Zotero Connector for Firefox doesn't download

smillerecon
Tried downloading the connector extension for firefox. However, nothing happens even after a long time.

I've downloaded it on another computer and used it before, but trying on a new computer nothing happens. I should have all the permissions I need to download firefox extensions.
  • dstillman
    That would be some issue with your Firefox installation. The Zotero Connector is a standard Firefox extension.

    You'll need to troubleshoot your Firefox profile, or you can try downloading the XPI to disk (from Firefox or another browser) and installing from the Firefox extensions pane.
  • sfournier2026
    edited September 14, 2023
    [Moved to this thread — D.S.]

    As another user recently posted, the Zotero connector is not downloading for Firefox. Both Firefox and Windows are up to date on my laptop. I am unsure of whether the problem is with Zotero, my browser, or my computer.

    If this is an issue either on Zotero or Firefox's end, is it being addressed and is there any idea when the problem will be fixed?
  • dstillman
    Same answer. The Zotero Connector is a standard Firefox extension that can be installed like any other, and any problem beyond that is a problem in your own Firefox installation. This is not any sort of general problem — we haven't made any changes to the Connector in two months, and it installs fine in Firefox in general.

    If you're having trouble, you can try resetting your Firefox profile or reviewing the Browser Console for relevant errors. Beyond that you'd have to ask Mozilla for help.
  • fcheslack
    It's possible to configure Firefox to block installing add-ons from websites, in which case it appears to just do nothing.

    You can check that from your Firefox preferences under
    Permissions > Warn you when websites try to install add-ons > Exceptions.

    As dstillman recommended earlier though, downloading the XPI to your computer and installing from the Firefox extensions pane would also get around that.
  • sfournier2026
    I have reset my browser, turned off "Warn you when websites try to install add-ons," still cannot manage to download connector to Firefox.

    Where can I go for the .xpi ? I found a list of plug-ins for Zotero, but reading through them I couldn't tell which one shared the function of the connector
  • fcheslack
    Right-click the install link on the download page and "Save link as" to download the xpi.
  • sfournier2026
    Thank you fcheslack, finally got it installed.

    I value Firefox to other browsers for the sake of privacy, for whatever that's worth, but I still couldn't manage to even save the .xpi on my browser. I had to open Edge and download it from there. Weird...

    But anyways it's in my browser now and appears to be working, so thanks again. Will it automatically save data entries to the app I've installed on my computer, or do I need to sync the browser connector with the app?
  • dstillman
    edited September 16, 2023
    Any Connector you use will save to the open Zotero app.

    Also, for future reference:
    turned off "Warn you when websites try to install add-ons,"
    This isn't what you want to do at all, and that will break extension installation. (The person who said this misunderstood fcheslack's comment.) That setting should be enabled, and the point was to check the Exceptions pane next to that setting to make sure you haven't accidentally blocked extension downloads from this site.

    If this is an institutional computer, it's also possible for extension installation to be blocked at a policy level.
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