How do I move my library from Zotero in Parallels/Firefox to Zotero in Mac OS/Firefox?

Karen Feldman
I'm a newbie with Zotero, and also newly switched to Mac from PC, so I think it was Parallels that got me confused. I installed Zotero and started my Zotero library using Firefox in Parallels, and then switched to using Zotero in Firefox without Parallels (i.e. just Mac). When I did that, I thought I had lost my whole library, because I couldn't find anything, but after trying some of the library-restoration tips in these forums I realized my library was stored in my Parallels version of Zotero.

Questions:

1. Doesn't it make more sense to use Zotero in Firefox without Parallels (to avoid viruses, for example)?

2. Because I thought I had lost my library, I tried re-installing Zotero in Mac Firefox (no Parallels). And I think I messed up my Zotero file in my non-Parallels profile, because there is no storage folder there (I had tried some of the library-finding techniques that included deleting extensions and moving sqlite files).

3. How can I move my library from the Zotero I have in Firefox/Parallels to a well-functioning copy of Zotero in non-Parallels Firefox?

Thanks in advance.
  • Karen Feldman
    Ok, I think I did the right thing, or at least it seems to work: I found the Zotero folder in the profile of my Parallels/Firefox browser (not at all easy to find!), and moved it to the profile of my Mac/Firefox browser (which has a completely different profile name and path). I also then customized the Parallels/Firefox Zotero library location by pasting in the path to the Zotero folder that I had put into the profile of my Mac/Firefox browser.

    Any comments as to whether I did the right thing here? Should I uninstall Zotero from the Parallels/Firefox browser to avoid synch problems? Or is this all a mistake, and Zotero works better from Parallels Firefox than from Mac OS Firefox?

    Thanks!
  • adamsmith
    you did the right thing. Absolutely no reason to run Zotero on Parallels.

    It's very unlikely that the extra Zotero copy in parallels will cause any problems, so you can leave it there if you want to, but you won't need it.
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