The link looks like an attachment, but has a different address
An art-history reference PDF can appear in a Zotero item while remaining only a link to a file elsewhere on the computer. Zotero’s documentation calls this a linked file. It says linked files are not synced and cannot be used in a group library. More online capacity does not change that representation.
This matters when the original references sit in a project folder or on a removable drive. The local link may be useful on that machine, but buying a Storage plan does not turn the address into a shared stored copy.
The alternative is a managed stored copy
Stored files are managed inside Zotero’s data directory and can participate in its file-sync route. The attachment guide documents a linked-to-stored conversion under Manage Attachments. That is a library-organisation decision to make deliberately: it changes which copy Zotero manages, rather than simply increasing a meter of available space.
For a group that needs the actual PDFs through Zotero, stored attachments are the relevant arrangement to examine. For a researcher keeping files local to one computer, the Storage FAQ says local file storage is not limited by a paid online subscription. Paying for cloud capacity can be unnecessary if the files do not need that route.
Choose the service after choosing the file’s role
Zotero Storage becomes a relevant purchase when managed attachments need more online space for the intended devices or group. If the present problem is a linked file that only opens on one disk, resolve that file representation first. The decisive question is not how many citations the library contains, but which file copy should be managed and where it needs to be available.
Sources & further reading
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