Chrome OS is one of the most cloud-centric operating systems available, so it only makes sense that integrating services like Nextcloud would be simple. Of course, Google isn’t going to willingly add integration into its competition out of the box. Fortunately, there are developers willing to go the extra mile to make this happen.

Such is the case with Nextcloud. Because the developers have created an outstanding app for their ecosystem,  you can get Nextcloud integration with any Chromebook that supports Android applications.

I want to walk you through the process of adding Nextcloud to your Chromebook and then how to connect it to your Nextcloud account.

SEE: Hybrid cloud: A guide for IT pros (TechRepublic download)

What you’ll need

The only things you’ll need to make this work are:

How to install the app

In order to install the app, do the following:

1. Log in to your Chromebook.
2. Open the Google Play Store app.
3. Search for Nextcloud.
4. Click Install.
5. Allow the installation to complete.

How to connect to your Nextcloud server

Click the Chrome OS desktop menu button and scroll through the application overview until you find the Nextcloud launcher. Click the launcher to open the app. In the resulting window (Figure A), type the address of your Nextcloud server.

Figure A

Click the right-pointing arrow and wait. This will error out and allow you to go back to the regular login window (Figure B).

Figure B

Type your Nextcloud username and password, and then click Connect. In the resulting popup (Figure C), click Allow to give Nextcloud the necessary permissions it requires. At that point, the Nextcloud app is connected to your server, and you can start uploading files from within the app.

Figure C

The fun doesn’t end there, however. Open up the Chrome OS Files app. Here you’ll see the Nextcloud server entry in the left sidebar (Figure D). 

Figure D

Expand the Nextcloud entry and you’ll see all of your subdirectories. Because Nextcloud is now mounted within Files, you can copy/paste files from inside the file manager. So the only reason to bother with the Nextcloud app is if your account becomes disconnected. Even after a reboot, your Nextcloud account will automatically remount in Files.

And that’s all there is to connecting your Chromebook to a Nextcloud server. Enjoy that cloudy, open source goodness.

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