Nextcloud Desktop

Version documented: 3.12.3 Installer type: .msi Hives written: HKCU, HKLM, HKLM\SYSTEM

📁 Registry Paths

Path	Hive	Purpose
`SOFTWARE\Nextcloud GmbH\Nextcloud`	HKCU	User settings and sync config
`SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Nextcloud`	HKLM	Uninstall entry
`SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run`	HKCU	Startup entry
`SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\nextcloud`	HKLM	VFS service (Virtual File System)

🔑 Keys

HKCU\SOFTWARE\Nextcloud GmbH\Nextcloud

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`installPath`	REG_SZ	`C:\Program Files\Nextcloud`	Install path
`version`	REG_SZ	`3.12.3`	Installed version
`updateChannel`	REG_SZ	`stable`	Update channel

HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`Nextcloud`	REG_SZ	`"C:\Program Files\Nextcloud\nextcloud.exe" --background`	Auto-start in background

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Nextcloud

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`DisplayName`	REG_SZ	`Nextcloud`	Display name
`DisplayVersion`	REG_SZ	`3.12.3`	Version
`Publisher`	REG_SZ	`Nextcloud GmbH`	Publisher
`InstallLocation`	REG_SZ	`C:\Program Files\Nextcloud`	Install path
`UninstallString`	REG_SZ	`MsiExec.exe /X{GUID}`	Uninstaller

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\nextcloud

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`DisplayName`	REG_SZ	`Nextcloud`	Service display name
`Start`	REG_DWORD	`2`	2=Automatic
`ImagePath`	REG_EXPAND_SZ	`"C:\Program Files\Nextcloud\nextcloud.exe" --service`	Service binary
`ObjectName`	REG_SZ	`LocalSystem`	Service account

📝 Notes

The Windows VFS (Virtual File System) feature uses the nextcloud service to present files as on-demand stubs without downloading them — only file metadata is synced until you open a file.
Account credentials and sync folder mappings are stored in %APPDATA%\Nextcloud\nextcloud.cfg — back this up to migrate sync config.
Shell extension overlays (sync status icons in Explorer) are registered under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers.

# Check service status (VFS mode)
Get-Service -Name "nextcloud" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Status, StartType

# Disable auto-start tray without uninstalling
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" `
  -Name "Nextcloud" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

🗑️ Cleanup

# Stop VFS service
Stop-Service -Name "nextcloud" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
sc.exe delete nextcloud 2>$null

# Remove user settings and startup entry
Remove-Item -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Nextcloud GmbH" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" `
  -Name "Nextcloud" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

📦 Package Managers

Manager	ID / Command
winget	`winget install Nextcloud.NextcloudDesktop`
Chocolatey	`choco install nextcloud-client`
Scoop	`scoop install extras/nextcloud`