Import your first sources
Tutorial · 7 min read · Updated 2 September 2026
A library starts empty. This tutorial walks the four ways sources get in — a folder of PDFs, an identifier, the browser extension, and a .bib file from another manager — then shows how to check what the metadata lookup found before you file anything away.
Open the importer
Click Import in the top bar of the Explorer, or press ⌘ I from anywhere in the app. The importer opens over the library with the four sources side by side; nothing is added until you confirm.
The importer. 1 the drop area for files and folders · 2 identifier lookup (DOI, ISBN, PMID, arXiv) · 3 the destination library.
Choose where the sources come from
Any of the four routes ends in the same place — a staging list you review before the files join the library. Mix them freely in one import.
Files and folders
Drag PDFs, EPUBs or a whole folder onto the drop area. Subfolders are walked, and folder names can be kept as tags — the checkbox is under the drop area.
An identifier
Paste a DOI, ISBN, PMID or arXiv id — one per line for a batch. Archivero fetches the record, and the open-access PDF where one exists.
The browser extension
On a journal page, a catalogue record or a news article, click the Archivero button in the toolbar. The page is captured with its citation data and, if you are signed in, lands in the same staging list.
A file from another manager
BibTeX, RIS and CSL JSON exports are read directly, attachments included. Folders come across as folders.
Twenty-four files staged. A gold dot marks a record the lookup could not resolve; you can fix it here or after the import.
Check the metadata before you confirm
Automatic lookup is right most of the time and confidently wrong the rest. Scan the staging list for three things: an author field holding an institution, a year that matches the PDF's file date rather than the publication, and a title in ALL CAPS from a scanned cover page. Click any row to open the metadata editor.
The metadata editor. 1 the field list for the chosen source type · 2 Re-run lookup, which refetches from Crossref and OpenLibrary without overwriting what you have typed.
File it where you will find it again
Confirm the import and the sources appear in the Explorer. Folders are the structure you choose; tags are labels a source can hold many of — so file by project, and let tags carry the themes.
The Explorer after the import, with the new sources gathered in a folder and the tags picked up from folder names.
Shortcuts worth learning
| Action | macOS | Windows and Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Open the importer | ⌘ I | Ctrl I |
| Paste an identifier | ⌘ ⇧ V | Ctrl ⇧ V |
| Edit metadata | ⌘ E | Ctrl E |
| Re-run lookup | ⌘ R | Ctrl R |
| Confirm import | ⌘ ↵ | Ctrl ↵ |
When something goes wrong
Scanned PDFs often carry no embedded record. Open the source, paste its DOI or ISBN into the identifier field of the metadata editor and re-run the lookup; the fields fill in and the file stays attached.