New groups not appearing in standalone browser

A few hours ago I added 2 new groups and although they were visible immediately in my Zotero Web Library they are not appearing in the standalone research assistant and thus I'm not able to move items into these new groups. Can you help?
  • What I perhaps should have said is that that I added two new Group Libraries that are visible in my Zotero Web Library but still do not appear in the standalone research assistant. Please help so I can start moving items into these new Libraries
  • You have to sync.
  • Thank you for your response. In zotero standalone under edit - preferences - and sync: all the boxes are ticked and I've clicked the green circular revolving arrow sync button, but new library groups not appearing.
  • See Changes Not Syncing, and provide the info requested if you're still having trouble by the end.
  • I should have said that in Zotero standalone under edit -preferences - and sync: in the 'Libraries to syn' box the following boxes are listed and ticked in this order:

    My Libraries and Feeds

    Group Library 1

    Group Library 2

    Group Library 3

    Group Library 4


    However, there are two more Group Libraries that I set up recently that are not appearing on the standalone, but appear when I sign into my account and look in my online library.


    Looked at your 'changes not syncing' link and now wonder if it is the Debug ID that I require, but found that rather confusing, ie. how one does that.




  • We need a Debug ID for a sync to help you. The page I linked to links to instructions for providing one.
  • This is the output ID given after following that procedure and pressing sync button: D1250359455
  • Right, so you’re syncing with a different account. That’s Step 5 on the linked page.
  • I see that my user name for the standalone is somehow different (home phone number actually) than for my Zotero login account. Is this the problem? Not sure how this happened and I was able to add and populate two other Group Libraries to the standalone before. Anyway, how do I change the standalone account user name to that of my Zotero account, or will I have to create a new standalone account?
  • edited June 29, 2021
    You already have two accounts. Don't create another. You're syncing with a different account from the account you're posting from. The account you're posting from is the one that owns the groups and has a storage subscription.

    You can change the user you're syncing with from the Sync preferences.
  • So on zotero standalone I go to edit-preferences-sync unlink account-enter new user name and password-press set up syncing

    At that point it warns that "This zotero database was last synced with a different account from the one you are attempting to syn with. If you continue all your zotero libaries associated with the former will be removed from this computer.

    Before continuing, make sure all the files you wish to keep have been synced with...."

    So is this what I should do, remove the current account from standalone and enter the user name and password from my zotero account? I'm hoping that the Group libraries that I created in the standalone with the incorrect username will still appear in my zotero account and will also appear in the standalone once synced with the zotero account. Just don't want to lose any of the work that I've done and can't understand how all of that information went to my zotero account and appears on the standalone as well except for those last two group libraries I created (the latter appear in my web library, but not in the standalone)









  • Again, you have two accounts. We can't advise you on what's in the personal library for each account that you might care about, but you can log into each on this website and look at it under Web Library at the top of the page.

    The account you're posting from owns all the groups, has a storage subscription, and has thousands of items in My Library. The other account has a couple dozen items and doesn't own any groups.

    As the message explains, if you switch from one to the other, it will erase the local data from that account. If you care about that data, you can export to Zotero RDF with files and later import it into the other account. Otherwise, you can just switch to the account you're currently posting from. Either way, I would recommend making a backup of your Zotero data directory before doing so.
  • Thanks for all of your help and patience. I'm getting a new computer soon, so maybe it would be easier to just install the standalone browser on that and link it to my zotero account using that username and password. Is that a solution?

    Also, is it correct that the information if collected in web libraries on zotero accounts can somehow be altered without the account holder having changed it - is that a reason why a regular backup is recommended?
  • edited July 1, 2021
    I'm getting a new computer soon, so maybe it would be easier to just install the standalone browser on that and link it to my zotero account using that username and password. Is that a solution?
    That isn't any easier than doing it with your current computer and, if you have data in your current account that you care about, it wouldn't help (you'd still need to export/import that).
    Also, is it correct that the information if collected in web libraries on zotero accounts can somehow be altered without the account holder having changed it - is that a reason why a regular backup is recommended?
    No, only you can change that information, but useful back-ups should have versions and the online library doesn't. Think, e.g., of a scenario where you accidentally delete a large amount of items and empty the trash and those changes sync (as they do) almost instantaneously. The web library doesn't help you at all here, but a backup of your local library taken yesterday or an hour ago does.
  • It appears as though I can see everything in my standalone library (current account?) that I can seeing in my zotero account online library except for two Group Libraries that I recently created, but have no collections or items in them. So what are these two dozen items in my standalone account (current account?) that you mention? How
    does one view them in among everything else that I see therein?

    If I can identify and view those 24 items and decide not to keep them and then go ahead and sync my standalone account to my zotero account using that user name and password, could this affect my Online Library in my main zotero account, ie could I lose items from the latter somehow?
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