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Troubleshooting

When something goes wrong, look here first. Help > Troubleshooting Information opens this page.

The database cannot be read or is corrupted

A red banner at the top of the library page says that the library (or the collections, saved searches or tags) cannot be read, and every save is refused. This means that the database cannot be opened or did not pass its integrity check. CiteDesk does not write in this state, to avoid making bad data worse; what you see on screen is what was last read successfully.

What to do:

  1. If the banner has "Restore from Automatic Backup", press it; how restoring works and what it costs is in Restoring from a backup;
  2. If there is no backup, or restoring does not help, quit the application, keep a copy of the whole data directory, and only then consider repairs;
  3. A full disk, a read-only location for the data directory, or files locked by another program (synchronization or antivirus software) can all produce this message; rule these out first.

A data directory in a cloud folder is a frequent cause; see A data directory in a cloud folder.

The database is newer than this program

The banner says that the database records a version that is not recognized: the database was created or upgraded by a newer version of CiteDesk, and this version does not understand its structure. So that the new database is not rewritten the old way and damaged, this version reads no table at all and refuses every write.

Upgrade CiteDesk to a newer version, or switch back to the data directory that the older version used. Do not edit the version number in the database by hand.

Network errors

Adding from a URL, adding by identifier, finding full text, retrieving metadata, updating styles and translators, and the list of retractions need the network. When you get "cannot connect to this site":

  • check the network connection and the system's proxy or firewall settings;
  • try again later; the server may be temporarily unavailable or limiting the request rate;
  • when a site requires a login or a human verification, use the browser window;
  • when you reach the site through an institutional proxy, check the proxy settings.

You can write, cite and read without a network; only the functions above are affected.

Style or translator updates fail

"Automatically check for updated translators and styles", under Miscellaneous on the Advanced page of the settings, fetches updates from Zotero's repository of styles and translators. When an update fails it is usually a network problem; it can also be that a file returned by the repository is invalid or over the size limit. Styles and translators already installed are not affected and keep working; the bundled ones are the baseline, and an update only replaces them with newer versions.

Press Update Now in the settings to try again. If a style has been removed from the repository, the style manager marks that row "Removed from the style repository"; the application does not delete it for you, and you can keep using it or remove it yourself.

Web translator errors

When adding from a URL or saving in the browser window gives "An error occurred while saving this reference", a Zotero web translator has run into trouble on that site: the site changed its layout, the translator is out of date, a login is needed, or the site is blocking automated access.

  • check whether you are signed in, and if necessary sign in with the browser window and then save;
  • update the translators (Update Now on the Advanced page of the settings); the translator repository usually fixes a site after a redesign quickly;
  • if nothing helps, create the reference by hand or import a citation file exported from the site; see Importing and Exporting References.