No word processor in Zotero

ldscherer
I'm using a new Mac. All updated software. I recently installed Zotero. Microsoft Word recognizes Zotero--the Zotero tab appears in the top bar. However, Word cannot detect Zotero. When I click on Add/Edit Citation, I get the message: Word could not communicate with Zotero. Please ensure that Zotero is open and try again. Zotero is definitely open.
I have closed both Word and Zotero and reopened them.
When I go to Zotero-->Preferences-->Word Processors there are no word processors listed.
  • dstillman
    edited March 20, 2020
    Where is Zotero installed on your computer? In Applications or somewhere else?

    Can you close Zotero, go to your Zotero profile directory, and email the extensions.json file to support@zotero.org with a link to this thread? If you then delete extensions.json, that may fix the problem, as long as you're running Zotero from Applications.
  • dstillman
    @ldscherer: OK, based on information provided by someone else, it looks like this happens if the first time you run Zotero you try to run it directly from the disk image (.dmg) rather than dragging the app to the Applications folder and launching it from there. Zotero shows an error message and refuses to run, but even if you then copy the app to Applications, the word processor plugins stop working the next time you restart your computer.

    You should be able to fix this by closing Zotero, deleting extensions.json from your Zotero profile directory, and making sure you're running Zotero from Applications and not from the disk image.

    We'll also fix this on our end, but note that you always want to run Mac apps from the Applications folder, not straight from the .dmg. Like Zotero, many apps will provide an alias to the Applications folder right in the disk image window so that it's easy to drag the app to Applications.
  • ldscherer
    Thank you! I deleted all .json extensions and now it works. I didn't remember having opened Zotero from the disk image the first time (because I subsequently found and opened it from Applications), but I must have done that. Thanks again.
Sign In or Register to comment.