Data directory could not be found error after installation

evejamieson

I've helped two different people install Zotero standalone in the last week and have had the same error message twice after installations - data directory could not be located. These were students who had never used Zotero before.

Both times Zotero appeared to install fine, but on opening it would not find the data directory. This also seemed to cause problems when exporting RIS and BibText files straight into Zotero.

The happened on a mac (using safari) and a windows laptop.

Does anyone know what the problem might be and how to manually fix it?

dstillman

What's the exact message you're seeing?

Lily Nazareno

I've gotten the same message, with new users I've helped to install standalone as well with my new computer: "The Zotero data directory could not be found." With the options Quit, Locate, and Use Default Location.

Perhaps this is due to the new installation and not yet having a user logged in to sync? Selecting Use Default Location allows you to open Zotero; after logging in, it works just fine.

dstillman

This is fixed for the next version, which should be out by next week.

evejamieson

Thanks very much for the responses, I've now tried using the 'Use Default Location' when helping students install and it seems to work fine now. The wording was a little alarming and unclear, but as long as you choose the right option it's fine! Glad to hear it's fixed in the next version. Thanks again.

dstillman

This is fixed in Zotero 5.0.23, available now.