JabRef
v5
v5
  • JabRef Bibliography Management
  • Installation
  • Getting started
  • Collect
    • Add entry manually
    • Add entry using an ID
    • Add entry using reference text
    • Searching externally using Online Services
    • Add entry using PDFs
    • Browser Extension
    • Import
      • Custom import filters
      • Import inspection window
  • Organize
    • Edit an entry
    • Groups
    • Keywords
    • Mark and grade
    • Comment on an entry
    • Searching within the library
    • Complete information using online databases
    • Manage associated files
    • Manage field names and their content
    • Best practices
    • Cleanup entries
    • Check integrity
    • Find duplicates
    • Merge entries
    • Save actions
  • Cite
    • BibTeX and biblatex
    • Pushing to external editor application
    • Export to Microsoft Word
    • OpenOffice/LibreOffice integration
  • Share
    • Sharing a Bib(la)TeX Library
    • Shared SQL Database
      • Migration of pre-3.6 SQL databases into a shared SQL database
    • Export
      • Custom export filters
    • Send as email
  • Configuration
    • Customize the citation key generator
    • Customize entry types
    • Customize general fields
    • Customize key bindings
    • Library properties
    • Entry preview setup
    • Manage external file types
    • Manage protected terms
    • The string editor
  • Advanced information
    • Main Window
    • Entry Editor
      • Links to other entries
      • The Bibtex / Biblatex source tab
      • The 'owner' field
      • Time stamp field
      • LaTeX Citations Tab
    • About BibTeX and its fields
    • Strings
    • Field content selector
    • URL and DOI links in JabRef
    • Command line use and options
    • Automatic Backup (.sav and .bak) and Autosave
    • XMP metadata support in JabRef
    • Remote operation
    • Custom themes
    • Journal abbreviations
    • New subdatabase based on AUX file
    • How to expand first names of an entry
    • Debugging your library file
    • Resources
    • License
    • Knowledge
      • MS Office Bibliography XML format
      • Comparison of the Medline (txt), Medline (xml), and RIS format
      • EndNote Export Filter
  • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Linux
    • Mac OS X
    • Windows
  • Discussion Forum
  • Contribute to JabRef
    • How to Improve the Help Page
    • How to translate the JabRef User Interface
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On this page
  • Q: I use JabRef in my work. Should I mention JabRef in my publications?
  • Q: Is JabRef free for private and corporate use?
  • Q: JabRef does not start. What should I do?
  • Q: I have tried the latest version of JabRef. Since then, the library entries are no longer displayed in any old version. What should I do?
  • Q: I have a huge library. What can I do to mitigate performance issues?
  • Q: Are there any publications dealing with JabRef?
  • Q: Does JabRef support non-English languages or UTF8 in general?
  • Q: If I double click a BibTeX file in the file browser, JabRef always opens a new window. Can JabRef open the libraries in the same window just in a different tab?
  • Q: I have a DOI/ISBN/ePrint/etc. Is it possible to create an entry directly out of this identifier?
  • Q: Why can't JabRef find any DOI/ISBN/ePrint/etc.?
  • Q: I miss a field translator, lastfollowedon, etc. How can I add such fields?
  • Q: How do I prevent JabRef from introducing line breaks in certain fields (such as “title”) when saving the .bib file?
  • Q: Is it possible to append entries from a BibTeX file, e.g. from my web browser to the currently opened library?
  • Q: How do I link external files with paths relative to my .bib file, so I can move my library along with its files to another directory?
  • Q: Can I use a bib-file specific PDF directory?
  • Q: How do I export my bibliography entries into a simple text file, so I can import them into a spreadsheet (in LibreOffice, OpenOffice, MS Office, etc.)?
  • Q: How do I add and remove keywords of multiple entries?
  • Q: When linking a file, I cannot set the correct type. How do I add new types?
  • Q: When an organization is provided as author, my BibTeX style doesn't recognize it. For instance, why is “European Commission” converted to “Commission, E.”?
  • Q: Is there a FAQ on BibTeX?
  • Q: How do I export a subset of my library to BibTeX (or BibLaTeX) format?
  • Q: I have the Bib(La)TeX code of a reference. How to add it to my library as a new entry?
  • Q: I have the PDF of a publication. How to make it a new entry of my library?
  • Q: I am looking at a publication in my web browser. How to make it a new entry of my library?
  • Q: I am missing the DOI of some of my publications. Can JabRef help?
  • Q: I am missing the PDF of some of my publications. Can JabRef help?​
  • Q: How do I export a subset corresponding to my LaTeX file?
  • Q: When I modify my library, I would like that JabRef performs entry cleaning automatically. How to do this?
  • Q: Search on Google scholar does not work anymore. Why?
  • Q: JabRef does not push to vim, although I have configured the right path and server name. What is going on?
  • Q: My plugins stopped working. Why?
  • Q: In the preferences, I want to change the option XYZ. How to find it?
  • Q: "Unable to monitor file changes. Please close files and processes and restart. You may encounter errors if you continue with this session."
  • Q: "I'm using JabRef with Linux (Gnome desktop version) and each time I want to see a pdf document in JabRef, the document viewer Evince is opened. I would prefer to open it with Okular."
  • Q: How does JabRef support me in sharing my Bib(La)TeX libraries?
  • Q: How to do collaborative work on a library?
  • Q: Which network protocols and ports are used by JabRef?
  • Q: My question is not answered here. What can I do?
  • Q: There is a mistake in this FAQ, a dead link, or I have written a better/new explanation for a question! What can I do?

