Word processor dysfunctional

ThibaultUM
Dear Zotero users,

I recently downloaded Zotero and installed the MS Word plugin, but I’ve been struggling to get it to work properly.

The plugin does appear in MS Word as a separate ribbon, but it’s almost invisible (no title or labels), so it took me a while to notice it was even there. Unfortunately, none of the buttons in that ribbon do anything when clicked — even with the Zotero desktop app running.

I’ve already gone through many (if not all) of the troubleshooting steps listed here:
https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#zotero_toolbar_doesn_t_appear
This includes restarting my laptop, reinstalling Zotero, and manually deleting + reinstalling the Word plugin from the startup folder. Notably, Zotero still reports that the plugin is installed even after I’ve deleted it from that folder.

I’m starting to run out of ideas. I’m considering reaching out to my university’s IT department (as my laptop is managed by them), but colleagues of mine have installed and used Zotero without any issues.

Has anyone experienced something similar or have suggestions for how to resolve this? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Photo of what the plugin looks like for me:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u16648366/y71uogje8mi81w70whwt.png
  • dstillman
    Notably, Zotero still reports that the plugin is installed even after I’ve deleted it from that folder.
    Right, that's the important part — that means you're not removing the file from your active Word Startup folder. See Locating Your Word Startup Folder, which explains what to do.
  • dstillman
    edited March 19, 2025
    @ThibaultUM: Er, no, sorry, I misread your comment. It doesn't matter what Zotero says. After deleting the file from the Startup folder and restarting Word, does the tab disappear completely from Word? (If not, see the above section.)
  • ThibaultUM
    edited March 19, 2025
    Hi @dstillman, thanks for your comment. After I delete the file from my Startup folder and restart Word, the tab indeed disappears. Any idea what might be going on there?
  • dstillman
    You can try this:

    https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#zotero_tab_has_an_empty_label
  • ThibaultUM
    I had a look there, it seems my university IT department has disabled me from altering some of these settings. I will contact them and see if they can resolve this problem for me. I wasn't expecting that to be the case though, as colleagues working on similar laptops are using Zotero without troubles.

    Thanks anyway and if I still run into problems I will get back to the forums!
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