If you have a Windows computer, chances are that OneDrive is your preferred cloud storage platform. Since it's integrated tightly with Windows, OneDrive makes it easy to sync your files, create backups of important data, and access them natively on all Windows PCs signed in with the same Microsoft account. Moreover, lots of businesses across the globe use Microsoft's work apps, like Outlook, Teams, OneNote, etc. OneDrive syncs with all of them, too, connecting all the services seamlessly. While using OneDrive is definitely convenient, it comes with its own set of flaws. For starters, it's not free. You need to pay for storage, and the costs can be rather high, depending on your requirements. Then, there's the risk of storing your files on a remote server. Owing to this, I started looking for a solution that could solve both these problems.

It didn't take me long to come across Nextcloud — since it's one of the favorite platforms of several writers here at XDA. Unlike OneDrive — which is a cloud-based storage service — Nextcloud allows you to host your own server to store files and access them remotely. This way, you can use your local drives instead of paying for storage, while also keeping all your data locally. That means savings plus security. Now that's a win-win! If that sounds like something you want to do as well, here's how I got rid of OneDrive and migrated completely to Nextcloud.

Hosting your own Nextcloud server

Docker to the rescue

There are two ways to set up Nextcloud. You can either pay for a hosted provider or host your own instance of Nextcloud on your home server. The former would mean shelling out money — which beats the purpose of switching from a cloud storage platform like OneDrive. So, self-hosting a Nextcloud server with the help of a Docker image is the best solution.

Alternatively, if you have a NAS, I would recommend using TrueNAS to install Nextcloud. Regardless of which device or process you use, the idea is to get the Nextcloud server up and running so that it can be used with the desktop client. While setting up Nextcloud, you will need to create a sync folder on your computer — for instance — ~nextcloud-docker. Remember the path to this folder, since this is where you will be pasting all the files you want to sync. With the server ready, it's now time to set up and use the Nextcloud app.

Syncing and accessing files using the Nextcloud app

Works with both computers and phones

Download the Nextcloud client for your corresponding OS from the website. It's available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It's also available on iOS and Android, which means you can also sync files from your phone directly to the server. Open the app on your device and select the Log in button. Enter the IP address of your self-hosted server to proceed. Then, log in with the Nextcloud username and password that you entered during the server hosting process. Once this is done, it's time to set up what files and folders from your computer need to be synced to Nextcloud.

By default, files that need to be synced to Nextcloud reside in the ~/Nextcloud folder. However, adding all files to one common folder can get rather cluttered. So, you can create multiple folders, like Downloads, Documents, etc., to segregate your files. Then, head to the client's settings and select all the folders you want to sync. If you already have a substantial amount of data on OneDrive, the simplest way to migrate everything to Nextcloud is to download all your important files locally and move them into the respective sync folders based on the nature of the files. See, it wasn't all that hard, right? Migrating from OneDrive to Nextcloud is rather simple — especially if you have used Docker before, or are running a Linux distro.

Why pay for storage?

Most of us pay for cloud storage since we don't have sufficient storage space on our computers, and we want to access files remotely — something that's not possible for locally stored files. Nextcloud solves this issue by allowing you to store files on external drives while also letting you access them remotely. While the initial setup is slightly complex, Nextcloud's community is strong — so any questions or hurdles can be tackled with ease. Once you have the server set up, you can migrate your files from OneDrive to Nextcloud by downloading them locally onto your computer or a hard drive and then syncing them with Nextcloud.