Documentation/Bibliography & Citations/How to Use Zotero with LaTeX
Bibliography & Citations

How to Use Zotero with LaTeX

Zotero is a popular reference manager that works well with LaTeX. Export your library to BibTeX format and cite seamlessly.

Install Better BibTeX

Recommended addon for Zotero:

% Install Better BibTeX for Zotero:
% 1. Download from: https://retorque.re/zotero-better-bibtex/
% 2. In Zotero: Tools → Add-ons → Install from file
% 3. Restart Zotero

Export Your Library

Create a .bib file:

% Manual export:
% 1. Right-click collection → Export
% 2. Format: Better BibTeX
% 3. Check "Keep updated" for auto-sync
% 4. Save as references.bib in your LaTeX folder

Use in LaTeX

Cite your references:

% In your preamble:
\usepackage[backend=biber]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib}

% In text - use citation keys from Zotero:
As shown by \textcite{smith2020}...
Recent work \parencite{jones2021} suggests...

% At end:
\printbibliography

Auto-Sync Setup

Keep bibliography updated automatically:

% In Better BibTeX settings:
% 1. Edit → Preferences → Better BibTeX
% 2. Automatic export → On Change
% 3. Export path → your project folder

% Now edits in Zotero auto-update your .bib file!

💡 Tips

  • Better BibTeX creates cleaner citation keys (smith2020 vs abc123)
  • For Overleaf, upload the exported .bib file to your project
  • Mendeley and JabRef also export to BibTeX format

Try This in Bibby AI

Write LaTeX faster with AI auto-complete and instant compilation.

Start Writing Free

Related Tutorials

How to Use Zotero with LaTeX | Bibby AI