Folio
FeaturesPricingAboutBlogHelp
Back to Help Center
Help Articles

Importing and exporting your library

Bring an existing library in from Zotero or a reference file, and export your sources in BibTeX, RIS or CSL-JSON.

F

Folio Team

May 22, 2026 2 min read

On this page

  • Moving an existing library in
  • From Zotero
  • From a reference file
  • Exporting your sources
  • Exporting a document
  • Next steps

Moving an existing library in

You do not have to rebuild your references by hand. From the Sources page, click + Add and use the import options.

From Zotero

Open the Zotero tab, paste a Zotero API key, and Folio pulls your items in and maps them to your library. It is a one-time import — Folio reads your key to fetch the items and does not store it, so this is a migration, not an ongoing sync. PDFs come in through Folio's usual open-access fetch.

From a reference file

Folio also reads the common interchange formats — BibTeX (.bib), RIS (.ris), CSL-JSON, MODS, and EndNote XML. Drop the file in and review the parsed entries before saving; everything flows through the same import preview, so you can fix anything before it lands in your library.

Exporting your sources

Need your references in another tool? From the Sources page, use Export to download your library as:

  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • CSL-JSON (.json)

These cover LaTeX workflows, other reference managers, and anything that speaks CSL.

Exporting a document

Your manuscript itself exports to Word (.docx) with its bibliography intact — see Exporting your document and bibliography.

Next steps

  • Adding sources to your library
  • How citations work in Folio
  • Exporting your document and bibliography

Was this helpful?

Discussion

Sign in to join the discussion →

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.

FeaturesPricingAboutBlogHelpIntegrityTermsPrivacyRefundsContact

© 2026 Folio