Remove original files once correct file has been found from metadata

I have just moved a bunch of files over to Zotero. Many of the documents (mostly research papers) had incorrect/ shortened naming. When the metadata was retrieved a new copy was created with the correct title and all the associated information while the original file remained in the library as a sub-file. There are too many files to go through one by one so I'm hoping there's a way to remove all of the original files from the library, if anyone knows a way to do this it would be greatly appreciated
  • Where exactly are you seeing the new copy of the file? Are you using any Zotero add-ons?

    What you describe sounds like either you're not understanding where Zotero stores files you move to it or you have some customized set up.
  • And where are you seeing the old copy? Note that when you drag a file into Zotero, it creates a new copy of the item in its internal storage and leaves the original file in place (and not a part of Zotero at all).
  • I'm just using stock Zotero, I don't have much experience with Zotero so I may very well be misunderstanding it/ poorly explaining what I'm trying to achieve. For example if I add a file to Zotero and the file was saved as Biology1 on my computer but the document title (from the metadata) is Biology2, Zotero names and creates a file (or link to file not quite sure) named Biology2 which has a drop down menu that includes the original upload name and file. The company I work for wants the incorrect names to either be removed or retitled to the correct paper name e.g. Biology1 converted to Biology2 or the file titled Biology1 removed all together in this example. It would be easier to explain if it were possible to post a screen shot but that's essentially what I am trying to achieve.
  • Right, so when you drag a file to Zotero, it copies the file to its own (local) storage directory (and the extracts metadata etc.). The Zotero entry has no connection to the original file you've dragged to Zotero, which you can simply delete if you want to.

    (You can post screenshots to any free image hosting site -- dropbox, imgur.com -- and link to them here.
  • Do you know if there is a way to remove all at once? There are just under 9000 files so to do it all one by one would take an unrealistic amount of time.
  • Once they're all in Zotero? Select all + delete.
  • (It's also possible to move files from the filesystem into Zotero instead of copying them. That's Cmd-drag on macOS and I think Shift-drag on Windows/Linux. But just deleting the originals after is also easy.)
  • adamsmith If I select all then all files in zotero get highlighted, I just want to remove the original copies, that's my problem. I'll keep that in mind for the future dstillman
  • You Select All and delete in the original file location, not in Zotero.
  • edited June 20, 2018
    Okay but some files weren't duplicated when copied over, would that not remove those files?
  • any file that you dragged over was duplicated in Zotero, even if it kept the same filename. You can check using right-click --> Show File and you will see that the file is in a subdirectory of the Zotero storage folder.
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