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Q: I use JabRef in my work. Should I mention JabRef in my publications?

A: You are not obliged to cite JabRef, but we would greatly appreciate it if you do.

@Article{jabref,
  author  = {Oliver Kopp and Carl Christian Snethlage and Christoph Schwentker},
  title   = {{JabRef}: {BibTeX}-based literature management software},
  journal = {TUGboat},
  issn    = {0896-3207},
  issue   = {138},
  volume  = {44},
  number  = {3},
  pages   = {441--447},
  doi     = {10.47397/tb/44-3/tb138kopp-jabref},
  year    = {2023},
}

Q: Is JabRef free for private and corporate use?

A: Yes it is. JabRef is distributed under the MIT License, which .

Q: JabRef does not start. What should I do?

A: You can try resetting the settings. Depending on your operating system, you may need to pass the command line arguments -d all -n to JabRef.

(E.g. in Windows this means jabref-X.Y.exe -d all -n, where X.Y means the version number of JabRef. If this does not help, run regedit and delete the folder HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Prefs\net\sf\jabref. Be careful with regedit, as you can easily corrupt the basic Windows configuration.)

Q: I have tried the latest version of JabRef. Since then, the library entries are no longer displayed in any old version. What should I do?

A: Don't panic. No data should be damaged in your bib library. Since version 5.0 the columns in the main entry table are stored differently internally. You can reset the preferences by command line. See above.

Q: I have a huge library. What can I do to mitigate performance issues?

A: Check your configuration. Disable some or all of following preferences:

  • disable fulltext index (File → Preferences → Linked files → Fulltext Index → ...)

  • disable time stamps (File → Preferences → General → Time Stamp → ...)

  • disable field formatters (Library → Library Properties → Saving → Save actions → ...)

  • disable autosave (File → Preferences → File → Saving → ...)

  • disable count of items in group (File → Preferences → Groups → ...)

Any preference that has the potential to affect all your entries at once is worth inspecting.

Q: Are there any publications dealing with JabRef?

Q: Does JabRef support non-English languages or UTF8 in general?

A: Yes. In File → Preferences → General, set "Default Encoding" to UTF8 and select an alternative user interface language in "Language" if required.

Q: If I double click a BibTeX file in the file browser, JabRef always opens a new window. Can JabRef open the libraries in the same window just in a different tab?

A: In File → Preference → Single Instance, ensure that "Enforce single JabRef Instance (and allow remote operations) using port [6050]" is checked. Note that 6050 is the default port and can be changed if desired.

Q: I have a DOI/ISBN/ePrint/etc. Is it possible to create an entry directly out of this identifier?

Q: Why can't JabRef find any DOI/ISBN/ePrint/etc.?

Q: I miss a field translator, lastfollowedon, etc. How can I add such fields?

Q: How do I prevent JabRef from introducing line breaks in certain fields (such as “title”) when saving the .bib file?

