Contents

1. Why should you use the Nextcloud desktop client?

To easily collaborate on research, you can synchronize documents to your local workstation through the Nextcloud Desktop Client. The Nextcloud Desktop Client enables easy file synchronization across multiple devices, ensuring that your data is always up-to-date and accessible. It also saves local storage space by using a Virtual File System, which only downloads files when you need them, instead of storing everything locally. The Nextcloud Desktop Client is available for Windows, Mac OS & various Linux distributions. You can download the Nextcloud Desktop client on the Nextcloud website.

Mobile Client for mobile devices

Also for mobile devices, an Nextcloud client is available.

2. Download and install the Nextcloud client application

How to configure the desktop application

Step 1: Install the latest available version of the Desktop Client

The client can be downloaded here: https://nextcloud.com/install/#desktop-files

For Linux users please visit the following page in the Nextcloud Forum for information on specific packages for your Linux Distribution. https://help.nextcloud.com/t/linux-packages-status 

We do not recommend using the VFS client for Mac OS

1 account was detected from a legacy desktop client. Should the account be imported?

When the installation is complete and you start the desktop application for the first time, a pop-up "Legacy import" might appear. This happens when you have have a SURFdrive account configured with the ownCloud desktop client. If this is the case, follow the instruction at step 3a the page "How to migrate to Nextcloud Desktop Client". If you do not see a pop-up, follow the steps below to set up your Nextcloud client. 

Step 2: Login to your SURFdrive account and grant access

After opening the Nextcloud Desktop client, it will ask you to login. 

Press "Login" and fill out the SURFdrive server address:

https://surfdrive.surf.nl

When you press "Next", a local web browser will open and you are asked to login using your SURFdrive credentials. After logging in, you will have to grant your desktop client access to your SURFdrive account by pressing "Grant access".

Step 3: Synchronize your SURFdrive files to a local location

As a final step, you indicate how (1) you want to synchronize your files and to which location (2) on your local system (select "Choose different folder" if you wish to change the default).

NB: If you do not want the client to automatically download new folders, change the value for 'Ask for confirmation before synchronizing folders larger than' to 0 (zero) MB. New folders will now only be downloaded after you specifically select them.

Use virtual files instead of downloading content immediately

Select the option "Use virtual files instead of downloading content immediately" if you wish to not create a local copy of your data on you system but instead only download the files locally when you wish to access the contents of your files. If you wish to read more on how this works, visit the "Virtual File System" paragraph below.

3. Configure the desktop client

How to setup the client?

3.1 Enable desktop client logging

If the desktop client shows unexpected behavior, the logging can often provide more clarity. Debug logging is enabled per default, but you do have to select a location where you wish to keep these logs. Logs are kept for 24 hours. To pick the location of where the desktop client will export the logs, open the client and navigate to the “General” settings, and select “Create Debug Archive ...”. Now select a desired location where the log files are stored.

Alternatively, you can create a debug archive using a keyboard shortcut. 

Open log window with shortcut key

  1. Open the Nextcloud Desktop Client.
  2. Press F12 or Ctrl-L on your keyboard.
  3. This opens een log window which you can save the log file to your computer.

For alternative ways to setup logging, visit the Nextcloud troubleshooting page.

3.2 Desktop Client configuration

Configure the client

The Nextcloud Desktop Client has multiple of options to synchronize your files;

  • All files
  • Specific folder(s)
  • Virtual File System

When you initialize a new connection, by default the Desktop Client will synchronize your complete account to a specific folder.

Synchronize All Files

You can configure some options here;
1a. Ask for synchronization of large folder, with a size which you can set yourself
1b. Not syncing external mounted storage by default, which you can configure within SURFdrive.
2. Location on your own machine where the files should be synced

Press connect if you wish to connect all your SURFdrive data. If you wish to only sync a subset of your data, proceed with the steps below. 

Sync specific folder(s) only

Where personal accounts not have a storage quotas, it can be useful to only synchronize specific shares of project environments.
Synchronization of specific folders can be set at the first configuration, but also later when a configuration profile already exists.

During setup

  1. Select the second option; "Choose what to sync"
  2. Choose the specific folders which you will sync.
  3. Press OK and then "Connect" to sync the selected data.

Do you already have an exiting connection and wish to add another connection with a subset of your data, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Open the Nextcloud client and navigate to your account settings. A window will open where you can view your current sync connections. Press the button "Add folder sync connection"




Step 2: and define a new local location to which you wish to create a new sync connection and press "Next". 


Step 3: Choose the specific specific folder(s) from SURFdrive which you want to sync


Your folders sync connections are now set up properly.

3.3 Virtual File System (VFS)

Virtual File System

VFS is still experimental for Mac OS X and Linux. Although many users have had no issues using it, you do so at your own risk.

In the Nextcloud desktop client it is possible to configure the client to make use of the virtual file system concept. With VFS, all folders and files will be visible on your machine, but not directly accessible. A so-called placeholder will be placed for each file, where the actual file is only retrieved when accessing or when it is specifically downloaded.

With VFS it is possible to pre-download files or complete folders, which will actually place them on your own system and thus be directly accessible. In addition, you can also place folders or files "offline" afterwards, for example to free up space.

You can enable VFS via the Desktop Client settings for a specific configured synchorization.


4. Desktop Client Issues

We do not recommend using the Nextcloud desktop client to synchronize data to a network drive. Although this will work in some occasions it has been known to cause issues. We recommend testing this setup if you do decide to use it like this.

If you experience problems with the Desktop Client, you can try the following things.
1. Check if you can access the SURFdrive environment with your web browser to exclude internet problems

2. Make sure you're Desktop Client is up-to-date. You can find your current version at the settings tab, in the settings menu.

3. Try reinstalling the desktop client by uninstalling and reinstalling the latest version. Also remove the configuration profile as a precaution.

Linux

$HOME/.config/Nextcloud/Nextcloud.cfg

Microsoft Windows

%APPDATA%\Nextcloud\Nextcloud.cfg

macOS

$HOME/Library/Preferences/Nextcloud/Nextcloud.cfg


Support

The support of the Desktop Client cannot be provided by the SURFdrive team as it dependents on organization policy.
Please contact your own IT Service Desk for support regarding the Desktop Client.