FAQ

How the "Edit locally" functionality works

This functionality depends on the desktop client ability to register the mime to handle the nc:// scheme. That is the handler used by the server to open a file locally. This will allow the desktop client to open a document with the local editor when you click on the option "Edit locally" in your Nextcloud instance.

Note

Without properly registering the mime, independent of the browser and distro being used, the desktop client will fail to open a document with the local editor when you click on the option "Edit locally" in your Nextcloud instance.

The browser will warn you of the failure: "Failed to launch 'nc://...' because the scheme does not have a registered handler."

How to enable it

In order to do that, you need to install the desktop client with the MSI installer on Windows or use a third party software to integrate the AppImage in your system on Linux.

On Linux

We use AppImage due to its universal compatibility but to take full advantage of the desktop client features you will need a third part software to integrate the AppImage in your system: we have tested AppImageLauncher and alternatively there is Go AppImage.

On Windows

The MSI installer will alter your system registry to register the mime to handle the nc:// scheme.

Alternatively, you can manually register the mime to handle the nc:// scheme:

Save the following content to a .reg file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\nc\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Nextcloud\\nextcloud.exe\" \"%1\""

Double click on the .reg file to import it into the registry.

See https://nextcloud.com/blog/nextcloud-office-release-solves-document-compatibility-overhauls-knowledge-management/ for more information.

Some Files Are Continuously Uploaded to the Server, Even When They Are Not Modified.

It is possible that another program is changing the modification date of the file. If the file is uses the .eml extension, Windows automatically and continually changes all files, unless you remove \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PropertySystem\PropertyHandlers from the windows registry. See http://petersteier.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/windows-indexer-changes-modification-dates-of-eml-files/ for more information.

Syncing Stops When Attempting To Sync Deeper Than 100 Sub-directories.

The sync client has been intentionally limited to sync no deeper than 100 sub-directories. The hard limit exists to guard against bugs with cycles like symbolic link loops. When a deeply nested directory is excluded from synchronization it will be listed with other ignored files and directories in the "Not synced" tab of the "Activity" pane.

There Was A Warning About Changes In Synchronized Folders Not Being Tracked Reliably.

On linux when the synchronized folder contains very many subfolders the operating system may not allow for enough inotify watches to monitor the changes in all of them.

In this case the client will not be able to immediately start the synchronization process when a file in one of the unmonitored folders changes. Instead, the client will show the warning and manually scan folders for changes in a regular interval (two hours by default).

This problem can be solved by setting the fs.inotify.max_user_watches sysctl to a higher value. This can usually be done either temporarily:

echo 524288 > /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches

or permanently by adjusting /etc/sysctl.conf.

I Want To Move My Local Sync Folder

The Nextcloud desktop client does not provide a way to change the local sync directory. However, it can be done, though it is a bit unorthodox. Specifically, you have to:

Remove the existing connection which syncs to the wrong directory
Add a new connection which syncs to the desired directory

To do so, in the client UI, which you can see above, click the "Account" drop-down menu and then click "Remove". This will display a "Confirm Account Removal" dialog window.

Remove existing connection confirmation dialog

If you're sure, click "Remove connection".

Then, click the Account drop-down menu again, and this time click "Add new".

This opens the Nextcloud Connection Wizard, which you can see above, but with an extra option. This option provides the ability to either: keep the existing data (synced by the previous connection) or to start a clean sync (erasing the existing data).

Important

Be careful before choosing the "Start a clean sync" option. The old sync folder may contain a considerable amount of data, ranging into the gigabytes or terabytes. If it does, after the client creates the new connection, it will have to download all of that information again. Instead, first move or copy the old local sync folder, containing a copy of the existing files, to the new location. Then, when creating the new connection choose "keep existing data" instead. The Nextcloud client will check the files in the newly-added sync folder and find that they match what is on the server and not need to download anything.

Make your choice and click "Connect...". This will then step you through the Connection Wizard, just as you did when you setup the previous sync connection, but giving you the opportunity to choose a new sync directory.