# Zotero

Application: Corporation for Digital Scholarship

Also called zotero desktop, zotero connector

Corporation for Digital Scholarship, Productivity

A research citation manager used in universities. The process is zotero.exe. It is not EndNote.

## What you need to know

Zotero is zotero.exe. EndNote is a different paid library.

University courses often require Zotero because it is free and shares CSL styles. EndNote libraries do not open as native Zotero data without an import.

- **What is it?**: Reference manager

  **Still current?**: Yes, see Current status

  **Official download?**: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If a Word document asks for Zotero and the add-in is missing, I would install zotero.exe from zotero.org, not EndNote. Those citation fields are not interchangeable.

## What is Zotero?

Zotero is an open citation manager. zotero.exe holds the local library and talks to the optional Zotero account. EndNote is a different vendor and a different .enl library.

## If you have never used it

If a course said "put it in Zotero", this is the free citation manager, not EndNote. Download it from zotero.org/download. The Connector is a browser add-on that saves into this library. EndNote is a paid Clarivate product with a different library file. Word and LibreOffice plugins insert citations from zotero.exe, not from EndNote's library.

## What is it used for?

**Save items from the browser**

The Connector captures metadata into Zotero. EndNote has its own Online Search and clickers.

**Cite in Word or LibreOffice**

The Zotero add-in inserts citations. The EndNote Cite While You Write add-in will not see this library.

**BibTeX and CSL styles**

Export and style files researchers share. That is not an EndNote traveling library.

## Who is it for?

- Students and researchers whose lab standardized on Zotero
- People who need a free desktop library
- Anyone who should not open an .enl EndNote file here

## Current status

Actively developed. This article is the Windows desktop app plus the Connector you install in the browser.

## How old is it?

Zotero began in 2006 at George Mason's Roy Rosenzweig Center and is now under the Corporation for Digital Scholarship. EndNote is much older commercial software. They never shared a library format.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Zotero 7 desktop

Zotero 6

Connector

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| Operating system | A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.          |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: Follows what you open inside the app

  **RAM demand**: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| zotero.exe | Desktop library |
| ---------- | --------------- |

## Startup components

Zotero starts when you open the library or when Word calls the add-in. It does not need to run all day.

## File locations

| Typical install | C:\Program Files\Zotero\zotero.exe |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------- |

## File formats

RDF, BIB, RIS, CSL JSON, PDF attachments

## Common problems

### Word add-in missing after an Office update

Reinstall the Zotero add-in from Zotero's settings. EndNote's CWYW is a different add-in.

### Storage quota on PDFs

Zotero Storage is optional. A full quota is an account limit, not a broken disk.

## Getting unstuck

### Install the desktop app first, then the Connector

The browser button saves into zotero.exe. Without the desktop app, saves have nowhere local to go.

### Install from zotero.org/download

A "Zotero plus" search ad is the wrong file.

### If the paper used EndNote fields, use EndNote or a conversion guide

Zotero cannot pretend to be Cite While You Write. That is the sibling-swap test.

## Alternatives

EndNote, Mendeley, and a BibTeX file overlap. EndNote is the paid sibling this article is not.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Download      | [www.zotero.org/download/ ](https://www.zotero.org/download/)Official installer or vendor page |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Help          | [www.zotero.org/support/ ](https://www.zotero.org/support/)Vendor support                      |
| Official site | [www.zotero.org/download/ ](https://www.zotero.org/download/)Start here, not a random exe host |

## Related hardware

A large PDF library wants disk. Citation insert is light on CPU.

## Technical details

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Zotero official site ](https://www.zotero.org/download/)· Vendor product page
- [Zotero help ](https://www.zotero.org/support/)· Vendor support
- [Zotero documentation ](https://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide)· How the library and Word plugin work
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

## Was this article useful?

A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note.

Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Corporation for Digital Scholarship

  **Category**: Reference manager

  **Process**: zotero.exe

  **License**: Free desktop app. Zotero Storage is optional paid space

  **First released**: 2006

  **Official site**: [zotero.org](https://www.zotero.org/download/)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/zotero/)

[Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)