Zotero crashes when trying to rebuild index.

jeremystolow · February 19, 2017

Hello. I am having a problem for which I can't find an answer on any troubleshooting, FAQ, or Forum pages. I recently installed the Zotero plugins "pdftotext" and "pdfinfo" on my Zotero desktop client and then attempted to rebuild the index (as instructed) in order to make my existing library searchable. But as soon as I click either "rebuild index" or "index unindexed items" my Zotero program immediately crashes. I have tried restarting the program and rebooting my computer, but no difference. My library is very large (over 30 GB) - could that be the problem? I don't know what to do! I am using Zotero's desktop client 4.0.29.15 (which says it is up to date) and running on a Mac OS X 10.11.6. Does anyone know of something I can do? Thanks in advance for your help!

dstillman · February 20, 2017

I'm guessing it's just freezing, not crashing, right? If so, just let it go for a while and it will finish.

jeremystolow · February 21, 2017

Thanks, dstillman, for your help. I tried letting it run overnight and that did unfreeze it, and I've begun to rebuild my index. I had abandoned earlier freezes after an hour assuming that in fact the program had crashed, but you are right, it does eventually sort itself out. Thanks