In August 2024, Zotero released version 7 — its biggest update in almost two decades. I’ve written about the basics of using Zotero in a previous blog post. As someone who relies heavily on reference managers, I’ve been keeping a close eye on what this means for researchers, students, and academics like me.
Zotero 7 Update Review: My Thoughts as a Researcher
Pros
New Look
The first thing that struck me was the new look. Zotero now feels modern and much cleaner compared to version 6. On X (formerly Twitter), I kept seeing comments like “Zotero 7 looks good!” and I have to agree. The minimalist redesign makes it feel less cluttered, which is always welcome when you’re juggling dozens of tabs and deadlines.
Improved Performance
Another big improvement is performance. Reddit threads are full of users noting how much faster and smoother Zotero 7 is, especially if you’re working with a large library.
I’ve also seen plenty of praise for the new built-in PDF reader. Being able to highlight, annotate, and even work with EPUBs directly in Zotero is a huge quality-of-life improvement. Add in dark mode and the split-view option for side-by-side PDF comparisons, and you can see why so many people are calling this update a game-changer.
Research Community Approved
YouTube reviewers have been equally excited, with some saying it’s “the biggest upgrade in Zotero’s history.”
A few academics even shared that the tabbed interface and support for embedded images have changed how they multitask when doing research. Personally, I think this makes Zotero even more competitive against paid tools.
Cons
That said, not everything has been smooth sailing. A lot of the early chatter online was about add-on compatibility. Popular plugins like Better BibTeX and ZotFile didn’t work properly right after the update, which disrupted workflows for many people.
Syncing issues, occasional citation errors in Word, and heavier memory use (especially on Linux) also came up in forums. Some users working in university or office environments had trouble updating because of admin restrictions.
Final Thoughts
The good news is that most of these problems seem to be temporary teething issues. The Zotero team has been rolling out fixes quickly, and the community is already adapting — plugin developers are updating their tools, and workarounds are being shared on GitHub and forums.
Overall, my sense is that Zotero 7 is a net positive. The new features make research easier and more enjoyable, and the speed boosts are hard to ignore. If you’re still on the fence, I’d say it’s worth the upgrade — just make sure to back up your library first.