A: Open File → Preferences. In the “File” panel, you will find an option called “Do not wrap the following fields when saving”. This option contains a semicolon-separated list of field names. Any field you add to this list will always be stored without introduction of line breaks.

Q: Is it possible to append entries from a BibTeX file, e.g. from my web browser to the currently opened library?

Q: How do I link external files with paths relative to my .bib file, so I can move my library along with its files to another directory?

Q: Can I use a bib-file specific PDF directory?

A: In Library → Library properties you can choose a library-specific directory in the field “General file directory”. If you want to set a directory only for you (so that other users should use the default directory), use the field “User-specific file directory”.

Q: How do I export my bibliography entries into a simple text file, so I can import them into a spreadsheet (in LibreOffice, OpenOffice, MS Office, etc.)?

A: Use File → Export. As “Filter” choose “OpenOffice/LibreOffice CSV”.

Q: How do I add and remove keywords of multiple entries?

Q: When linking a file, I cannot set the correct type. How do I add new types?

Q: When an organization is provided as author, my BibTeX style doesn't recognize it. For instance, why is “European Commission” converted to “Commission, E.”?

A: Use curly braces to tell BibTeX to keep your author field as-is: {European Commission}. In BibLaTeX, you can use label = {EC} to have EC05 as a label for a publication of the European Commission in the year 2005.

Q: Is there a FAQ on BibTeX?

Q: How do I export a subset of my library to BibTeX (or BibLaTeX) format?

A: Your JabRef library is already a file in Bib(La)TeX format. To export a specific subset of your library, select the entries to be exported and then choose File → Export → Save selected as plain BibTeX....

Q: I have the Bib(La)TeX code of a reference. How to add it to my library as a new entry?

A: Paste the Bib(la)Tex code of a reference into the table of entries, and JabRef will create the new corresponding entry.

Q: I have the PDF of a publication. How to make it a new entry of my library?

Q: I am looking at a publication in my web browser. How to make it a new entry of my library?

Q: I am missing the DOI of some of my publications. Can JabRef help?

A: JabRef can fetch the DOI for you: select the entries and go to Lookup → Search document identifier online → DOI.

Q: I am missing the PDF of some of my publications. Can JabRef help?​

A: JabRef can fetch the PDFs for you: select the entries and to Lookup → Search full text documents online.​

Q: How do I export a subset corresponding to my LaTeX file?

A: Upon compilation, LaTeX generates a file with the extension ".aux". This file contains the keys of the cited references (among other things). Using this AUX file, JabRef can extract the relevant entries. Choose the menu Tools → New sublibrary based on AUX file... , then select the AUX file.

Q: When I modify my library, I would like that JabRef performs entry cleaning automatically. How to do this?

Q: Search on Google scholar does not work anymore. Why?

Q: JabRef does not push to vim, although I have configured the right path and server name. What is going on?

A: You have to start vim with the option --servername (such as vim --servername MyVimServer). If you get the Unknown option argument message, it means your version of vim does not include the clientserver feature (you can check with vim --version). In such a case, you have to install another version of vim.

Q: My plugins stopped working. Why?

Q: In the preferences, I want to change the option XYZ. How to find it?

A: Enter XYZ in the search field located at the upper left-hand corner of the preference window.

Q: "Unable to monitor file changes. Please close files and processes and restart. You may encounter errors if you continue with this session."

Q: "I'm using JabRef with Linux (Gnome desktop version) and each time I want to see a pdf document in JabRef, the document viewer Evince is opened. I would prefer to open it with Okular."

A: JabRef opens the pdf document with the application Gnome has set by default: Evince. If you want JabRef to open another application (Okular or other), in your file explorer, right-click on whatever pdf file > properties > Open With > choose your application > Set as default at the bottom right corner. From now on, both when you double-click a pdf file in your file explorer or when you ask JabRef to open it via its document viewer, your chosen application will be used.

Q: How does JabRef support me in sharing my Bib(La)TeX libraries?

A: JabRef automatically recognizes a change in the bib file on disk and notifies the user of it. This is cool for network drives.

Q: How to do collaborative work on a library?

Q: Which network protocols and ports are used by JabRef?

