Nextcloud WebDAV: how to access it?

With WebDAV, Nextcloud offers the possibility of integrating Cloud files directly into the operating system without having to go through the Web interface. For this, you have official clients as well as third-party tools. Depending on your operating system, access is via File Explorer in Windows, Finder in macOS or File Manager in Linux.

What are the benefits of WebDAV support in Nextcloud?

WebDAV is an HTTP extension that allows files to be accessed and transferred over the Internet. Nextcloud's WebDAV support allows you to mount files directly in your local file systemeven if they are stored on a web server. This means you can manage your Nextcloud files as easily as if they were saved locally on your device. Since Nextcloud supports this protocol by default, there is no need to enable WebDAV: the functionality is immediately available after configuring your instance.

The extension HTTP is supported by many operating systems, including Linux, Windows and macOS, in part because it uses the standard HTTP (80) or HTTPS (443) port for transfer. This makes connection simpler than other solutions that require opening specific ports. It's also beneficial to be able to seamlessly integrate WebDAV with existing workflows and applications that support it.

What WebDAV clients are available?

In addition to official Nextcloud clients, there are many WebDAV clients from external services. Different options are therefore available to you depending on your operating system and your usage. However, the recommended method for syncing with Nextcloud servers is to use official applications for desktop and mobile devices. After configuring the clients, you can choose in which local directory your files will be stored and which folders will be synchronized.

If you don't want to use the official clients, you can resort to any client compatible with WebDAV. It should be noted, however, that the third-party apps are not necessarily optimized for the Nextcloud and WebDAV combination and may not support all features. Among the latter, the most common are:

• Linux : Cadaver, davfs2, Nautilus.
• Windows : Cyberduck, WinSCP.
• macOS : Cyberduck, Mountain Duck, Forklift, Transmit, Commander One.
• Mobile apps : FolderSync (Android), WebDAV Navigator (iOS).

Configuring Nextcloud WebDAV differs depending on your operating system. While Windows and macOS have built-in WebDAV support, Linux in many cases requires additional configurations or specific clients. Find out how to configure WebDAV on Windows, macOS and Linux below.

WebDAV access to Nextcloud on Windows

As Windows offers native WebDAV support, Nextcloud can be mounted as a network drive without difficulty. This assignment allows you to browse files stored on your Cloud server in the same way as data on the corresponding network drive. In particular, you can associate Nextcloud as a network drive from the command line. With the following command, you assign, for example, this Cloud software the drive Z: :

net use Z: https:///remote.php/dav/files/NOM_UTILISATEUR/ /user: votrenom votremotdepasse

Below enter the Nextcloud WebDAV URL or Nextcloud WebDAV path to the server, as in the following example:

net use Z: https://exemple.fr/nextcloud/remote.php/dav/files/NOM_UTILISATEUR/ /user: votrenom votremotdepasse

To assign a drive, you can also use Windows Explorer. After opening Explorer, right-click on “ Connect a network drive « . Select the local network drive for Nextcloud. Next, provide the address of your instance with the suffix /remote.php/dav/files/NOM_UTILISATEUR/For example : https://exemple.fr/nextcloud/remote.php/dav/files/NOM_UTILISATEUR/.

WebDAV access to Nextcloud on macOS

For macOS users, WebDAV can notably be integrated by the Finder. This is done as follows:

1. Open the macOS Finder and navigate to “Go To” in the top menu bar. From the drop-down menu, then select the option “ Connect to server… « .
2. In the pop-up window, enter your server's WebDAV address in the  » Server address « , For example : https://cloud.VOTREDOMAINE.fr/remote.php/dav/files/NOM_UTILISATEUR/.
3. Click on “ Connect » so that the WebDAV server appears on your desktop as a shared drive.

WebDAV access to Nextcloud on Linux

On Linux you can access Nextcloud through the file manager Nautiluswhich supports WebDAV natively when configured from the GNOME control center. It is also possible to manually mount Nextcloud files using the protocol davsusing for example a command or a network input: davs://exemple.fr/nextcloud/remote.php/dav/files/NOM_UTILISATEUR/.

To access Nextcloud files with the Dolphin file manager in KDE, use the Webdav protocol (webdav://exemple.fr/nextcloud/remote.php/dav/files/NOM_UTILISATEUR/). This allows you to set up a permanent link to your server. To do this, you need to add a network folder to the file manager.

Additionally, it is possible to mount WebDAV storage using the Linux command line. This option is useful if you want to use Nextcloud like any other file system.

Known access issues and solutions

Several issues can occur when accessing Nextcloud via WebDAV. Find out some of the most common errors below and how to resolve them.

Resource temporarily unavailable (Linux)

If creating a file in the directory does not work, add /etc/davfs2/davfs2.conf has use_locks 0.

Certificate Warning (Linux)

If you use a self-signed certificate, a warning will appear. To avoid it, you must configure davfs2 so that it recognizes the certificate. Here's how to do it:

1. Copy mycertificate.pem In /etc/davfs2/certs/.
2. Edit /etc/davfs2/davfs2.conf. In the line servercertadd the path to your certificate: servercert /etc/davfs2/certs/mycertificate.pem.

No connection via HTTPS (Windows)

Windows WebDAV clients may not be able to process Server Name Indication (SNI) during encrypted connections. If you are having issues connecting to an SSL-secured Nextcloud instance, you should check if your server has an IP address dedicated to SSL certificates. If not, you can contact your Internet service to obtain a suitable IP.

It is also possible that the Windows WebDAV client favors outdated encryption protocols, such as SSLv3 or TLS 1.0, and fails to establish a connection if the server only allows TLS 1.1 or later versions.