Zotero 10 extension with Word 16.112.3 not working on Mac OS

kamransoomro84 · 2026-09-04T12:39:35+00:00

For some reason the integration between Zotero and Word is not working since I have re-installed my Mac OS. This is how the toolbar shows up for example. The label for the Zotero menu is missing even though if I click on it I can see the menu (It's between View and Turnitin). However clicking on any of the buttons does nothing. I have tried reinstalling the extension multiple times but nothing changes. Not sure what might the problem be.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u5577064/ctbqqs19lh5uf51tt108.png

dstillman · 2026-09-04T14:24:41+00:00

https://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting#word_could_not_communicate_with_zotero_please_ensure_that_zotero_is_open_and_try_again

kamransoomro84 · 2026-09-04T14:40:52+00:00

@dstillman thanks but as I mentioned in my post, I’ve tried to reinstall the extension multiple times with the same result.

dstillman · 2026-09-04T14:47:28+00:00

That section says more than to just "reinstall".

kamransoomro84 · 2026-09-04T14:52:36+00:00

Please could you elaborate then? Because unless I’m missing something the advice in all the relevant sections essentially boils down to delete Zotero.dotm, restart word and install the extension again.

kamransoomro84 · 2026-09-04T14:56:33+00:00

Also just to be clear I've tried the manual copy method as well with the same result.

dstillman · 2026-09-04T14:57:11+00:00

Saying you've reinstalled the extension isn't the same as saying that you've deleted Zotero.dotm and confirmed that Zotero is completely gone from Word before reinstalling. We need to know that you've done that before doing anything further, since that's the only way to know that you're actually running the correct version of Zotero.dotm.

kamransoomro84 · 2026-09-04T14:58:09+00:00

Yes I can confirm that I have deleted Zotero.dotm, restarted Word and installed it both from within Zotero as well as manually multiple times. Same result everytime.

dstillman · 2026-09-04T14:58:38+00:00

That's still not what I said or what the instructions say. Sorry to be pedantic here, but it really does matter.

dstillman · 2026-09-04T15:03:07+00:00

(To be clear, it's the "confirmed that Zotero is completely gone from Word" that's the important part here.)

kamransoomro84 · 2026-09-04T15:05:11+00:00

Yes I have confirmed that Zotero is gone from Word every time. The toolbar disappears and the menu can no longer be opened. And just to double confirm, here is my toolbar after deleting Zotero.dotm and restarting Word:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u5577064/iquy91l1w4xagjqaz6v7.png

Here is my list of add-ins:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u5577064/q0bhr215ojm1ujmy60cl.png

And here it is after manually copying it from Zotero:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u5577064/e07w5aqahkw9gmgyeipo.png

dstillman · 2026-09-04T15:06:51+00:00

OK, in that case, try disabling your other add-ins, and also try resetting your Normal.dotm file. (You can make a copy before deleting it.)

If this is an institutional computer, you may need to ask your IT department, who may have some policy that's blocking certain add-ins.

kamransoomro84 · 2026-09-04T15:13:02+00:00

Okay, thanks. I've tried deleting Normal.dotm, restarting word and installing the extension but the same result. I'll check with our IT department if something has changed since my OS was reinstalled because it used to work before with the same computer.

kamransoomro84 · 2026-09-04T15:17:26+00:00

By any chance, does admin access make any difference? I do have it on the computer but I need to enable it.

dstillman · 2026-09-04T15:18:16+00:00

No.