nextcloud / nextcloud/desktop

Support alternative volumes for file provider domains

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#10,694 4 comments 3 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
1. to develop feature: :file_folder: file provider os: :apple: macOS
Dominant language
C++
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Description

## Feature request: support external/removable volumes for Virtual Files (File Provider) on macOS

Virtual Files sync always stores data under `~/Library/CloudStorage/Nextcloud-` on the boot volume — no way to relocate it. This is
a real gap for large libraries on small/full internal disks, especially since v34 removed the ability to run Classic Sync alongside Virtual
Files on macOS.

**Proposed**: let users choose a volume (APFS + encrypted, per Apple's constraints) for the Virtual Files domain.

**Technical pointer**: macOS 15+ added `NSFileProviderDomain.init(displayName:userInfo:volumeURL:)` and
`NSFileProviderManager.checkDomainsCanBeStoredOnVolume(at:)` for exactly this.

Would it be possible to take this into consideration for future enhancements? My internal disk is starving for space, and my NextCloud installation has some 3 Tb of files (mainly photographs), swapping them in an out is not really feasible. (In the meantime, I am using classic synching), but if FileProvider is the future, this becomes a real limitation for me.

Nextcloud desktop client: 34.0.3 (macOS)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reviewing the macOS File Provider integration around NSFileProviderDomain.init(displayName:userInfo:volumeURL:) and NSFileProviderManager.checkDomainsCanBeStoredOnVolume(at:). Done means users can select a supported APFS encrypted external volume for the Virtual Files domain and the client handles unsupported volumes appropriately.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp, macos, objective-c
Domain
desktop, operating-systems
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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