Zotero

ApplicationCorporation for Digital Scholarship

Also called zotero desktop, zotero connector

Corporation for Digital ScholarshipProductivity

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

Minimum system requirements
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.

Installed processes
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

Common Zotero locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Zotero\zotero.exe

File formats

RDFBIBRISCSL JSONPDF 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.

Official contacts
Download	www.zotero.org/download/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	www.zotero.org/support/ Vendor support
Official site	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

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

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Zotero official site · Vendor product page
Zotero help · Vendor support
Zotero documentation · How the library and Word plugin work
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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