WebDAV — mounting Nextcloud as a network drive

WebDAV is an open protocol that lets you mount Nextcloud directly as a network drive in your file explorer — no desktop client, no local sync. Files stay in the cloud, and you work on them directly, like on a server share.

When WebDAV instead of the desktop client?

WebDAV makes sense when:

• You don’t want to spend local storage on sync
• You only access files occasionally
• You’re working on a machine where you can’t install software (company laptop)
• Server-centric workflows (backup server, archive)

The desktop client is better when:

• You regularly edit many files
• Offline availability matters
• Performance with large files
• You need co-editing lock mechanisms

The server URL for WebDAV

At xaweho, always:

https://<deine-nextcloud-url>/remote.php/dav/files/<deinusername>/

Example: for user mueller on cloud.beispiel.de:

https://cloud.beispiel.de/remote.php/dav/files/mueller/

Authentication — use an app password

Instead of your account password, you should use an app password:

1. In the browser → Personal settings → Security → Devices & sessions
2. Enter an app name (“Mac WebDAV”) → Create new app password
3. Copy the password — it’s shown only once
4. At the WebDAV login, enter your username + this password

Advantages:

• On login problems, you can revoke the app password without changing your account password
• Works even with 2FA enabled

More in Understanding app passwords.

Setup on macOS

Finder → Go → Connect to Server (or Cmd+K):

https://cloud.beispiel.de/remote.php/dav/files/mueller/

→ Connect → enter your login (username + app password) → check “Remember this password in my keychain”.

The volume shows up in Finder under Locations.

macOS pitfalls

• Spotlight indexing: Finder automatically tries to index all WebDAV files. With a large cloud, that burns serious bandwidth. Fix: exclude the volume in System Settings → Spotlight → Privacy.
• .DS_Store: macOS drops .DS_Store files everywhere. They end up in your cloud too. Workaround: defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores true in Terminal.
• Performance: WebDAV on macOS is slower than SMB shares. Large files can stutter.

Setup on Windows

Option A: Directly in Explorer

1. This PC → Map network drive (in the menu bar)
2. Enter the path:

https://cloud.beispiel.de/remote.php/dav/files/mueller/

3. Check “Connect using different credentials” → username + app password.

Option B: WebDrive / NetDrive (commercial tools)

Better performance than Windows’ built-in WebDAV client thanks to smarter caching. ~€50 license fee.

Worth it if you use WebDAV heavily.

Windows pitfalls

• Windows’ standard WebDAV client is old and buggy: performance problems, occasional connection drops
• File size limit: the Windows WebDAV default is a 50 MB upload limit. Adjustable via registry (BasicAuthLevel and FileSizeLimitInBytes).
• HTTPS problems: Windows is occasionally fussy with Let’s Encrypt certificates. If login fails: restart the WebClient service, or use a tool like Cyberduck.

Setup on Linux

GNOME (Files / Nautilus)

Other Locations → Connect to Server:

davs://cloud.beispiel.de/remote.php/dav/files/mueller/

Note: davs:// for HTTPS, dav:// for HTTP — we want davs.

KDE (Dolphin)

Address bar:

webdavs://cloud.beispiel.de/remote.php/dav/files/mueller/

CLI with davfs2

For servers / headless setups:

sudo apt install davfs2
sudo mkdir /mnt/nextcloud
sudo mount -t davfs https://cloud.beispiel.de/remote.php/dav/files/mueller/ /mnt/nextcloud

Login is prompted interactively or configured via /etc/davfs2/secrets.

What works over WebDAV

• Reading / writing all file types
• Creating, renaming, moving folders
• File metadata (date, size)
• Opening directly in apps (Word, Excel, etc.)

What doesn’t work

• Sharing (browser or desktop client only)
• Version history (browser only)
• Co-editing lock visualization (you can still open the file, but conflict detection is weaker)
• Trash recovery (browser only)
• Activity feed (browser only)

WebDAV is a simple file protocol, not a sharing protocol.

Performance — what to expect

From our measurement on a 100 Mbit/s connection:

• Small files (<1 MB): nearly the same latency as local
• Medium files (1–50 MB): ~5–10% slower than an SMB share
• Large files (>500 MB): noticeably slower, because WebDAV can’t stream in blocks as well

For large files: the desktop client with full sync is faster.

WebDAV and office files

If you open a .docx over WebDAV with local MS Word:

• Word loads the file into a local cache
• You edit locally
• On save, the file is written back to the cloud

Works, but: no co-editing possible — if another user edits in parallel in the browser via OnlyOffice/Collabora, you get a conflict.

Recommendation: for office files that multiple users work on, use the browser and co-editing instead.

Frequently asked questions

Does WebDAV also work on iOS / Android? Yes, but not as well as the mobile app. On iOS: Files app → add a location. On Android: via apps like WebDAV Nav. Recommendation: use the mobile app, WebDAV only as a fallback.

Can I use WebDAV with my own domain without a login? No. WebDAV always needs authentication — anonymous WebDAV is not defensible security-wise.

What about https://nc.example.com/webdav/? That’s the legacy URL — it still works (redirects to /remote.php/dav/...) but will be switched off at some point. Better to use the /remote.php/dav/files/<user>/ URL directly.

Shared folders over WebDAV — visible? Yes. Files shared with you appear in your WebDAV mount under /Shared/... or directly in the root directory (depending on the sharing config).

Boosting WebDAV speed — possible? Server-side, we’ve enabled HTTP/2, which speeds up WebDAV noticeably on modern clients. Client-side: the cache configuration in your WebDAV tool of choice.

Cyberduck / Mountain Duck — recommended? Both very good. Mountain Duck mounts as a “real” volume (like Finder/Explorer), Cyberduck acts more like a file manager.

What if the server moves / the URL changes? Enter the new URL in the mount setup, remove the old mount. Files in the cloud stay untouched.

How do I check whether my WebDAV login works? Browser test: type the URL into the address bar, a login dialog appears → enter your login → if the server returns an XML response, everything’s fine. If 401: wrong login.

What’s next

• Desktop client
• Mobile apps
• Understanding app passwords