Zotero 7 Beta: Zotero Integration Error on macOS
Error Message:
Zotero experienced an error updating your document.
Would you like to view troubleshooting instructions?
To reproduce the error:
1. Open zotero2. Open Word and create a new document
3. Click "Add/Edit Citation" button
4. The error message pops up
Troubleshooting Errors in Word Processor Documents
Done1. Restart both Zotero and your word processor.
Laptop: MacBook Air M2, 20222. Make sure you're using the latest versions of Zotero and your word processor.
Word: Word for Mac version 16.73 (23051401)
Zotero: 7.0.0-beta.2+39b8a3316
Disabled3. While troubleshooting, disable the Track Changes feature in Word/LibreOffice [...]
Not applicable. Occurs in a new document.4-11
- Restart laptopOther actions taken
- Reinstall Microsoft Word Add-in
Report ID: 483951062
D626526983
https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/mac_word_permissions_missing
We'll fix the dialog, but this would happen if you declined to give it permission to control Word when prompted.
Edit: Zotero 7 is allowed to control Microsoft Word
One with System Events activated and another one with both System Events and Microsoft Word activated.
1. Remove zotero 7 beta 2 from applications
2. Remove Zotero.dotm from
Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Startup.localized/Word
3. Run
tccutil reset All
4. Reinstall version 6.0.26 from
Zotero-6.0.26.dmg
5. Reinstall Microsoft Word Add-in
6. Open Word and trigger by Add/Edit Citation Then click "OK"
7. Manage Styles... in Zotero - Document Preferences to trigger "System Events"
8. In “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation” -> “Zotero”, System Events and Microsoft Word are enabled.
9. In
Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Startup.localized/Word
, Zotero.dotm is from Apr 21.Everything is working fine.
I then tried again Zotero 7 Beta 2
10. Install the beta from "Zotero-7.0.0-beta.2+39b8a3316.dmg"
11. Replace zotero 6 by the zotero 7 beta
12. Open zotero (now the version is 7.0.0-beta.2+39b8a3316)
13. Open Word
14. Add/Edit Citation
15. Nothing happens
16. In “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation”, no Zotero
17. Returning to zotero, trying to Reinstall Microsoft Word Add-in
18. Getting 19. Reopening Word
20. Add/Edit Citation
21. Nothing happens
22. Checking
Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Startup.localized/Word
, Zotero.dotm is still from Apr 21Sorry, I have to revert to a more stable state and return to zotero 6. And sorry again for making things more complicated that i previously was. But I would be happy to help you finding why it doesn't work on my laptop.
Edit:
Same problem as the one reported at the top of the thread on a MacBook air Retina, 13-inch, 2020 with Word for Mac version 16.73 (23051401).
Directly replaced Zotero 6.0.23 (sorry, it was not an up-to-date version as I thought first) by Zotero-7.0.0-beta.2+39b8a3316 via the dmg installer.
1. Open word
2. Add/Edit Citation triggers It doesn't trigger the access to Microsoft Word.app
3. Zotero Integration error 4. In “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation” -> “Zotero”, System Events only
5. Reinstall Microsoft Word Add-in does replace Zotero.dotm with the one bundled with zotero 7 Beta, but the problem is still here.
In the latest beta, we've fixed the error dialog for this problem, but there's still an issue with Zotero 7 not properly triggering the permissions prompt.
You should be able to work around this by installing the last Zotero 6 beta, triggering the permissions prompt with that, and then upgrading that to Zotero 7.
Release and beta builds have a different macOS bundle identifier, so the system treats them as separate apps, but if you trigger the prompt with the Zotero 6 beta that permission should carry over to the Zotero 7 beta. Hopefully most people trying the Z7 beta were already running the Z6 beta and won't be affected by this.
