Q. How do I use tags in Zotero?

Zotero tags let you organize your citations by keywords you create. Here's how to create and use tags in the desktop app, web library, and mobile app. 

Desktop App

Adding Tags

1. Find the citation you want to tag and click it.
2. In the information panel on the right, scroll to "Tags" or click the "Tags" icon, which looks like a luggage tag, in the right navigation.
   
3. Click the "Add" button, a plus icon, the Tags section.
   
4. Start typing the tag name you want to add.
   
   1. If you already have used that tag, it will appear in the list below the search bar. Click the tag name to add it.
   2. If this is a new tag, finish typing out your tag and either click off the text box or hit Enter.
5. Your tag will now be listed. Repeat the process to add more tags.

Removing Tags

1. Select the citation you want to remove a tag from.
2. Scroll to the "Tags" heading or click the "Tags" icon.
3. Click the tag you want to remove.
4. To the right, click the "Remove" button. The button icon looks like a minus sign in a circle.
   
5. The tag will now be gone

Searching Tags

1. From your whole library or a specific collection, find the "Filter Tags" search bar in the bottom left.
   
2. Start typing the tag you want to search. The list of tags will adjust to match what you type.
   
3. Click a tag you want to look up.
4. A list of all citations with that tag will appear.
5. If you want to search for a citation with more tags, start typing a new tag in the search bar and select it.
6. A list of citations with both tags will appear. You can add as many tags to your search as you want.
7. You can click a tag a second time to remove it. To clear all tags, click the Actions menu, which looks like a funnel, and click "Deselect All."
   

Web Library

Adding Tags

1. Find the citation you want to tag.
2. In the information panel on the right, select the Tags tab.
   
3. Click "Add Tag."
4. Start typing the tag name you want to add.
   
   1. If you already have used that tag, it will appear in the list below the search bar. Click the tag name to check it.
   2. If this is a new tag, finish typing out your tag and either click off the text box or hit Enter.
5. Your tag will now be listed in the Tags tab.

Removing Tags

1. Find the citation you want to remove a tag from.
2. To the right of the tag you want to remove, click the "remove tag" button.
   
   1. The button icon looks like a minus sign in a circle.
   2. You may need to scroll your mouse over the icon for it to appear.
3. The tag will now be gone

Searching Tags

1. From your whole library or a specific collection, find the "Filter Tags" search bar in the bottom left.
   
2. Start typing the tag you want to search. The list of tags will adjust to match what you type.
   
3. Click a tag you want to look up.
4. A list of all citations with that tag will appear.
5. If you want to search for a citation with more tags, start typing a new tag in the search bar and select it.
6. A list of citations with both tags will appear. You can add as many tags to your search as you want.
7. You can click a tag a second time to remove it. To clear all tags, click the Tag Selector Options (three dots) menu and click "Deselect All."
   

Mobile App

Adding Tags

1. Find the citation you want to tag.
2. Select the information icon for the citation, which looks like a lower-case letter "i" in a circle.
   
3. On the information page, scroll down to the Tags heading.
4. Select "Add tag."
   
5. Start typing the tag name you want to add.
   
   1. If you already have used that tag, it will appear in the list below the search bar. Select the tag name to check it.
   2. If this is a new tag, select "Create Tag "[name]" at the end of the list.
   3. You can search for and add multiple tags at the same time.
6. Select "Save" when you have added all the tags you want to add. The selected tags will now appear in the information page for your citation.

Removing Tags

1. Find the citation you want to remove a tag from.
2. Select the information icon for the citation, which looks like a lower-case letter "i" in a circle.
3. On the information page, scroll down to the Tags heading.
4. Long press the tag you want to remove.
5. A box will pop up saying "Delete." Select that to remove the tag.
   

Searching Tags

1. Go to All Items or to a specific collection.
2. Select the Filters icon in the bottom left. It looks like three lines in a circle, with the largest line at the top.
   
3. In the search bar, start typing a tag. The list of tags below the search bar will shorten to show matching tags.
   
4. Select the tag you want to search for and then select Done.
5. A list of all citations with that tag will appear.