System Configuration

Introduction

This page documents the system-wide configuration options available to administrators. These settings are enforced globally and are not intended to be modified by end users.

System configuration is evaluated at application start-up. Whether and how system configuration overrides user-level settings depends on the specific setting and the application’s implementation.

Supported Platforms and Locations

The system configuration is read from different locations depending on the operating system.

Windows (Registry)

For Windows systems, the configuration is read from the system policy registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\ownCloud\ownCloud

macOS (System Preferences)

On macOS, the configuration is read from the system-wide preferences file:

/Library/Preferences/com.owncloud.desktopclient/ownCloud.ini

This directory and file must be accessible to the application for reading purposes.

Linux and Unix-like Systems

On Linux and other Unix-like systems, the configuration file is read from:

/etc/ownCloud/ownCloud.ini

This directory and file must be accessible to the application for reading purposes.

Configuration File Format

The configuration file uses the INI format on macOS, Linux and Unix-like systems.

Example: /etc/owncloud/owncloud.ini
[Setup]
ServerUrl=<https://cloud.example.com>
AllowServerUrlChange=false

[Updater]
SkipUpdateCheck=true

[OpenIDConnect]
ClientId=<your-client-id>
ClientSecret=<your-client-secret>
Ports=8080,8443
Scopes=openid offline_access email profile
Prompt=select_account consent

Windows Registry Configuration

These settings can also be applied in Windows via registry policies.

Example: owncloud.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\ownCloud\ownCloud]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\ownCloud\ownCloud\Setup]
"ServerUrl"="<https://cloud.example.com>"
"AllowServerUrlChange"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\ownCloud\ownCloud\Updater]
"SkipUpdateCheck"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\ownCloud\ownCloud\OpenIDConnect]
"ClientId"="<your-client-id>"
"ClientSecret"="<your-client-secret>"
"Ports"="8080,8443"
"Scopes"="openid offline_access email profile"
"Prompt"="select_account consent"

Boolean registry values use DWORD where:

  • 0 = disabled

  • 1 = enabled

Configuration Sections

Setup

These keys control the initial application behaviour and server enforcement.

Key Description Type Default

ServerUrl

Enforces a predefined server URL. When set, the account setup wizard will pre-fill the server URL.

String

empty

AllowServerUrlChange

Controls whether users may change the server URL. This option only applies if ServerUrl is set.

Boolean

true

Updater

These keys control the behaviour of the update at a global level.

Key Description Type Default

SkipUpdateCheck

Disables automatic update checks when enabled. Users will not be notified of new versions. When set to true, no other settings will be considered.

Boolean

false

OpenID Connect

These keys define the OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication parameters. If this section is present, the application will use these values for authentication purposes.

For the OpenID Connect configuration to be valid, all keys must be defined.

Key Description Type Default

ClientId

OpenID Connect client identifier. If not set, no other OpenID Connectsettings will be considered.

String

empty

ClientSecret

OpenID Connect client secret.

String

empty

Ports

Comma-separated list of local ports used for authentication callbacks. The default value of 0 means that the application will automatically select an available port.

List

0

Scopes

Space-separated list of requested OpenID scopes.

String

empty

Prompt

Space-separated list of OpenID prompt parameters (for example select_account, consent).

String

empty

Operational Notes

  • System configuration is read once at application startup.

  • Changes require an application restart to take effect.

Troubleshooting

  • Verify file permissions on Unix systems (/etc/ownCloud must be readable).

  • On Windows, ensure that keys are defined under HKLM\Software\Policies.

  • Confirm that branding or theme settings do not mask the expected configuration path.