Unfortunately the workaround doesn't seem to work. Please find below the detailed of what I have done:
1. Installing 6.0.24-beta.1+77e0c71c7 from the link above
2. Opening zotero
3. Opening Word
4. Triggering the permissions prompt (Microsoft Word.app and System Events)
5. Inserting citation is OK
7. Closing Word
8. Checking Zotero.dotm date: Apr 21 (i.e., dotm file bundled with zotero 6.0.26)
9. From zotero 6.0.24-beta, reinstalling the Microsoft Word Add-in
10. Now the dotm file date is Apr 19. So zotero is able to write in
Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Startup.localized/Word
11. Opening Word. Still able to add/edit citation
12. Closing Word
14. Checking “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation” -> “Zotero”, both System Events and Microsoft Wort enabled.
15. Upgrading zotero 7.0.0-beta.5+4ca427863 to via "Check for Updates..."
16. zotero 7.0.0-beta.5 opens, with a quick prompt "Installing Microsoft Word for Mac Integration..." or similar
17. Checking the dotm file. Still Apr 19.
18. Checking “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation” -> “Zotero”, both System Events and Microsoft Wort still enabled.
19. Opening Word
20. Add/Edit Citation. Nothing happens
21. Restarting the computer
22. Checking “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation” -> “Zotero”, both System Events and Microsoft Wort still here and enabled. (Please note it is called Zotero, not Zotero 7)
23. Starting zotrero then Word.
24. Add/Edit Citation. Nothing happens. I checked if the citation dialog wasn't opened behind, but nothing.
25. Via zotero 7.0.0-beta.5, resinstalling the add-in (Installation was successful)
26. dotm file date is still Apr 19 (but it seems to be the correct date according to the date of
/Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/Resources/extensions/zoteroMacWordIntegration@zotero.org/install/Zotero.dotm
)27. Manually copying from
/Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/Resources/extensions/zoteroMacWordIntegration@zotero.org/install
to~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Startup.localized/Word
28. Opening Word
29. Add/Edit Citation. Nothing happens
30. Closing Word.
31. Removing
~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Startup.localized/Word/Zotero.dotm
manually32. Opening Word
33. No Zotero in the menu (expected)
34. Closing Word
35. Via zotero 7.0.0-beta.5, resinstalling the add-in (Installation was successful)
36.
~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content.localized/Startup.localized/Word
is empty.37. Reverting to 6.0.24-beta.1+77e0c71c7
38. “Settings...” -> “Cite” -> “Word Processors” 39. Enable Plugins and Restart Zotero
40. “Settings...” -> “Cite” -> “Word Processors” (not correct, the Word startup folder is empty)
41. Resinstalling Microsoft Word Add-in
42. Zotero.dotm is correctly installed in the Word startup folder
zoteroMacWordIntegration@zotero.org/install
folder, so if you see that you're not looking at the Zotero 7 app bundle. The Zotero 7 beta would have anintegration/word-for-mac
folder, and the date of the .dotm would be the date you upgraded.So if you still see an April 19 .dotm in your Startup folder, the auto-install and the install from the prefs just isn't working.
Which is also backed up by this:
We could debug the install separately — the .dotm can sometimes end up in the wrong folder on non-English systems — but for now you'll just want to try manually copying the .dotm from
integration/word-for-mac
in the Zotero 7 app to your active Word Startup folder./Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/Resources/extensions/zoteroMacWordIntegration@zotero.org/install
/Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/Resources/integration/word-for-mac
integration/word-for-mac
folder and restarting Word should get you the right file.integration/word-for-mac
, restart Word to make the toolbar reappear, and then click on Add/Edit Citation, nothing happens? And same after restarting your computer?What if you delete that Zotero app and reinstall the beta from the beta builds page, and then repeat the manual installation?
2. Deleting the .dotm file
3. Opening Word to check the toolbar (gone)
4. Checking “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation”. No zotero
5. Restarting the laptop
6. Checking “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation”. No zotero
7. Reinstalling the beta from the beta builds page (7.0.0-beta.5+4ca427863)
8. Checking “Privacy & Security” -> “Automation” before even starting zotero for the first time. Zotero is listed, with both System Events and Microsoft Word enabled
9. Manually installing the .dotm inside the startup file from
integration/word-for-mac
10. Starting Word. The zotero toolbar is there.
11a. Add/Edit Citation with zotero opened: nothing happens
11b. Add/Edit Citation without zotero opened:
Well it works now. Sorry for the waste of time