Is there some way to move all my linked attachments to WebDAV files?

iagogv · 2026-01-27T23:55:35+00:00

I mean, currently, all my (pdf) files are attached as linked file attachments. Now, I want to open them as synced attachment files using WebDAV. And I have a lot of those files (thousands). Is there some automatic, reasonable way to do it?

Thank you in advance for your help!

dstillman · 2026-01-28T00:34:25+00:00

Tools → Manage Attachments → Convert Linked Files to Stored Files

iagogv · 2026-01-28T10:04:33+00:00

Thanks! I'll try

iagogv · 2026-01-31T00:33:44+00:00

I have just tried.
Why the files in the WebDAV zotero folder are saved compressed as .zip? What the .prop files mean?
Does this happen for all the WebDAV or just for pCloud?
Would it be possible to save them in the WebDAV as regular (pdf or whatever) files, and with the same folder hierarchy as I have as linked files?

By the way, this may be a misunderstanding on my hand, but I thought that saving files in WebDAV:
1) Zotero Desktop would not save also (duplicating) in Zotero folder storage.
2) Those files in WebDAV could be opened from Zotero Web Library through the links (the Zotero knowledge to access WebDAV).

Wouldn't that be possible?

Thanks for your help!

adamsmith · 2026-01-31T01:57:11+00:00

The idea of WebDAV is that it substitutes for Zotero File Storage (except with the limitation that webDAV files aren't available for groups or in the web library), allowing you to use your own (or cheaper commercial) storage for syncing. It works exactly the same way Zotero File Storage works:

So no, you can't have files saved uncompressed and you can't have them saved in a specific folder structure.

WebDAV always zips, the .prop files are part of the WebDAV protocol.

And for the numbered questions
1) Files will in fact have to be in Zotero/storage in order to sync via webDAV (again, just like they'd have to be with Zotero File Storage) and
2) WebDAV doesn't work in the web library (it does work on mobile apps though, as opposed to linked files.

iagogv · 2026-01-31T17:47:05+00:00

Thanks for answering.

WebDAV always zips, the .prop files are part of the WebDAV protocol.

Actually, I have only seen them for the Zotero storage, not before using also WebDAV.

Regarding the full discussion, I acknowledge my idea of Zotero working with WebDAV was completely wrong, thought more as linked files, and I will continue using linked attachments.

dstillman · 2026-01-31T21:11:56+00:00

(Yeah, the .zip and .prop files are just how Zotero does it, not anything specific to WebDAV. The goal was never to make WebDAV files available on the WebDAV server — just to sync them in a reliable way that would work with all WebDAV servers.)