Upgrade StorageCollection disappeared after syncing
dstillman
Zotero Team
This discussion was created from comments split from: Collection disappeared.
Syncing doesn't delete things — it just syncs changes you've made elsewhere.
In this case, you deleted the collection in the desktop app shortly before posting here — apparently by mistake — and synced that to the online library, where it then synced to your iPhone.
Since you just did this, you should be able to restore the deleted collection from one of the automatic backups. Note the specific instructions for restoring collections.
Also note that the items are all still in your library root, even though you deleted the collection.
Zotero 7, currently in beta, will make it possible to restore a deleted collection from the trash.
You deleted another collection a couple days ago, on the 24th. That was also from a Mac, but it was from the Zotero 7 beta. Since the beta now sends collections to the trash first, and it doesn't automatically purge collections from the trash, you would've had to have purged that collection from the trash explicitly (e.g., by purging it directly or by emptying the trash).
In any case, if that's the collection you're referring to, it's possible that one was deleted before your automatic backups, but you can check the timestamps of those files to see. Again, the items are all still in the library root.