Zotero does not find records from storage on Mac

rcsapo

Hi Zoteros,

I've recently updated Mac OS to Big Sur with a clean install. Unfortunately, I've only copied the entire Zotero directory (~/Zotero) to the new system , rather than exporting my library before formatting my drive. Now Zotero does not find the records stored there. Is there any way I can make Zotero read in these files? I've already checked the preferences and the data directory location appears to be set correctly.

Thanks for your advice,
Robert

dstillman

Copying ~/Zotero is exactly what to do — you don't want to use an export for this.

But you have to copy the right directory, you have to do so in full, and you have to put the files in the right place. If you do all that, it will absolutely work.

(You should also always have a complete (e.g., Time Machine) backup of your disk before wiping it. Do you?)

Let us know these things:

- The names, sizes, and dates of all files beginning with “zotero.sqlite” in your current data directory

- Whether there's a 'storage' folder containing subfolders with dates corresponding to your previous usage of Zotero

rcsapo

Apologies everybody. The zotero.sqlite I had copied was empty - I did indeed restore it from Time Machine and now Zotero properly shows all my references. Thanks a lot for the swift help. And happy holidays!