Zotero WebDAV: what it is and how to set it up

What Zotero WebDAV actually syncs

WebDAV is an alternative location for personal-library attachment files, such as PDFs. It does not replace Zotero's library-data sync. Zotero still coordinates the metadata that tells each device which items and attachments belong in your library.

Group-library file syncing is different: Zotero supports group attachment files through Zotero Storage, not WebDAV.

Set up Refory in Zotero

Create a Refory app key first. Refory gives each Zotero device its own key so one device can be revoked without changing the credentials on every other device.

1. Open Zotero's Sync settings

Open Zotero Settings or Preferences and select Sync. Make sure you are signed in to the Zotero account whose personal library you want to sync.

2. Select WebDAV for My Library files

Find file syncing for My Library and choose WebDAV instead of Zotero Storage. This changes where personal attachment files are stored; your normal Zotero data sync stays with Zotero.

3. Enter the Refory connection details

Enter refory.cloud as the server without adding /zotero. Zotero appends the /zotero path automatically for WebDAV attachment files.

4. Verify the server

Select Verify Server. A successful verification confirms that Zotero can authenticate and perform the WebDAV operations it expects before normal attachment syncing begins.

If verification fails, re-copy the app key from the Refory setup flow if it is still visible, or revoke it and create a fresh device key rather than reusing an unrelated password.

Do not move the Zotero data directory into cloud storage

WebDAV file syncing is not the same as putting Zotero's data directory into Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or another sync folder. Zotero explicitly warns that cloud-syncing the database directory can corrupt the database because ordinary cloud drives do not preserve the locking semantics a database needs.

If you want cloud attachment syncing, use Zotero's supported file-sync mechanisms rather than synchronizing the application database itself. See Zotero's official data-directory warning.

Hosted WebDAV versus self-hosting

You can run WebDAV yourself with software such as Nextcloud or a NAS. That can be a good fit if you already operate the infrastructure. A hosted service removes the maintenance work: TLS certificates, public networking, backups, storage policy, and WebDAV compatibility are someone else's responsibility.

Refory takes the hosted approach and is deliberately narrow: it implements the WebDAV behavior Zotero expects, while keeping your Zotero library itself in Zotero.

Will WebDAV work on my Zotero devices?

When a Zotero client supports personal-library WebDAV file syncing, it uses the configured WebDAV service to retrieve attachments. Refory uses stock Zotero WebDAV behavior rather than a custom plugin API.

Reference: Zotero's current syncing documentation.