After ordering in the customer center you get an email with your Nextcloud URL and login credentials. This guide walks you step by step through the first setup.
1. Login and profile
Open your Nextcloud URL (something like yourname.cloud.xaweho.de) and log in
with the credentials we sent you. Click your avatar at the top right → Personal settings:
- Profile: name, description, upload an avatar.
- Security: set a new password. Ideally use a password manager.
- Two-factor authentication: strongly recommended. Found under Security → Two-factor authentication. We recommend TOTP apps like 2FAS, Aegis or the Apple password manager.
2. Install the sync client
You want your files on your computer — like Dropbox. For that you need the Nextcloud desktop client.
- Mac/Windows/Linux: download from nextcloud.com/install
- iOS: App Store, search for “Nextcloud”
- Android: F-Droid or Google Play, search for “Nextcloud”
After installing: enter the server URL (your Nextcloud URL), log in via browser redirect,
pick a sync folder. By default a folder ~/Nextcloud (Mac/Linux) or
%USERPROFILE%\Nextcloud (Windows) is created.
3. Enable the important apps
Click your avatar at the top right → Apps. That takes you to the Nextcloud app store. For most customers we recommend:
- Calendar: calendar with CalDAV sync.
- Contacts: contacts with CardDAV sync.
- Notes: simple and fast.
- Tasks: to-dos that sync with your calendar client.
- Talk: chat and video, if you want to communicate internally.
Euro-Office is already preinstalled for you — Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents open directly in the browser, no setup and no extra charge. If you’d rather use OnlyOffice or Collabora, you can do that too — more in the Office overview.
4. Automatic photo upload from your phone
In the Nextcloud app on iOS or Android: tap the menu at the top left, then
Auto upload paths. You can configure per camera folder where photos
get uploaded — for example Photos/iPhone-Camera.
We recommend “Wi-Fi only” so you don’t burn through your data plan on large videos.
5. Family or team sharing
Click your avatar → Users. Create accounts for family members. Everyone gets their own login, their own folders, their own permissions.
Shared folders: right-click a folder → Share. Choose internal users or external sharing links with a password and expiry date.
6. Calendar and contacts on your phone
So appointments and contacts sync between Nextcloud and your phone:
- iOS: Settings → Calendar → Accounts → Add account → Other → Add CalDAV account. Server: your Nextcloud URL. Username and password as usual. For contacts, the same under Contacts → Add account → CardDAV.
- Android: we recommend DAVx⁵ from F-Droid or Google Play. It handles CalDAV and CardDAV reliably.
Frequently asked questions
Can I migrate my current cloud here? Depends on where it comes from. An existing Nextcloud (another host or self-run) we take over completely for a flat €49 — configuration, database, data directory. Requirement: you deliver a backup or give us SSH access to the source. From iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive there is no automatic migration — those providers don’t give us API access for it. You export yourself via the official export functions (e.g. Google Takeout) and upload via the desktop client. For very large amounts of data: send us a drive, we upload it free of charge (you only cover return postage).
How should I store passwords? We recommend a separate password manager (Bitwarden, 1Password). There is a Nextcloud password app, but dedicated managers are better.
What if sync gets stuck? First restart the client. If that doesn’t help: open a ticket with the error message. It’s usually a permissions problem or a file conflict — both quickly solved.
What’s next
If you want to dig deeper, read our follow-up articles:
First login as a Nextcloud admin
What to do after your Nextcloud is provisioned — login, profile, the important first settings, what we handle and what you handle.
Admin GUI overview — what you'll find where
Nextcloud's administration settings are big. Here's a tour of the sections that matter and what they do.
Creating users and groups
Create users for family, club or team, organize groups, set quotas, control login behavior.
Sharing — files with others, internally and externally
Sharing files in Nextcloud — within your cloud with other users, with groups, or externally via sharing link.