In order to back up your citations to the Zotero cloud and sync your library between computers, you'll need to set up Zotero Sync with your Zotero.org account.
To set up Sync:
- In Zotero, go to the Zotero Preferences menu (Edit > Preferences in Windows, Zotero > Preferences in macOS).
- Select Sync in the top menu.
- Enter the username and password for your Zotero.org account. Click Set up Syncing.
- Ensure that the boxes for Sync Automatically and Sync Full Text Content are checked. This will sync your source data, as well as the text of any PDF or HTML attachments (note: not the files themselves).
- You may also choose to check both boxes under File Syncing and choose Zotero storage for My Library. This will sync your PDF attachments as well as citations (more info).
- Click the Sync icon
to initiate a manual sync.
If you use Zotero on more than one computer and want them to stay in sync, repeat this process on each of your computers. Any updates you make on one of your computers will be reflected on the others. This even works to synchronize your library among Windows, Mac and Linux computers. More about Zotero sync