I managed to get Nextcloud (most recent version as of today - 8/23/25 = 31.0.8) installed and setup with no error messages in Security & Setup Warnings.
My problem now is that I cannot figure out the logic behind the implementation of the Virtual Files client. I have installed it on my Apple MacBook Pro running Sequoia 15.5 but cannot get my massive file directory (that used to be on Dropbox) up on Nextcloud. Note - Nextcloud is running on a local server with plenty of empty space.
If I drag and drop the directory (on an attached SSD) to the Nextcloud āLocationā that appears when using Virtual Files, I get an error message from my Mac OS telling me there is not enough space to copy the filesā¦because, of course, my laptop does not have enough empty space on its hard drive to accommodate the filesā¦if it did I wouldnāt need to use Virtual Files (selective sync in Dropbox speak). This worked fine in Dropbox but Iām finding it difficult (impossible?) to implement here in Nextcloudā¦maybe Iām missing something?
Dbxfs is the perfect solution to migrate Data from Dropbox to Nextcloud. I found a detailed description at Migration von DropBox zu Nextcloud (German Language).
the idea behind VFS is you have data stored on the server and only a subset exist on the client.. files from the server are visible on the client but only download on demand. This is how it works.
If your goal is to upload more data than your client can handle there are multiple options:
upload directly to the server (using web, webdav etc) and āsyncā using VFS
upload through the client but split into batches so the client uploads the files to the server in background and ādehydrateā files freeing up space for the next batch
Thanks for the replies. Yes, I think I understand VFS but Iām stuck with needing to get more files up on the server than my client can accomodate. This was possible on Dropbox simply because the files accumulated over an extended period of timeā¦I guess. I never tried to upload more than my client could accommodate in bulk so I donāt know if it is possible with Dropbox or not.
At any rate, you understand my goal correctly. I want to upload 750 GB or so to the server (NC) but my local machine has only 512GB of capacity. After reading around an exploring options (with speed in mind) I think I will connect my external SSD to my server, mount it, and copy over the files as follows:
Figure out where my NC files are ā /var/www/html/nextcloud/data//files/
Copy my directory over ā sudo rsync -avh --progress /media/username/MySSD/BigFolder/
/var/www/html/nextcloud/data//files/BigFolder/
Iām working on the understanding that this will put the files in the right place with the correct permissions. Thanks for the link. Iāve been self hosting NC for a couple of years now but this will be my first time attempting to brute force a large directory of files into the system. Itās a clean install and nothing lost if it all fails. The effort is in the interest of experimentation and learning. I have plenty of backupsā¦too many probably.
Related to this, on Mac OS 15.5 Iām noticing that files and directories located in the NC Location get downloaded to my local machine if I click on them but there is no option to āFree up spaceā to return them to being only hosted on the server. Is this a feature that is on its way? I can see myself getting into trouble eventually if I āmake localā too many files/directories and have no way to put them back into āvirtualā mode. I see reference to a āFree up spaceā option but cannot find that option on my installation.
Edit - Sorry, I found it. Itās not a āright clickā option but I do see in the NC client where I can click on āFree up spaceā and select the directory to āDeleteā which I guess means āRemove from local machineā rather than actually delete. Iāll experiment with that.
files belong to a user - you are missing a username is part of the path e.g. .../nextcloud/data/files/bob/bigFolder
the path you provide to occ is from users point of view - provide a username e.g. occ files:scan bob and folder bigFolder scan everything using occ files:scan --all
I have plenty of backupsā¦too many probably.