====== Is the Zotero web library the same as the Zotero desktop app? ======

The [[/download|Zotero desktop app]] is the primary way of using Zotero and offers complete functionality. When people talk about "Zotero", they're almost always referring to the desktop app.

The [[/mylibrary|Zotero web library]] is a complementary tool for accessing your Zotero data when you're away from your main computer or using a platform that can't run Zotero (locked-down institutional computers, some Chromebooks, etc.). The web library also allows you to share a Zotero library publicly with people who might not use Zotero.

A desktop app allows for vastly more functionality than a website. Here's an incomplete list of features that only the Zotero desktop app provides:

  * A local database fully under your control, with optional syncing
  * Fast, offline access to all your data — whereas the web library can only load a subset of your data at a time, the desktop app allows you to access and modify everything much faster
  * Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs plugins that let you insert citations and bibliographies directly from Zotero and keep them updated automatically
  * A better experience when saving items from the Zotero Connector (+ [[:connector|other features]])
  * The ability to work with a large number of references — certain operations, like export and bibliography generation, are limited to 100 items in the web library for technical reasons
  * More comprehensive export output with options to include files and notes in some formats
  * Real windows that you can interact with via Cmd-Tab/Alt-Tab, resize, etc. — not just an interface within a single browser tab
  * Local filesystem access — e.g., adding PDFs directly from your documents or creating links to files on the local disk
  * Automatic retrieval of metadata for PDFs
  * Find Available PDF to locate open-access versions of files
  * Importing of references from a file or from other reference managers
  * PDF full-text indexing (coming soon to web library)
  * Advanced search and saved searches
  * Retracted item notifications
  * My Publications collection to share your work publicly
  * CSL style editor
  * Custom citation styles
  * Unfiled items collection (coming soon to web library)
  * Duplicate items collection and item merging
  * Ability to create related items
  * A user interface that adapts to the OS you're using
  * An unrestricted plugin system that allows for many more features and further customization

{{tag>kb basics}}