Auto create folder for used references.

lexi_GC

I'm looking to create a folder in Zotero desktop only for the references that are used in a manuscript I am writing. I need to free up space on Zotero and I know I have a ton of saved unused references.
Is there a way to auto populate the used references into a folder, thus have a folder for unused references and mass delete them?

enozkan

Before deleting a lot of stuff for no good reason, be aware that all data are saved locally and synced between computers by Zotero for free. There is no space limit. Also all attachment files (like PDFs) locally are free. The only limit is for syncing attachment files between computers. So, do you really need to delete much/most of your reference library?

If being at the attachment sync limit bothers you for some reason, you can always go to Preferences -> "Sync and turn off Sync attachment files in My Library". All data sync with no limit as long as you set it up in the Data Syncing part above.

emilianoeheyns

And also, just the items themselves use hardly any space. Deleting these rather than just deleting the attachments will not free up significant space on your system.

That aside, no, zotero does not keep track of items "in use". It's technically possible to read from a Word document what items are used, but zotero does not offer a way to select these items in Zotero.

adamsmith

While Zotero doesn't do this itself, if this is only about one document, there actually is a way to do this using:
https://rintze.zelle.me/ref-extractor/

Upload your document and use the "Select in Zotero" option, which will select all items cited in the document so that you can easily drag them to a collection (which you should create beforehand)

lexi_GC

@enozkan @emilianoeheyns thank you both for this info! I had no idea.
I was concerned because when syncing I received the yellow caution triangle next to the sync bar, telling me my space was up. It's good to know I can still save references no matter what.

@adamsmith thank you for this!!

adamsmith

(to be clear, I agree with the advice above to generally not delete items in Zotero if there's any chance you may still use or even want to read them in the future)