Where to Download Mendeley, Sign In, and Get Help
Mendeley's official site is mendeley.com. From there you can reach the download page for the desktop app, sign in to your account, and open the support and community resources. The exact menu labels and page layouts can change, so treat the paths below as the general structure and look for the matching links if the wording differs.
Downloading Mendeley
Mendeley is primarily a desktop reference manager, with a web library and mobile apps as companions. The desktop app is the one you install to manage your library and use the citation plugin in Word or other word processors.
- Go to mendeley.com and look for a Download link, usually in the top navigation or a prominent button on the homepage.
- The download page offers the desktop version for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Pick the installer for your operating system.
- Run the installer and sign in with your Mendeley account when prompted (or create one first — see below).
If you only need to read or organize references occasionally, the web library at mendeley.com may be enough. For writing papers with in-text citations and a bibliography, you'll want the desktop app plus the citation plugin.
Signing In and Creating an Account
Mendeley accounts are tied to Elsevier, so the sign-in flow may route through an Elsevier account page.
- On mendeley.com, find Sign in (or Log in) in the top-right area.
- If you don't have an account, choose Create account / Register and follow the form. You can typically register with an email address, or sign in via an institutional or Google account if those options are offered.
- Once signed in, your library syncs between the desktop app, the web library, and mobile apps, so the same credentials work across devices.
A note on cost: Mendeley has a Pricing page at mendeley.com/pricing. Check that page directly for what the free tier includes and what paid plans add — don't assume any particular feature is free or paid without confirming there.
Accessing Mendeley Across Devices
| Device | What you get | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux) | Full library management, PDF annotation, citation plugin | Download from mendeley.com |
| Web library | Browser-based access to your references and PDFs | Sign in at mendeley.com |
| Mobile (iOS/Android) | Read and annotate on the go, sync with your library | App store, sign in with same account |
Syncing requires you to be signed in on each device with the same account.
Getting Help and Support
Mendeley's help resources are reached from the site rather than a single obvious button, so look for these:
- Support / Help center — searchable articles and guides on installing, syncing, citing, and troubleshooting. Often linked in the footer or under a Support or Help menu.
- Community / forums — user discussions where common problems (sync errors, plugin issues, PDF import quirks) are answered by other users and sometimes staff.
- Contact support — for account or billing issues that the help articles don't resolve.
If a help article references a menu you can't find, it may be out of date; the community forums are often the fastest way to confirm the current location of a setting.
Common Snags
- Sign-in loops — if you're bounced between Mendeley and Elsevier login pages, clearing cookies or using the same login method you registered with usually fixes it.
- Plugin not showing in Word — the citation plugin installs separately from the desktop app; check the desktop app's tools menu for the plugin installer.
- Sync not working — confirm you're signed in with the same account on every device, and check whether you've hit a storage limit on your plan (see the pricing page).
For anything account-specific, the official support and community channels are the reliable route — third-party download sites are best avoided.