Settings to enable external share via link

Grisu112NRW · December 6, 2025, 12:59pm

Hello!

I’ve a little problem: When I try to create an external share via link, the system is still adding the user to a guest account. I don’t want to add a guest account, only to share a link via email.

The manual wasn’t very helpful and I tried different setting but without success.

This is my setup:

PHP Version: 8.2.29
mysql Version: 10.6.22
Nextcloud Hub 25 Autumn (32.0.2)

Settings (set to true, all other set to false):

Allow apps to use the Share-API
- Allow sharing with groups
Allow users to share via link and email
- Always ask for password
  - Enforce password protection
Share by mail:
- Send password by mail
- Reply to initiator

Can anybody help? Thank you!

scubamuc · December 7, 2025, 12:30pm

Hey @Grisu112NRW welcome to the Nextcloud community

please be clear, what are you trying to do?
it may help if you add a screenie or two so we can understand your issue.

so, you’re trying to create an external link to a file/folder for an external non-nextcloud user right?

select external share
add a share by clicking “+”
configure the share by clicking “…”
copy the share link
send the share link by mail/messenger/etc…

Grisu112NRW · December 9, 2025, 7:29pm

Thanks for your help!

Unfortunately, I don’t have this link for public shares…

Any ideas, which settings have to be checked or set?

scubamuc · December 10, 2025, 6:54am

@Grisu112NRW

Administration settings → Sharing → Allow sharing links via email

unless you’re trying to share something that’s not sharable like a directory/file “shared with you” where the owner does not allow sharing or external files, where the admin has disallowed sharing or group restriction disallowing sharing by link

Grisu112NRW · December 10, 2025, 7:06pm

It’s still not working the way it should…

There’s no button to create a link for external sharing.

Here are my settings:

Sharing
- Allow apps to use the Share API = true
  - Allow resharing = false
  - Allow sharing with groups = true
  - Restrict users to only share with users in their groups = false
  - Allow users to preview files even if download is disabled = false
- Allow users to share via link and emails = true
  - Allow public uploads = true
  - Allow public shares to be added to other clouds by federation. This will add share permissions to all newly created link shares = false
  - Always ask for a password = true
  - Enforce password protection = true
- Allow users to set custom share link tokens = false
- Set default expiration date for internal shares = false
- Set default expiration date for shares to other servers = false
- Set default expiration date for shares via link or email = true
Privacy settings for sharing
- all = false
Share by mail
- Send password by mail = true
- Reply to initiator = true

I tried several combinations of settings, but I didn’t find the right one to get share by link working.

scubamuc · December 10, 2025, 7:19pm

@Grisu112NRW please post your app list

occ app:list

Mornsgrans · December 10, 2025, 7:52pm

What about the red marked item?

Grisu112NRW · December 11, 2025, 7:50pm

When I click this item, there’re no entries.

Sorry…

Mornsgrans · December 11, 2025, 8:11pm

Please don’t forget to answer this question

Grisu112NRW · December 11, 2025, 9:02pm

Sorry, I hadn’t seen that question…

Is there any possibility to run the occ command via the browser? Unfortunately I don’t have access to the server console - only webbased or ftp…

Mornsgrans · December 11, 2025, 9:48pm

Hmmm - a shot in the darkness:
Did you ask the support of your webhoster, whether email is part of the contract or sharing via email is disabled?

Grisu112NRW · December 14, 2025, 9:28am

So, here’s a list of my active apps:

Activity 5.0.0-dev.0
Antivirus for files 6.1.0
AppAPI 32.0.0
Brute-force settings 5.0.0-dev.0
Collabora Online - Built-in CODE Server 25.4.702
Collaborative tags 1.22.0
Comments 1.22.0
Contacts Interaction 1.13.1
Dashboard 7.12.0
Deleted files 1.22.0
Federation 1.22.0
File reminders 1.5.0
File sharing 1.24.1
Files download limit 5.0.0-dev.0
First run wizard 5.0.0-dev.0
Guests 4.6.0
Log Reader 5.0.0-dev.0
Monitoring 4.0.0-dev.0
Nextcloud Office 9.0.2
Nextcloud announcements 4.0.0-dev.0
Nextcloud webhook support 1.3.0
Notifications 5.0.0-dev.0
PDF viewer 5.0.0-dev.0
Password policy 4.0.0-dev.0
Photos 5.0.0-dev.1
Privacy 4.0.0-dev.0
Recommendations 5.0.0-dev.0
Related Resources 3.0.0-dev.0
Share by mail 1.22.0
Support 4.0.0-dev.0
Team folders 20.1.6
Teams 32.0.0
Text 6.0.1
Update notification 1.22.0
Usage survey 4.0.0-dev.0
User status 1.12.0
Versions 1.25.0
Weather status 1.12.0

I guess that getting in touch with the webhosten doesn’t lead to a solution. Nextcloud is self-hosted and (due to no access to the server console) installed via an installation script, which has been copied to the destination folder. Maybe this could be the root cause, so that in this version not all options might be included…

Mornsgrans · December 14, 2025, 9:33am

Thank you for the app list.

