Sharing files in NextCloud#

NextCloud users can share files and folders. Possible targets are:

Public links
Users
Groups
Circles
Conversations
Users or groups on federated Nextcloud servers

Clicking the share icon on any file or folder opens the details view on the right, where the Share tab has the focus.

How do I create Shared Spaces?#

To create shared spaces in Nextcloud and share them with other users, follow these steps:

Select a File or Folder: In your control panel, select a file or folder you wish to share.
Share Options: Click on the "Share" option and choose who you want to share the file or folder with. You can share it with specific users or generate a public access link.
Set Permissions: Define access permissions, such as "Read" or "Edit", and set an expiry date if necessary.
Send the Invitation: Notify the users you are sharing the file with via emails or by sharing the generated link.

Ways to share files#

Public sharing links#

You can share files and folders via public links.

A random 15-digit token will be created. The link will look like https://cloud.example.com/s/yxcFKRWBJqYYzp4.

There are several options for sharing public folders:

Read only to allow viewing and downloading
Allow uploading and editing.
With Upload files, the sharer can only upload files to a folder without viewing the files already in that folder.
Hide download hides the download buttons and the default right-click options of the browser to make downloading more difficult for the sharer.
Password protect
Set expiry date will automatically disable the sharee
Note to recipient
Unshare to revert the action
Add another link to create multiple public links with different rights

Note

Password protection and file expiration are not propagated by federated file sharing in current versions of Nextcloud. This has been adjusted in Nextcloud 22.

Internal sharing with users and groups#

When sharing with users, groups, or circles, the rights for files or folder contents are adjustable:

As a sharer, you can configure whether you want to automatically accept all incoming shares and have them added to your root folder, or whether you want to be asked each time whether you want to accept or reject the share.

To set acceptance, go to Settings > Staff > Share:

Others with access#

To find out if a file or folder is accessible to others through sharing at a higher hierarchical folder level, click on Others with access in the sharing tab:

The list shows all users, groups, etc. that have been given access to the current object through the sharing of a parent folder in the hierarchy:

Click on the three dots to

see who initiated the sharing
see where the share was initiated (click to navigate to the folder, provided you have access to it)
undo the initial sharing (only accessible to the owner of the share)

Note

This information is only visible to the owner of a file/folder or to users with rights to re-share.

For more information, please see the official guide