Existing PDF collection

cfeagans
I've just started using Zotero and I really like it's ability to save references as I browse the internet. But it looks like it stores PDF files in its own directory tree.

I currently have over 1,000 PDF articles and documents that I've collected over the years, most of them journal articles. I have them arranged in a drive that I can access from either Linux or Windows in directory tree that segregates them by category. I've used Referencer to sort and organize them but would like to import them into Zotero.

Is there a way to do this without moving them one-by-one into the Zotero directory? Can they continue to reside in their own directory and just use Zotero to catalog and tag them?
  • adamsmith
    I don't see an option to avoid a one-by-one process,
    but you can definitely leave them in the directory where they are currently stored.
    Just use the "Link to File" Option on the Attachment tab in the right panel.
    (I.e. create an entry for your pdf, then "attach" it to that entry using the link to file option)
  • Tjowens
    Will Referencer export RIS or BibTeX with links to your PDFs? If it does Zotero should be able to import the references and files simultaneously.
  • Heckscher
    You can do one or the other, but not both (I think). You can select all your files and drag them into the Zotero window: that will move them all into separate Zotero folders. Or you can create links to the existing items one at a time, as another used has suggested.

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