How to store pdfs *only* online, to free up space on hard drive?

micahherskind

My computer is out of space, and I bought Zotero storage. So I want to store all my zotero files online (including pdfs), and not on my computer. I synced everything, but I'm nervous to delete things on my local drive because I'm worried it will also delete online. Is what I'm trying to do a thing?

dstillman

Deleting a file in your filesystem will never delete the file online. Only deletions in Zotero itself would do that.

So if you're sure all your files have synced, you can do a search for all PDF files within the 'storage' directory in your Zotero data directory and delete those.

To be safe, I'd recommend doing a Reset File Sync History from the Sync → Reset pane of the Zotero preferences and then syncing once more before deleting any files — that will do an extra check to make sure your files are in sync. (Don't use the other reset option.)

You'd then want to make sure Zotero is set to download files "as needed" rather than "at sync time".

In a future version, we're planning to add some file management features that let you choose how much space you want to use locally for files that have been uploaded, but for now you'll need to do it manually.

micahherskind

Thank you so much!!!

ashaherten

Hi! Any update on the ability to choose how much local storage space we are using? I'm having the same issue as OP. Thanks!

dstillman

@ashaherten: Yes, it's coming soon — probably within the next couple months.