Zotero word plugin doesn't work

eleanew83 · 2026-04-10T03:27:29+00:00

I keep getting "Word could not communicate with Zotero. Please ensure that Zotero is open and try again.". Zotero is open and don't seem to have any issues. I have done many troubleshooting steps and none of them work. I don't see zotero in automation settings, but also don't know how to trigger it.

This also used to work at some point, but my guess is after an os update or something else, it stopped working. Any suggestions?

dstillman · 2026-04-10T03:27:52+00:00

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

Mac: https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#word_could_not_communicate_with_zotero_please_ensure_that_zotero_is_open_and_try_again

eleanew83 · 2026-04-11T16:06:26+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I have actually tried everything I could find online and it still wasn't working. But yesterday, after I updated my MacOS to Tohoe 26.4.1, it somehow worked again. I really have no idea what was going on. It was potentially some security update from Apple. Anyway, this is resolved now. Thank you!