This is an old revision of the document!
This article applies to the deprecated Zotero for Firefox (pre-Zotero 5.0) plugin. It is not relevant for current versions of Zotero.
If you are missing data in your Zotero 5.0 library, see Data Missing After Zotero 5 Upgrade.
Restoring Zotero after using "Refresh Firefox"
To help you speed up or fix issues with your Firefox installation, Firefox offers the Refresh Firefox option, which creates a new Firefox profile. While generally safe, “Refresh Firefox” can interfere with some Zotero functions. Potential issues depend on your version of Zotero.
Zotero 5.0
Zotero 4.0 for Firefox (deprecated)
Note: These directions will not work with current versions of Firefox. Install Install Zotero 5 and follow these instructions.
If you have used “Refresh Firefox” and lost Zotero for Firefox, follow these steps:
- Re-install Zotero. Don't worry if you find your Zotero library empty at this point.
- Locate your new Zotero data directory. Keep this directory open, but make sure Zotero (for Zotero Standalone 4.0 or Zotero 5.0) or Firefox (for Zotero 4.0 for Firefox) is closed.
- In the data directory, you should see a zotero.sqlite with a file size of approximately 1 MB, meaning that it's empty. Rename the data directory folder from “zotero” to “zotero-old”.
- Locate the “Old Firefox Data” folder on your desktop. This contains your old Firefox data, including your old Zotero data directory. If possible, make a backup of this directory.
- Locate the “zotero” folder within the “Old Firefox Data” folder. Copy this folder to your current Zotero data directory location.
- When you now open Zotero, you should find your library restored. You can then delete the “zotero-old” directory.