A: JabRef uses https to connect to external catalogs to fetch bibliographic data. The concrete port used depends on the external service. Mostly, the standard port 443 is used. When connecting to a SQL database, the standard port for PostgreSQL and MySQL is used. JabRef offers a local interface used by the browser plugin. For that, JabRef uses a proprietary, text-based protocol offered on the configurable port 6050.

Q: My question is not answered here. What can I do?

Q: There is a mistake in this FAQ, a dead link, or I have written a better/new explanation for a question! What can I do?

Sort the maintable columns from A-Z (low to highest), not from Z-A. See issue .

We collect performance related issues .

A: We are collecting all publications we hear about at .

A: Paste the DOI in the table of entries, and JabRef will create the corresponding entry. Additionally, in Library → New entry you can select the type of the identifier in the field "ID type" and enter the identifier in "ID". A click on "Generate" should create the correct entry. If this does not work, try a web search. For more details, see .

A: There are several reasons why JabRef cannot find your identifier online. For example, your DOI is not listed in the if you are using the CrossRef fetcher. Another reason could be that the search result for your DOI on returns invalid BibTeX which is unable to be read by JabRef. Try a instead.

A: To add this translator field to all entry types, you can use File → Preferences → Custom editor tabs and add a translator field under one of JabRef's general field tabs (see s). To add this translator field to a specific entry type, edit the specific entry type(s) (File → Customize entry types) and add a translator field under required fields or optional fields, as you like (see ).

A: Yes, you can use the parameter --importToOpen bibfile of the .

A: You need to override the default file directory for this specific library. In Library → Library properties you can override the Default file directory setting. There, you can either enter the path in General file directory (for it to be valid for all users of the file) or in User-specific file directory (for it to be valid for you only). If you simply enter “.” (a dot, without the quotes), the file directory will be the same as the .bib file directory. To place your files in a subdirectory called subdir, you can enter “./subdir” (without the quotes). Files will automatically be linked with relative paths if the files are placed in the default file directory or in a directory below it. More details on the .

A: Select the entries and go to Library → Manage keywords. There you can manage keywords appearing in all selected entries or in any selected entry. New keywords are added to all selected entries. More details about .

In File → Preferences, tab External programs, button "Manage external file types", you can add arbitrary types. See the .

A: Take a look at “Bibliographies and citations” at the . For German readers, there is the .

A: Drag & drop a PDF onto the table of entries (between two existing entries). JabRef will analyze the PDF and create a new entry. More details about

A: Use : with one click, JabRef browser extension identifies and extracts bibliographic information on websites and sends them to JabRef.

A: In Library → Library properties, you will find a section named "Save actions". After enabling this feature, you can choose which actions should be performed for each field upon saving. That should help you keep your library tidy. More details about , , and .

A: Google scholar is blocking "automated" crawls which generate too much traffic in a short time. JabRef already uses a two-step approach (with the prefetched list before crawling the actual BibTeX data) to circumvent this. However, after too many crawls JabRef is being blocked. To solve this issue, see the section in the Google Scholar database.

A: In JabRef 3.0 plugin support was removed because the development team cannot keep up plugin support anymore. Nevertheless, plugins can be integrated in JabRef. See for the current status and discussion. Please contact the author of the respective plugin and ask them to port their plugin into JabRef's code.

A: This error message has been observed on systems that use . System calls to inotify_init and inotify_add_watch set errno to EMFILE when inotify has reached its limit. The most common reason is that inotify is running too many instances. To solve this problem, contact your system administrator and request that they increase the limits defined in /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_* files.

If you use version control, a few advices are given for a smoother .

In addition, we have .

A: You can either choose to or to .

A: After consulting and checking whether your question has been please head over to the .

A: See .

allows the following usage
8977
here
https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/wiki/JabRef-in-the-media
Add entry using an ID
CrossRef database
DOI.org
web search
Customize general field
Customize entry types
command line
help page about the library properties
keywords in JabRef
dedicated page about external file types
UK List of TeX Frequently Asked Questions on the Web
dante e.V. FAQ
Adding entries from PDFs.
JabRef Browser extension
cleaning up entries
save actions
check integrity
issue #152
inotify
sharing of a bib file
many open issues dealing with collaboration
use an SQL database
share a bib file
JabRef's help
regarded as issue
Forum
How to improve the help page
Traffic limitations