# Use DjVu documents with Zotero

> Convert a DjVu scan to searchable PDF, attach it to the correct Zotero item, and check text selection, annotations, and citation details.

Source: https://niraqua.com/djvu/djvu-zotero/

For a PDF-based Zotero reading workflow, export your DjVu document to PDF, then attach that PDF to its bibliographic item. Keep the original DjVu separately. This does not require a Zotero plugin or a direct integration with Niraqua DjVu.

[Download for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/app/niraqua-djvu/id6761933635) · [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/niraqua-djvu/id6761933635)

## Export and check the PDF

1. Open the document in [Niraqua DjVu](https://niraqua.com/djvu/) on Mac. Choose **File > Export as PDF**.
2. Select the pages and a quality preset. Turn on **Enable OCR** and choose the document language if you need searchable text.
3. Open the PDF and check the page order and search. Compare copied quotations with the scan, including names, numbers, punctuation, and spaces.

Enabling OCR replaces existing embedded text. Keep the original DjVu and select the document language in the export options.

[Saving and exporting](https://niraqua.com/djvu/help/exporting/)

## Attach the PDF to the right item

1. Find or create the book or article’s bibliographic item in Zotero. Check its author, title, year, and identifier against the original publication. OCR does not create reliable citation metadata.
2. Select the bibliographic item and use **Attach File** to add the exported PDF as a stored attachment. Check that it appears beneath the correct item.
3. Open the attached PDF. Select a short passage, add a highlight, and check its location. Compare the printed page number with the PDF page position before citing it.

## If something is wrong

If text cannot be selected, check the PDF outside Zotero and export again with OCR when needed. Avoid replacing an annotated PDF with a version whose pages are reordered or removed: annotations may point to the wrong place. Zotero annotations remain in its database unless exported into a PDF. File syncing is a separate Zotero setting; Niraqua’s local conversion does not upload the result for you.

For attachment storage and syncing, see [Zotero’s file guide](https://www.zotero.org/support/attaching_files). For highlights and sharing annotated PDFs, see [Zotero’s reader guide](https://www.zotero.org/support/pdf_reader).