Is there a Limit to Data Synching?

In the documentation at https://www.zotero.org/support/sync it says "Data syncing is free, has no storage limit, and can be used without file syncing." I always thought that synching data on the Zotero cloud had a limit of 300 free megabytes - is this not the case?

I am asking because we (librarians) are teaching Zotero to our museum curators as a citation-management tool, rather than a file-management tool (for various internal reasons). Since staff are not paying for additional storage, we are instructing them to synch their data, but unsynch their files (in the Edit>preferences>synch settings).

It occurred to me, however, that given the rate at which curators add citations to their Zotero library, at one point they will come up against the 300 megabites of cloud storage. What will occur at that point? Will they be blocked out of both their online and standalone accounts?

Most curators are working exclusively from one installation of the standalone/client. Is it better for us to tell them not to synch Zotero at all (including not synching the data)?




  • The documentation is correct and clear. Limits are only applied to the syncing of attached files.
  • Great, thanks!
  • Related to this - say someone forgets to unsynch their files and has not paid for additional storage. (This has happened because by default all boxes in the synch menu in the client are checked and our staff does not know to uncheck the one next to file synching, unless we tell them to.)

    What will happen when that staff member reaches the 300 megabit limit? Will they be locked out of both their online and standalone account?
  • There's no lockout. Files will just stop syncing.
  • So if someone pays for additional file storage for 1 year, but then cancels their subscription the next year, they can keep the box next to "synch attachment files in My Library ... " checked and still be able to access those files that synched up to the 300 megabites on the cloud and on all installations of the client (standalone)?
  • When you cancel your subscription or let it run out, no new files will sync and after a grace period of about 1month, Zotero will remove files exceeding your free quota _from the Zotero servers_. Zotero will never delete files locally anywhere*, so they'd be able to access all files synced at that point from all machines.


    * unless you delete them in Zotero yourself by moving them to the trash
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