Using Zotero’s sync service requires a Zotero account; if you haven’t already, register for one here. Once you have successfully signed up for this, we can continue to configure the file syncing separately.
While Zotero has its own internal online storage and synchronisation system, space available to store attachments (such as PDFs) is limited for free accounts. As you are free to use your own WebDAV capable online file storage account to store attachments, this becomes less of a problem.
WebDAV
WebDAV is an Internet-based open standard that enables editing Web sites over HTTP and HTTPS connections. If you don’t already have WebDAV capable file storage, Box offers a free account with 10 GB storage. This should be more than sufficient for our Zotero attachment synchronisation needs.
Keep this information on hand, we will need it later
Configuring file syncing for Zotero
Open up your Zotero standalong installation, and navigate to the Edit > Preferences. Under the Sync tab, you should see a window like this:
Zotero Sync Server
- Username: Your Zotero username (eg. [email protected])
- Password: Your Zotero password, that you selected upon registration
Check the Sync attachment files option under File Syncing, and find WebDAV within the dropdown menu. Then change the following:
- URL: https://dav.box.com/dav/zotero/
- Username: Your Box.com username (eg. [email protected])
- Password: Your Box.com password, that you selected upon registration
Check Verify Server
And with that, you should be set up!