Install Nextcloud Client on KDE neon

Nextcloud is a personal cloud storage solution which allows you to be in charge of your data unlike Google and others. The Nextcloud Client is the program installed on your computer that allows you to sync a folder and Nextcloud. This allows you to be able to add to or obtain the files in that folder from your desktop, phone or web browser.

You need a working Nextcloud installation for this to be useful. If you are unable to set one up for whatever reason then maybe try Mega. It is easier but you don't have as many options or as much control. There are other options after installing the client though. 'Register with a Provider' for example allows you to register with a server provider and in some cases get free storage. I am going to ignore those options.

To install the Nextcloud desktop client on KDE neon open Konsole and type,

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nextcloud-devs/clientsudo apt updatesudo apt install nextcloud-client

This will install the repository for the client, update all your repositories and then install the client. After installation you will be able to find the Nextcloud Client under Applications/Utilities in the main menu.

On starting the client for the first time you will be asked to login.

Select login and you will be taken to the next screen where you enter your server address. This should be a full address such as https://cloud.masonbee.nz and it should be encrypted with https. If it isn't then anyone in between you and your Nextcloud server will be able to read your passwords and files in transit.

After filling in the address, select next and you will be asked to login to your Nextcloud server and after logging in to allow the client to access it.

There are also various other options, for instance you could login to the Nextcloud server and then make an app only password under Settings/Personal/Security. After setting up the client to login you will also be presented with another option screen of which changing the name of you sync folder is probably the most interesting option. The default is a folder named Nextcloud in you home directory.

Nextcloud will now start automatically at login and can be found under your Status and Notifications in the KDE taskbar. To stop it automatically starting at login look under System Settings/Autostart.

Tips and Tricks

One of the problems I have had with the Nextcloud Client under KDE neon is that it uses one CPU core at 100% almost constantly which causes my fan to turn on and as such annoys me. I am synchronising 700GB of files but that is no excuse.

The cure for this is to use a program called cpulimit. It can be installed, if it isn't already, by opening Konsole and typing,

sudo apt install cpulimit

Once it is installed the way I use it to manage the Nextcloud Client is to alter the Autostart command in KDE. This command starts the Nextcloud Client when I log into my desktop.

You can find your Autostart programs by searching in the menu or by looking under Applications/Settings/System Settings/Workspace/Startup and Shutdown/Autostart. Mine looks like this.

After selecting the Nextcloud entry select Properties on the right hand side on the bottom and then choose the Application tab. Half way down there is a entry called command which currently will have the path to the program. Something like,

/usr/bin/nextcloud

To limit the CPU usage of the Nextcloud Client we are going to change that line to,

cpulimit --limit  50 -e /usr/bin/nextcloud

In English this would read,"Use cpulimit to limit to 50% the executable nextcloud". You can change the 50 to what ever percentage you want. You want it high so it does the job faster but that the same time low so it doesn't invoke the fan.