Maybe @scubamuc knows, wheter the mail app is a prerequisite to share via link, even you use a different mail client to send the link.
The mail app is missing in your app list.

scubamuc · December 14, 2025, 9:57am

@Grisu112NRW and @Mornsgrans ,

Email-Server settings are certainly required! It is always recommended to complete both Email-Server settings in the Administration settings for a valid SMTP and User-Profile settings with a valid email address for sharing. The “mail app” as such is not required.

aa1234 · December 14, 2025, 9:58am

Just faces similar issue. Turns out external sharing is disabled for external storage by default. If you are using external storage, check this: https://help.nextcloud.com/t/external-storage-files-and-folders-no-sharing-option/2000/2

scubamuc · December 14, 2025, 10:37am

Hey @aa1234 welcome to the Nextcloud community

that’s a great tip and thanks for mentioning it!

it seems @Grisu112NRW is on a shared host, hosted instance and will not be able to add external files since most service providers would prevent that… unless @Grisu112NRW ist sharing local files via SFTP, which is doubtful.

nonetheless we’re glad you figured out your issue with external sharing

scubamuc · December 14, 2025, 11:26am

@Mornsgrans, so I spun up a container and installed a fresh default instance to test if sharing without Email-Server settings could be the cause:

no Email-Server configured no user-profile mail added → sharing works fine ootb

app:list

Enabled:
  - activity: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - app_api: 32.0.0
  - bruteforcesettings: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - calendar: 6.1.1
  - circles: 32.0.0
  - cloud_federation_api: 1.16.0
  - comments: 1.22.0
  - contacts: 8.1.1
  - contactsinteraction: 1.13.1
  - dashboard: 7.12.0
  - dav: 1.34.2
  - federatedfilesharing: 1.22.0
  - federation: 1.22.0
  - files: 2.4.0
  - files_downloadlimit: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - files_pdfviewer: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - files_reminders: 1.5.0
  - files_sharing: 1.24.1
  - files_trashbin: 1.22.0
  - files_versions: 1.25.0
  - firstrunwizard: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - logreader: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - lookup_server_connector: 1.20.0
  - mail: 5.6.4
  - nextcloud_announcements: 4.0.0-dev.0
  - notes: 4.12.4
  - notifications: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - oauth2: 1.20.0
  - password_policy: 4.0.0-dev.0
  - photos: 5.0.0-dev.1
  - privacy: 4.0.0-dev.0
  - profile: 1.1.0
  - provisioning_api: 1.22.0
  - recommendations: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - related_resources: 3.0.0-dev.0
  - richdocuments: 9.0.2
  - richdocumentscode: 25.4.702
  - serverinfo: 4.0.0-dev.0
  - settings: 1.15.1
  - sharebymail: 1.22.0
  - spreed: 22.0.5
  - support: 4.0.0-dev.0
  - survey_client: 4.0.0-dev.0
  - systemtags: 1.22.0
  - text: 6.0.1
  - theming: 2.7.0
  - twofactor_backupcodes: 1.21.0
  - user_status: 1.12.0
  - viewer: 5.0.0-dev.0
  - weather_status: 1.12.0
  - webhook_listeners: 1.3.0
  - workflowengine: 2.14.0

so @Grisu112NRW’s issue is something else

here are the default sharing settings:

Mornsgrans · December 14, 2025, 11:39am

is in your config, but missing in @Grisu112NRW 's. That led me to my opinion, that there might be a dependency.

scubamuc · December 14, 2025, 11:49am

that would be surprising, but worth a try → if yes, we should definitely tell the folks upstream

Grisu112NRW · December 23, 2025, 3:43pm

I tried installing Mail, but this wasn’t the solution.

I talked to the server’s admin. He has full access and a server side included nextcloud installation routine. So, in the next few days we we’re going to install a complete fresh setup (and I guess it will be the AIO) and then everythink will be running fine (hopefully).

Thanks a lot for your help and inspiration! Have a merry christmas and a happy new year!