long-standing dependency on browser connectors and greatly improve the stability of workflows across different browsers.
Requested feature:
A simple input field in Zotero where users can paste a URL, and Zotero automatically:
1. accesses the page in the background,
2. extracts metadata (DOI, title, authors, etc.),
3. retrieves the PDF when available, and
4. creates a new item in the library.
Why this is needed:
Browser connectors—especially for Safari—have become increasingly unreliable due to changes in browser extension architectures. Many users prefer Safari for everyday browsing and bookmark management, but must switch to Chrome/Firefox solely to save items into Zotero.
If Zotero itself could process URLs directly, users would no longer depend on browser behavior, and the workflow would become consistent and robust across platforms.
Why this is feasible:
Zotero already implements metadata retrieval via DOI/PMID (“Add Item by Identifier”), and translators handle metadata extraction from URLs. Exposing this capability directly in the Zotero UI through a simple “Add Item by URL” action would build on existing functionality and greatly simplify the user experience.
Benefits:
• No more browser-dependent failures
• Stable workflow regardless of Safari/Chrome/Firefox extension changes
• Much faster capturing process for researchers
• Simplifies support burden for the Zotero team
• Unifies metadata retrieval under Zotero itself
This feature would make a major positive impact for researchers who rely on Zotero every day, and it aligns naturally with Zotero’s recent movement toward integrating more functionality directly into the application.
Thank you for considering this request!
I would like to propose a feature that would eliminate the long-standing dependency on browser connectors and greatly improve the stability of workflows across different browsers.
Requested feature:
A simple input field in Zotero where users can paste a URL, and Zotero automatically:
1. accesses the page in the background,
2. extracts metadata (DOI, title, authors, etc.),
3. retrieves the PDF when available, and
4. creates a new item in the library.
Why this is needed:
Browser connectors—especially for Safari—have become increasingly unreliable due to changes in browser extension architectures. Many users prefer Safari for everyday browsing and bookmark management, but must switch to Chrome/Firefox solely to save items into Zotero.
If Zotero itself could process URLs directly, users would no longer depend on browser behavior, and the workflow would become consistent and robust across platforms.
Why this is feasible:
Zotero already implements metadata retrieval via DOI/PMID (“Add Item by Identifier”), and translators handle metadata extraction from URLs. Exposing this capability directly in the Zotero UI through a simple “Add Item by URL” action would build on existing functionality and greatly simplify the user experience.
Benefits:
• No more browser-dependent failures
• Stable workflow regardless of Safari/Chrome/Firefox extension changes
• Much faster capturing process for researchers
• Simplifies support burden for the Zotero team
• Unifies metadata retrieval under Zotero itself
This feature would make a major positive impact for researchers who rely on Zotero every day, and it aligns naturally with Zotero’s recent movement toward integrating more functionality directly into the application.
Thank you for considering this request!
Saving URLs from the app is inferior for a variety of reasons, so it's not something we'd ever encourage. And the idea that this would result in a "Much faster capturing process for researchers" makes no sense. To have a URL in the first place, you're almost always in the browser in the first place. Saving to Zotero takes one click in your browser.