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Where is your menu, button, tab, or ribbon not appearing?

Zotero has its own troubleshooting guide for Zotero plugin toolbars, but we find the follow steps solve most problems.

Choose the word processor (where you are writing) that you are trying to use with Zotero:

Menu in Google Docs

One of three items will usually fix not having the Zotero menu appear in your Google Docs.

  • Check that you have the Zotero connector in your Firefox or Chrome browser (it does not work in Safari) and that Google Docs is open in that same browser (the browser with the connector installed).
  • Make sure you are in an open Google Document. The menu item only appears in a document, not in your main Google Drive or Google Docs navigation page.
  • Have a document open but Zotero menu hasn’t appeared? Close the Google Docs tab and open it again.
  • Still not working?  Please contact us!

Microsoft Word: first steps

Try this first: Check installs and versions
  • Check that Zotero is installed locally on the computer (not just the connector in Chrome or Firefox) by typing Zotero in your search box for Windows or Macs.
  • After Zotero desktop has been installed on your computer, close Word completely (cmd + q on Macs while in the Word window; clicking the “x” or exiting in Windows). Open Word again.
  • Make sure you are using Microsoft Word locally, not Office 365 in a browser (the browser is a program such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge that you use to go to websites, including Office 365 as a website). A Zotero tab will not appear in your browser for Office 365.

If these steps don't cause the Zotero ribbon to appear in Microsoft Word, please go to the instructions for Mac or Windows.

Microsoft Word on Windows

Try this first:

  1. In Zotero, click Preferences, Cite, then Word Processors. This screen shows the Word add-in is installed.
  2. Re-install the add-in.
  3. Close Zotero and Word (by clicking the "x" or going to File > Exit or File > Close, respectively)

If add-in reinstall doesn’t work:

  1. Follow these steps.
  2. If you cannot get this to work and have tried all previous options, or if you have any difficulty navigating the file structure to copy the template, please contact us for an appointment.

Microsoft Word on Macs

Make sure to use cmd+q or "quit" in the menu to close each program/app completely thorough these instructions.
Try this first:
  1. In Zotero, click Preferences, Cite, then Word Processors.
  2. This screen shows the Word add-in is installed.
  3. Re-install the add-in.
  4. Close both Zotero and Word.
  5. Open both Zotero and Word.
If add-in reinstall doesn’t work, enable/disable Word plugin.
  1. Zotero > Tools > Add-ons.
  2. Disable the Word plugin.
  3. Close Zotero.
  4. Open Zotero.
  5. Return to the Add-ons menu (from step 1) and Enable.
  6. Close Zotero and Word.
  7. Open both Zotero and Word again.
If enable/disable doesn’t work:
  1. Follow these steps.

If manually installing the plugin doesn't work (or no startup folder is specified):

  1. Find the Startup folder for Word.
  2. Copy the file path. In Word, set the startup location to where the template Zotero.dot file was located.