Support intro
I’m running a self-hosted Nextcloud instance for personal use. I’m comfortable with Linux, networking, and server administration. This is not my first Nextcloud install, and smaller uploads work reliably. The issue is specifically around large file uploads from mobile devices, even when on the same LAN as the server.
The Basics
Nextcloud Server version (e.g., 29.x.x):
32.0.2
Operating system and version (e.g., Ubuntu 24.04):
Fedora Server 43
Web server and version (e.g., Apache 2.4.25):
Apache 2.4.66-1.fc43.x86_64
Reverse proxy and version (e.g., nginx 1.27.2):
Yes – reverse proxy in front (nginx / Caddy depending on service)
PHP version (e.g., 8.3):
PHP 8.3
Is this the first time you’ve seen this error? (Yes / No):
No
When did this problem seem to first start?
Since initial setup; has been consistent across updates
Installation method (e.g. AIO, NCP, Bare Metal/Archive, etc.):
Bare metal / manual installation
Are you using Cloudflare, mod_security, or similar? (Yes / No):
No Cloudflare
No mod_security
Summary of the issue you are facing
Uploading large files from a phone (Nextcloud mobile app or other WebDAV client) frequently fails or hangs indefinitely, even when the phone is on the same local network as the server (gigabit internet). Always fails on large files, including with Android’s Ex File Explorer, Cx File Explorer, and Solid Explorer (Solid Explorer is the most stable of them all but not always). Of course, I always use Nextcloud; the files simply disappear but don’t upload.
Key observations:
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Small files upload fine from mobile
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Large files (hundreds of MB to multi-GB) consistently fail from mobile
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Uploading the same files from a laptop works
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Uploading via FTP directly into the data directory works
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After FTP upload, running
occ files:scan(via cron or manually) successfully imports the files -
This suggests a WebDAV / mobile client / chunking / timeout issue, not disk space or permissions
Because of this, my current workflow for large uploads is:
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FTP the files directly to the data directory
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Run a cron job to rescan files
This works, but clearly bypasses WebDAV and defeats the purpose of mobile uploads.
Steps to replicate it
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Install Nextcloud on a self-hosted server with reverse proxy
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Configure Nextcloud mobile app on a phone
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Connect phone to the same LAN as the server (no WAN traversal)
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Attempt to upload a large file (e.g., 1–10 GB video)
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Upload stalls, times out, or silently fails
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Repeat same upload from a laptop → succeeds
Log entries
Nextcloud
No consistent fatal error is logged at the application level during failures. Upload often stops without a clear server-side exception.
(Logs can be provided if needed, but there is no obvious smoking-gun entry.)
Web Browser
Not applicable — issue occurs via mobile app / WebDAV clients, not browser UI.
Web server / Reverse Proxy
No consistent error logged corresponding to the failure time. No 413 errors observed. No disk or permission errors.
Configuration
Nextcloud
I can provide sanitized config.php or occ config:list system if needed.
Nothing unusual beyond reverse proxy settings and large file handling tweaks.
Apps
Standard apps only. No third-party upload or filesystem extensions.
Additional context / hypothesis
This appears to be related to mobile WebDAV chunked uploads, possibly involving:
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Timeouts
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PHP execution limits
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Reverse proxy buffering
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Mobile app retry behavior
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Background upload handling on phones
What’s notable is that this happens even on the same network, eliminating WAN latency as a factor.
I’m looking for guidance on:
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Known mobile upload limitations
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Recommended settings specifically for large uploads from phones
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Whether this is a known issue with mobile WebDAV clients vs desktop
Note: this issue existed when zero issues existed in the Security & safety warnings section, so it would likely be independent to any new issues that arise (which some did, but nothing significant).