Zotero is a free and open-source reference management software to manage bibliographic data and related research materials. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Zotero from the command line using the EXE installer.
How to Install Zotero Silently
Zotero Silent Install (EXE)
- Navigate to: https://www.zotero.org/download/
- Download the Zotero-x.y.z_setup.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command: Zotero-x.y.z_setup.exe /S
- Press Enter
After a few moments you should see the Zotero Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | Zotero |
| Vendor: | Corporation for Digital Scholarship |
| Architecture: | x86 |
| Installer Type: | EXE |
| Silent Install Switch: | Zotero-x.y.z_setup.exe /S |
| Silent Uninstall Switch (32-bit System) | "%ProgramFiles%\Zotero\uninstall\helper.exe" /S |
| Silent Uninstall Switch (64-bit System) | "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Zotero\uninstall\helper.exe" /S |
| Download Link: | https://www.zotero.org/download/ |
| PowerShell Script: | https://silentinstallhq.com/zotero-install-and-uninstall-powershell/ |
| Detection Script: | https://silentinstallhq.com/create-a-custom-detection-script-for-zotero-powershell/ |
The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download link provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.
Additional Configurations
Change the Zotero Default Installation Directory
You can change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing Zotero to “C:\Zotero”
Zotero-x.y.z_setup.exe /S /D=C:\Zotero |
How to Uninstall Zotero Silently
Check out the following posts for a scripted solution:
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Enter one of the following commands:
Zotero Silent Uninstall (EXE) on 32-bit System
"%ProgramFiles%\Zotero\uninstall\helper.exe" /S |
Zotero Silent Uninstall (EXE) on 64-bit System
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Zotero\uninstall\helper.exe" /S |
Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.