Using Watch Folders in Mendeley
25/02/2025

Looking for a quick and easy way of adding documents to your Mendeley library? Wouldn’t it be great if you could add PDFs to a folder on your computer and these could be automatically imported into Mendeley? Well, actually you can!
By using a ‘watched folder’ within Mendeley, you can nominate a folder on your PC which you can ask Mendeley to ‘keep an eye on’. Every time a new PDF is added to this folder, Mendeley will automatically import it into your library.
Setting up watch folders is easy…
- Within your Mendeley Reference Manager Desktop, go to File > Watch Folder.

- This will bring up the folder structure on your PC. Under the ‘Watched Folders’ tab tick the folders you would like to watch, and click OK.
- Any PDF that you now add to your chosen folders will be automatically added straight into your Mendeley account.
Don’t forget there are lots of other ways you can add documents to your Mendeley account which you can read about in our previous post.
If you have any questions about Mendeley, pop into the Library or contact us.
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
From nature walks to neural networks: My journey in Applied AI at Cranfield
Hi, I’m Ebru K and choosing a postgraduate degree is about more than just picking a subject; it’s about choosing where your future begins. As an international student from Turkey, I ...
Leading With Heart: My Journey as Cranfield Student Association President by Summer Yan
When I first arrived at Cranfield, I had no idea that one year later I would be standing at the heart of our student community, serving as President of the Cranfield Student Association (CSA). ...
Creating and using constituent lists in Datastream
Whether you're analysing industry performance, or comparing company financials, Datastream is a powerful tool. One of its most useful features is the ability to work with constituent lists — collections of companies grouped by index, ...
Landing at Cranfield: First-term experiences and life beyond the classroom
Starting a postgraduate course can feel daunting, especially if you’re new to the aviation industry. In this blog series, Adit Shah shares his journey on the Air Transport Management MSc at Cranfield. From first-term ...
Accelerating ambition: How Amelie Rohan engineered her future at Cranfield
In the world of high-performance automotive engineering, the gap between being a “fan” and being a professional is measured in more than just miles. It is measured in technical precision, hands-on ...
Study better and smarter in 2026
Happy new year! Now is the perfect time to reflect on your studies so far, thinking about what you’re doing well and where you need to focus a bit more attention. Getting back into ‘study ...
