How to switch from EndNote to Zotero
Checked against the official docs on
Export your EndNote library as XML, then import it into Zotero with File → Import. Save the XML in the right folder and your PDFs come across too.
Convert figures (older libraries only)
In EndNote, go to References → Figure and choose “Convert Figures to File Attachments…” so figures come across as attachments.
Export the library as XML
Optionally select the references you want. Go to File → Export and save the file in your EndNote data directory (typically My Documents\endnote.Data), not a subfolder, so Zotero can find attached files. Choose “XML” as the file type, tick “Export Selected References” only for a subset, click Save, then close EndNote.
Back up Zotero and pause sync
If your Zotero library isn't empty, back up your Zotero data directory first, and turn off automatic sync in Zotero's Sync preferences for now.
Import into Zotero
In Zotero, choose File → Import…, select the .xml file you exported and click Open.
Review the import notes
Fields Zotero doesn't support (such as custom fields, author address or affiliation) are saved as notes tagged “_EndnoteXML import”. Click that tag in the tag selector to review them, and delete the ones you don't need.
Turn sync back on
When you're happy with the imported library, re-enable automatic sync.
Watch out for
- If you save the XML outside the EndNote data directory, file attachments won't be included.
- Many “_EndnoteXML import” notes can slow Zotero down, so review and tidy them after importing.
Sources: zotero.org/support/kb/importing_records_from_endnote. Menus and options can change between versions; if a step doesn't match what you see, follow the linked page.