“Retrieve Metadata for PDF” no an available option

Megan Powell
I have recently copied many pdfs into Zotero. All the forums indicate I should be able to right click on them and hit “Retrieve Metadata for PDF” but this is not an option. It gives me:

View PDF
Open in External Viewer
Show File
Add Note
Add Attachemnt
Duplicate Item
Remove Item from Collection
Move Item to Trash
Export Item
Create Bibliography from Item
Generate Report from Item

I have pdftotext version 3.02 installed and have updated my version of Zotero as of 6/23/15. Any help with how to import the metadata from this pile of pdfs would be greatly appreciated!
  • arggem
    edited June 23, 2015
    Is your pdf already attached to a parent item (whether or not the metadata is complete? I suspect that it is, and that you are right clicking on that parent item.

    That's not how retrieve metadata works. You need to right click on a pdf itself which is _not_ already attached to a parent item. That is, a stand alone pdf.

    Here is a link https://www.zotero.org/support/retrieve_pdf_metadata
    Begin by dragging your existing PDFs into your Zotero library or use the “Store Copy of File” option from the add new item menu (green plus sign). Once they appear in the middle column, select the ones for which you wish to retrieve metadata. Right click on them and select “Retrieve Metadata for PDF”.
Sign In or Register to comment.