Saving a Source from a PDF You've Previously Downloaded

Already have a file full of PDF files you'd like to add to your Zotero account?

Try dragging and dropping them into your Zotero account! Zotero will attempt to locate the article's citation details and create a record for each.

A split screen displaying both a file explorer page and the Zotero program, with PDFs moving from one to another.

Zotero will automatically start its 'Metadata Retrieval' tool. (If it doesn't, select the PDF files in the center column of your Zotero program, and right-click or equivalent, then select 'Retrieve Metadata for PDF' from the menu that appears.)

The Zotero program, with a pop-up displayed titled "PDF Metadata Retrieval."

In this case, Zotero was able to create records for 7 of these 8 PDFs, which contain information needed to cite. The appropriate PDF was attached to each entry.

For the records that were made this way, it's worth proofreading the information retrieved to make sure it's complete. Edit the entry to correct any errors or add additional details.

For some items, it may not be able to retrieve this information. In those cases, you can add the item to your library some other way (such saving it from the web via the Zotero connector, or a DOI lookup), and attach the PDF to that new record.