Importing from Mendeley

Citavi can import references from a file you export from Mendeley in BibTeX format. To import references, file attachments, and annotations directly from your Mendeley account, use the direct import method instead.

Export your Mendeley library in BibTeX format

  1. Open Mendeley Reference Manager.
  2. On the File menu, click Export All (or select references first and then click Export).
  3. Select BibTeX (*.bib) as the file type.
  4. Choose a location, enter a name for the file, and click Save.

Please note:

In the legacy Mendeley Desktop app, the command is File > Export; press F5 first to synchronize your library.

Import the BibTex file in Citavi

  1. Switch to Citavi and open a project or create a new project.
  2. On the File menu, click Import.
  3. Select Another reference management program. Click Next.
  4. If you don't see Mendeley in the list, click Add filter.
  5. Enable the Mendeley (via BibTeX Export) option. Click Next.
  6. Click Browse. Select the file with the .bib file ending and click Open. Click Next.
  7. In the import window that appears, you can choose which references you want to import. To import all the references, click Add to project. To add specific references only, first select the corresponding checkboxes.

A BibTeX file contains reference data only. To also import file attachments and annotations, use the direct import method. (In the legacy Mendeley Desktop app, Citavi additionally copies the PDF files from the folder C:\Users\[Your name]\AppData\Local\Mendeley Ltd\Mendeley Desktop\Downloaded into the Citavi Attachments sub-folder of the project.)

See also: