My Nextcloud file cloud

The network hosts its own cloud, based on Nextcloud 🡕. My files, my calendar and my contacts are all in one place, reachable from my browser, my computer and my phone. And everything stays at home, on our server.

What is Nextcloud?

Nextcloud is a storage space comparable to Dropbox or Google Drive, with three differences that change everything :

• Private: my files are on the server at home, not with a web giant.
• Complete: files, calendar, contacts, photos, notes, link sharing.
• Open: browser, file manager or mobile app, my choice.

I sign in with my usual network account, without a new password to remember (see Manage my account).

Three ways to access it

Access	What it does	When to use it
Browser	The entire cloud, including shares and calendar	From any computer
File manager	Files stay on the server, opened like a network drive	View, drop off, without using my disk
Synchronized folder	A copy on my disk, kept up to date in both directions	Work offline, daily use

The two access methods add up

There’s no need to choose. The most comfortable way: link my account to see everything, and only synchronize the folders I really need locally.

From my browser

I open https://cloud.domain.tld and sign in with my network account. This is the complete view : files, calendar, contacts, photos, shares, trash and previous versions of my documents.

The home domain name

Throughout this page, domain.tld is the network’s domain name. My administrator gives me the exact address.

Connect my computer to my account

On a Linux workstation on the network, two Nextcloud icons are installed:

Icon	Purpose
Webdav Login	Links files, calendar and contacts to my computer. One-time operation.
Nextcloud Sync Client	Copies a cloud folder to my disk.

I start with the first one.

Why 'Webdav'?

WebDAV is the language that lets my file manager talk to the cloud like a network drive. This icon does nothing more than present my account to my computer: once launched, I can forget about it.

1. I open Webdav Login from the applications list. A small terminal window appears.

2. My browser opens on the cloud login page. I sign in with my network account, then click Grant access.

3. I go back to the terminal window. It displays my account, the server, and an application password.

Done. Three things happen at once:

• A Nextcloud (cloud.domain.tld) entry appears in my file manager. It gives access to my entire cloud without copying anything to disk.
• My cloud calendar appears in the Calendar app.
• My cloud contacts appear in the Contacts app.

The application password

This password does not replace mine: it only grants access to files, and I can revoke it at any time from the cloud. I store it in my password vault. It will let me connect another device or another application to my account.

Sync a folder to my disk

The sync client keeps a local copy of my files. I can therefore work offline: everything syncs back when the network is available.

1. At login, the Nextcloud window offers to switch to the web browser. I click Open.

2. My browser opens on the cloud page. I sign in, then click Grant access.

3. The client asks for a local folder. It suggests Nextcloud in my home directory, which works perfectly.

4. On the same page, I choose which folders to sync. There is no need to download everything: I check what I use and can add more later.

A small Nextcloud icon then appears in the top bar: it shows sync progress.

The login link expires

The authorization page is only valid for a few minutes. If the window has been open all morning, authorization will fail. I close the window, relaunch Nextcloud Sync Client, and start over: it is instant.

Everything is managed from the Nextcloud icon

The Nextcloud window only shows recent activity: it provides no buttons, so I cannot change anything there. The real control panel is the Nextcloud icon in the top bar.

From the icon menu	What I can do
Settings	Edit my sync settings
Add account	Connect a second Nextcloud account
Pause sync	Take a break while sharing a connection
Quit	Stop the client until the next session

Click the icon, then Settings: the real settings window opens, showing my account and the Add sync folder button.

Answering 'later' blocks nothing

If I skipped the folder selection step at first login, nothing is lost. The icon menu takes me back there whenever I want.

No icon in the top bar?

The icon depends on a desktop extension that is installed by default on workstations on the network. If it is missing, I need to log out and log back in; if it still does not appear, I contact my administrator.

Find my cloud in the file manager

After these two steps, my cloud appears in two places, and it’s not a duplicate :

• Nextcloud (cloud.domain.tld), in the sidebar : my whole cloud, live. Nothing is stored on my computer, so I need to be connected to the network.
• Nextcloud, in my home folder : the folders I chose to sync. They are on my disk and remain readable offline.

A file dropped in the synced folder uploads by itself to the server, and reappears on my other devices.

Deleting means deleting everywhere

A file deleted from the synced folder is also deleted from the cloud, and therefore from my other devices. In case of a mistake, I recover it from the cloud’s trash, in the browser.

On my phone

I install the Nextcloud app (Android or iPhone), enter the address https://cloud.domain.tld, and sign in with my network account. The app can also back up my photos automatically, if I want.