What is Nextcloud Desktop used for?

Nextcloud Desktop is the desktop sync client for Nextcloud, which keeps files on a Nextcloud server in sync with a Windows, macOS or Linux computer. It is a good fit for keeping local folders in sync with Nextcloud, and syncing files between a server and a laptop.

Is Nextcloud Desktop open source?

Yes. Nextcloud Desktop is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at nextcloud/desktop and is written mainly in C++.

Is Nextcloud Desktop free?

Yes. Nextcloud Desktop is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Nextcloud Desktop?

Yes. Nextcloud Desktop can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Nextcloud Desktop an alternative to?

Nextcloud Desktop is an open-source alternative to Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and iCloud. Other open-source alternatives to Dropbox include Nextcloud All-in-One, Syncthing macOS and ownCloud.

Is Nextcloud Desktop actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Nextcloud Desktop was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v34.0.4, published on 16 September 2026. The project has 3.9k stars on GitHub.

Nextcloud Desktop: open-source alternative to Dropbox

About Nextcloud Desktop

The Nextcloud Desktop Client is an app that synchronizes files from a Nextcloud server with your computer. It is available for Windows, macOS and Linux and is the companion to a Nextcloud server that you run or use.

Official downloads, daily builds and release lists are available from the Nextcloud site, and user, administration and developer manuals are on the central documentation site. Contributors can follow the repository's guidelines and code of conduct, help with testing by installing daily builds, and report bugs in the issue tracker.

The client is written mostly in C++ with Qt6 since version 3.14, with Swift components on macOS, and builds with CMake and compilers such as clang or gcc. Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13 Ventura or newer and Linux are supported, and the build instructions use KDE Craft. The code is licensed under GPL-2.0.

Key features

File synchronization with Nextcloud servers
Windows, macOS and Linux clients
Daily builds for testing
Qt6-based C++ codebase
User and admin manuals online

Good fit for

→Keeping local folders in sync with Nextcloud
→Syncing files between a server and a laptop

Built with: C++; Swift
Tags: nextcloud; file-sync; desktop-client; sync; qt; cpp; windows; macos

Nextcloud Desktop: questions and answers

What is Nextcloud Desktop used for?: Nextcloud Desktop is the desktop sync client for Nextcloud, which keeps files on a Nextcloud server in sync with a Windows, macOS or Linux computer. It is a good fit for keeping local folders in sync with Nextcloud, and syncing files between a server and a laptop.
Is Nextcloud Desktop open source?: Yes. Nextcloud Desktop is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at nextcloud/desktop and is written mainly in C++.
Is Nextcloud Desktop free?: Yes. Nextcloud Desktop is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Nextcloud Desktop?: Yes. Nextcloud Desktop can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Nextcloud Desktop an alternative to?: Nextcloud Desktop is an open-source alternative to Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and iCloud. Other open-source alternatives to Dropbox include Nextcloud All-in-One, Syncthing macOS and ownCloud.
Is Nextcloud Desktop actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Nextcloud Desktop was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v34.0.4, published on 16 September 2026. The project has 3.9k stars on GitHub.