On Mac: files missing after switching to File Provider

The question: after updating the desktop app on your Mac, your Nextcloud folder appears empty, has moved somewhere else, or nothing is syncing any more.

Why: newer versions of the app use Apple's File Provider on the Mac. Your files are no longer stored in the regular Nextcloud folder in your home folder, but in a location managed by macOS. In Finder, you'll find it on the left under Places. Your files are still safely in your WebOké Nextcloud, so check that first in your browser.

Step 1: look under Places

1. Open Finder and look on the left under Places. Do you see Nextcloud there (sometimes with your name or the address next to it)? Click on it: your files are there.
2. Don't see Places? Choose Finder in the menu bar, then Settings, tab Sidebar, and turn on cloud storage and Nextcloud.

Step 2: grant permissions

• System settings, General, Login Items & Extensions: turn on the Nextcloud extension for Finder or File Provider (the exact name varies by macOS version).
• System settings, Privacy & Security, Files and Folders: if Nextcloud is listed there, turn it on. You may need to do this again after a macOS update.

Step 3: the old folder

The old Nextcloud folder in your home folder is no longer updated after the switch. Did you change or add files there after switching? Check in your browser whether they're in your Nextcloud. If not, drag them to your Nextcloud under Places. Only once everything is there should you delete the old folder.

Step 4: still stuck?

1. Click the cloud icon in the menu bar and read the messages.
2. Quit the app and start it again. Or restart your Mac.
3. Install the latest version from www.weboke.nl/download.
4. Open the app's settings and select your account. Click Reset File Provider Domain: this sets up the File Provider for this account again. Your Nextcloud will briefly disappear from Finder and then reappear. Any changes not yet uploaded are kept.
5. If that doesn't help: remove the app entirely, reinstall it, and log in again.

Please note: the Open locally button in your browser can only show files managed by File Provider in Finder, not open them directly. This is a macOS limitation. Open the file yourself from Finder afterwards.

Prefer to go back to the regular folder?

That's possible: in the app's settings under General, untick Enable File Provider (this applies to all your accounts) and choose a classic sync folder. You'll then miss out on the benefits of files only being downloaded when you open them. See Installing Nextcloud Files on Mac (File Provider).