Sync annotations of pdf files

MChraibi
In Zotero 6 with the preview reader, the annotations are stored in the database:

https://www.zotero.org/support/pdf_reader_preview
> Annotations are stored in the Zotero database, not in the PDF file, which allows for much more advanced functionality as well as fast, conflict-free syncing, including in groups.

This is nice, however, that also means that the annotations are going to be synced and shared with other members of the same group.

Is there a way to keep the annotations “private”?
That means, sync the pdf, the metadata and everything but keep the annotations local.

I know, I could just open the pdf with external viewer, annotate it, and then save it somewhere else, but, well that's a workaround, and I'm hoping there is a better solution.

Best,




  • dstillman
    edited February 24, 2022
    No, private annotations within a group library aren't possible (but, of course, they weren't before either, since Zotero would just sync any annotations you saved to the file with an external PDF reader).

    You can of course copy the item to your personal library and annotate your private copy.
  • MChraibi
    Thanks for your answer.
  • amysix
    For collaborations, where a lot of people are annotating the same pdf, it would be really useful to be able to filter annotations on a pdf in a group library by username. Currently I understand you can only do so by color.
  • gbanaggia
    Filtering annotations made to files shared in a group by collaborator and not just by color would be a really welcome functionality!
  • dstillman
    edited 22 days ago
    @gbanaggia: This thread is from 2022. You've been able to filter annotations by annotation author since September 2022.
  • gbanaggia
    Great to know that, thank you! I imagine that functionality is hidden unless there are multiple annotation authors in a .pdf?
  • dstillman
    That's exactly right.
Sign In or Register to comment.