Transferring libraries.

raccoonswag

Hi there,

I have followed the steps given in the Transferring a Library help page and copy-pasted the Zotero files from my previous computer to the new computer.

Unfortunately, it appears that it did not work. I have tried syncing, but syncing does not transfer the attached pdfs to my new computer.

Is there a way to resolve this issue?

Thank you!

dstillman

Can you say exactly what you did and what happened?

raccoonswag

I copy-pasted the old locate/storage/styles/translators and other sqlite files to the new Zotero directory. This was done while Zotero Standalone was closed. When I re-opened Zotero Standalone, none of the old files have been transferred.

When I tried syncing, the sync worked perfectly, other than the attached pdfs not being able to sync to Zotero Standalone.

I hope this answers your question :o

dstillman

If attached PDFs that were accessible on the old computer weren't accessible on the new one, you didn't copy the files correctly. Don't worry about the individual files — just copy the entire Zotero data directory from one computer to the other. Assuming you have Zotero 5.0 on the new computer, it should end up as a "Zotero" directory in your home directory (e.g., C:\Users\:username:\Zotero if this is Windows). You can verify this from the Advanced → Files and Folders pane of the Zotero preferences.

If syncing didn't transfer the files, they likely were never uploaded to your online library — it seems because you're at your free file sync quota.

So you should just copy the whole directory.

dstillman

When I re-opened Zotero Standalone, none of the old files have been transferred.

And to clarify, when you say none of the old files have been transferred, do you mean that you didn't see your library data on the new computer, or you didn't see your files?

raccoonswag

Yes, I didn't see my files on the new computer when I opened Zotero Standalone. It appears like this even after I've copy-pasted the Zotero data directory. (https://imgur.com/a/RF5gM)

dstillman

OK, just to note for clarity, we differentiate between "items" and "files" — the former refers to the entries in your database, and the latter refers to attached files such as PDFs.

So if you're not seeing your items, you definitely didn't copy the Zotero data files to the right place (or didn't copy the right files). Try it again with the whole directory. You just need to use Show Data Directory on the old computer, go up one level (Alt-up-arrow), and then copy that directory (called either 'zotero' or 'Zotero', unless you're using a custom name) to the new computer as 'Zotero' in your home directory (again, assuming that's what shows up in the Advanced → Files and Folders pane of the Zotero preferences).

raccoonswag

Ah, I see!

Thank you for the help, I've just managed to copy the files over to my new computer!