How do I delete my library?

leftfootersas
I first joined Zotero for a class. For this class I was required to do some searches and add things to my library. I do not know of many of the items in my Library. I would like to delete the entire thing and start fresh. However I am unable to delete my library, its collections, or even a single citation. Does anyone have any suggestions?
  • Tjowens
    You delete items by selecting them in the center column while viewing "My Library" and hitting the delete key. This will put them in your trash can. You right click the trash can to permanently delete the items.

    Just to be sure we are on the same page. You can only delete items through the Firefox extension, not through the Zotero website.
  • hexagram
    Is there a way to delete the entire thing in one go? Currently it forces me to select items individually!
  • adamsmith
    Could you step back and say what exactly you're trying to do? If you want to delete multiple items, you can batch select them using shift+click, but depending on what you're trying to achieve, there might be easier ways to clean out your library.
  • hexagram
    I am trying to completely remove everything in my library so as to free up zotero storage. I am not looking to batch select because I have many citations on the list, I am looking for something similar to ctrl+a (which does not work on the online UI)
  • dstillman
    If you're working on a significant Zotero library, you want to be using the Zotero desktop app, which lets you select all items.

    Note, though, that only attachments count against your quota, not regular items, so there's absolutely no reason to be deleting items unless you have no use for them anymore.
  • DWL-SDCA
    edited June 18, 2021
    @hexagram

    Annihilation of your library is an extraordinary step that will obliterate many hours of work. Do you want to only remove items from your online Zotero storage and keep the records and attached (pdf) files locally? Do you want to selectively remove files from your Zotero online storage to make room for other files? Is there some other reason? What you are suggesting is a very drastic, permanent, and awesome step to take. The small (but tedious) effort to selectively remove unneeded records is trivial compared with the effort needed to replace the records you removed unnecessarily!

    There are ways to accomplish that but you must be clear what you want other than to free-up Zotero storage. Please understand that you are charged by the size of files or attachments that are stored. The number of metadata records alone doesn't affect your storage fee -- only the attached files. You could have almost a zillion Zotero records without attached files and pay no fee for storage. (You might receive a message questioning why you need so many records and warning that so many records will slow the program to a crawl.)

    If you want to keep your Zotero records and attached files locally and not sync them to your online storage there ways that you can achieve that with little effort.

    Please state clearly why you want to free up storage.

    If you do want to permanently destroy all of your work, here is how I would do it:

    If you want to delete records _and_ attachments of _everything_ in your entire library (that is, completely start over as a blank slate); on the local version of Zotero you can ctl+a to select everything in your library and right-click selecting move to trash. Then you must empty the trash and sync. Even writing that gives me the shivers because I cannot imagine a situation where I would want to permanently destroy all of my work effort. I haven't tried this because of the terrible consequences. I do know that it is possible to create a collection named 'KILL', move large blocks of records there, and delete the collection and its contents. Those records and attachments will be gone forever after you empty the trash.

    Please reconsider the consequences of this action.

    edited to add emphasis italics

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