Copy references to group library

nbrooks09 · November 7, 2023

I would like to copy references from a private library to a group library, so collaborators can access them.

I have tried to drag and drop both in the Zotero desktop application (on Mac) and on the web version. Drag and drop does not work at all on the desktop application. On the web version, I am able to drag and drop but most items do not copy over and I receive an error "zotero linked files can only be added to user library".

I do not want to copy the linked files, I only want to copy the reference information so everyone can see the bibliographic items and add to the library if they like.

How can I by-pass this error to copy only the bibliographic information for all items in a private library to a group library.

dstillman · November 7, 2023

Dragging collections and items in the desktop app should certainly work. What do you mean by "does not work at all"? What exactly are you trying to drag, and from where to where? Can you drag a single item? Can you provide a Debug ID for an attempt that doesn't work?

nbrooks09 · November 7, 2023

Thanks for getting back! In the desktop app, when I selected all of the items of a private library and tried to drag them into the group library, nothing would copy over and the group library would not have a grey background when hovering over it.

After seeing your suggestion, I was able to drag a single item, as well smaller groups of items. But was repeatedly unable to drag an entire private library to copy into a group library. I've solved this by dragging the items in small groups since this works.