Switching user accounts on Zotero desktop app

ellenmichelle

I was using Zotero on my laptop and then I got a new desktop and, not knowing I could sync the two accounts, I made a new account on my desktop and have been working in that for over a year.

I would like to sign out of the account on my laptop to sign in to the same account as my desktop to be able to sync the two and work from the same lists, but I'm not sure how to do this.

I don't particularly care if I lose the data saved to the account on my laptop, but I absolutely do not want even a chance of accidentally deleting the data from my desktop account because that's where all my active work is. So I'm worried about just linking a new sync on my laptop in case that overrides the lists from my desktop.

So, how can I log out of the account currently active on my laptop to sign in to the same account I use on my desktop?

adamsmith

First, make sure you have a back-up of both laptop and dekstop (if you don't have this set up already, it'd be a good idea anyway: https://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#backing_up_your_zotero_data )

Then,
1. I'd recommend exporting your Laptop library to Zotero RDF -- this will allow you to keep items from there after the account merge.
2. In the Laptop, go the sync settings and click "Unlink Account" Zotero will warn you that the data of that account will be removed. Click OK
3. Then input your username and password from the desktop account. I think you'll get a warning about syncing to an empty database. That is OK.
4. Sync. This may take a while.
5. (optional) Import the Zotero RDF you previously exported from your laptop to restore items in your laptop account.

ellenmichelle

Thank you, Adam! I'll give that a try. Thanks for the link on how to back-up my data.