“Cannot save articles from Google Scholar to Zotero”

hana_03 · 2026-03-09T13:48:08+00:00

I logged into Zotero and enabled data syncing, but my library is empty and no article collections appear in the Zotero desktop application. Zotero is running and the sync settings seem correct, but the items are not showing in my library. How can i fix them

dstillman · 2026-03-09T13:49:15+00:00

What does this have to do with Google Scholar?

You only have one item in your online library, so there's nothing to sync.

Are you trying to sync an existing library from another device, or are you trying to save to Zotero from Google Scholar? If the former, see Changes Not Syncing.

See Reporting Problems for the two things we always need in order to help.

hana_03 · 2026-03-09T13:54:59+00:00

i'm trying to save to Zotero from Google Scholar but my librabry's still empty

dstillman · 2026-03-09T13:56:17+00:00

OK, so that doesn't have anything to do with syncing.

Can you explain exactly what you're doing and what's happening? What do you see on screen when you click the Save to Zotero button in your browser?

Can you provide a Debug ID from the Zotero Connector for reloading the page and trying to save?

hana_03 · 2026-03-09T14:05:05+00:00

First, I entered my keywords in Google Scholar to search for articles. When the search results appeared, I clicked the Zotero Connector icon in my browser to save the articles. Then, I all the article, click OK. However, when I checked my Zotero library, it was empty and none of the articles appeared. Earlier in the afternoon, I was able to download one article, but the following articles could not be downloaded.

dstillman · 2026-03-09T14:07:30+00:00

We'll need the info I ask for above in order to help. Provide a screenshot of what you're seeing when you try to save as well as a Debug ID for a save attempt.

hana_03 · 2026-03-09T14:14:19+00:00

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u19883981/oydbnh0t15m87hhdh8uz.png
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u19883981/3e4qchwe8l0i4qomkd0y.png
My Debug D714743430

dstillman · 2026-03-09T14:16:22+00:00

That's a Debug ID from Zotero, not the Zotero Connector. But the point is that you're getting a save error, as shown in your screenshot, so nothing is going to appear in Zotero — that's what it's telling you. On Google Scholar, this is usually just rate-limiting by Google. Try saving from another site (e.g., this forums page, even).

hana_03 · 2026-03-09T14:30:22+00:00

I tried in another site and i could save articles. But What should I do if I want to download articles from Google Scholar using Zotero?

dstillman · 2026-03-09T14:45:59+00:00

See the linked page. Google's rate limits are outside of our control.