migrate without synching Mendeley desktop

Andy Stirling
I want to migrate to Zotero my local Mendeley Desktop (currently version 1.19.8) reference database of 135,211 fulltext files (700 GB). The size of the main encrypted Mendeley sqlite file is 231 MB. I have never synced this to Mendeley and do not want to.

Zotero help (here: https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/mendeley_local_import), says that in order to also transfer the links to my local fulltext file locations, even the ‘local method’ requires that I first sync my database and all files to Mendeley.

Please advise how I can export the full database with all local file links from my local Mendeley Desktop database to Zotero in such a way as to maintain linked file addresses but without requiring syncing of all files to the remote Mendeley servers.

  • dstillman
    edited today at 1:53am
    You can't — that's the point.

    You can export to RIS or BibTeX, which might include links to files in a format we support (you can test with a single item), but as we explain, that's not a full export:
    Direct access to the Mendeley database is the only fully local way to export the full contents of one’s own research. The export formats supported by Mendeley don’t contain folders, various metadata fields (date added, favorite, and others), or PDF annotations.
  • Andy Stirling
    Huge thanks DStillman. I somehow missed that. It is very bad news. But it is at least good to know where one stands. Sadly not a surprise, but this corporate behaviour is toxic. The value of what Zotero does becomes even more clear!

    I will try what you suggest: experimenting with RIS and BibTex exports. But I suspect that if this workaround were good, you would know about it? Otherwise, I need to gauge a strategy that is as robust as possible in the medium term.

    Otherwise, since full text file searching is essential for me, it looks from what you say like the best of a bunch of bad bets, is to continue to use Mendeley Desktop locally pending a move to Zotero if and when a more favourable situation arises?

    With apologies for this further query, then: does this thinking make sense to you? Are there possibilities that more favourable developments may occur? Or might this instead expose me to likelihood of even worse circumstances developing?

    Your advice on these issues is invaluable. I greatly appreciate it.
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