[Windows] Installer should not require administrator rights

[shadowlmd]

Expected behaviour

I should be able to install Nextcloud client on a machine where I am not an administrator.

Actual behaviour

Administrator rights are required to install Nextcloud client.

Steps to reproduce

1. Try to install Nextcloud client on a machine where you don't have administrator rights

Client configuration

Client version:

Operating system: Windows 10

OS language: English

Qt version used by client package (Linux only, see also Settings dialog): N/A

Client package (From Nextcloud or distro) (Linux only):

Installation path of client: N/A

[misch7]

Currently admin permissions are needed to install the VC runtime and the shell extensions, used for showing the sync status icons in the folders and the context menu in Explorer.

When I rewrote the build scripts for 32-bit support (see #840) I also considered to modify the installer script to allow installation without admin privileges.

I'll run some tests soon.

[gwenlune]

Is it possible to give a zip version of the nextcloud-client windows version with the installer.exe version ? to have an utilisable version on my windows (without administrator rights) I had to install the installer version on my linux with wine and recuperate files to put them on my windows laptop...

[stale[bot]]

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[shadowlmd]

No need to update anything.

[ingokeck]

As a workaround one can unzip the setup executable and just run the Nextcloud client directly from the setup folder. Took me some time to figure it out, so it would be great it there could be a small info about that on the install web page.

[ushills]

As a workaround one can unzip the setup executable and just run the Nextcloud client directly from the setup folder. Took me some time to figure it out, so it would be great it there could be a small info about that on the install web page.

This doesn't appear to work with the latest version (2.6.) although this approach worked for me with previous versions, i.e. 2.3.

[misch7]

Unzipping installer packages gets complicated once there are files for different platforms, like we have in our releases for 64- and 32-bit from version 2.5.3 on.

I decoupled the files collection from installer creation already in our build system, so zipping the files and providing these archives too shouldn't be a problem for us. But please bear in mind that this type of deployment doesn't support shell integration (icon overlays and context menu) like the installer does. On the other hand it's a really nice way to have some kind of semi-portable client, e.g. for development and testing.

[ingokeck]

I happily give up shell integration if that means I can use the client at all. In a company environment it is quite normal that you do not get admin access to windows. So all you can run are apps that do not require installers with admin rights. Though it might be a good idea to put that info prominently in the non-installer package, so people who expect shell integration are not surprised.

[andre-paulo98]

Any update on this?

[keunes]

Indeed I'd like to use it on my employer's device to connect to my personal account. I, too, would happily live without shell integration.

EDIT: Based on @misch7's comment, 2.5.2 is the latest version you can unzip the installer from and use like that without admin rights. It can be downloaded here: https://download.nextcloud.com/desktop/releases/Windows/Nextcloud-2.5.2-setup.exe

[Xansala]

Any chance to get a *.exe release of the 3.2 client version? When extracting the *.msi version, it does not give anything workable. In the past extracting the *.exe version it could be used portable (even though there are some restrictions as mentioned above which I am happy to accept on my company computer ;) ).

[FlexW]

Any chance to get a *.exe release of the 3.2 client version? When extracting the *.msi version, it does not give anything workable. In the past extracting the *.exe version it could be used portable (even though there are some restrictions as mentioned above which I am happy to accept on my company computer ;) ).

That is very unlikely to happen. If all you want is a portable Nextcloud sync client, then you can just compile it yourself. This will require no admin rights.

[keunes]

If all you want is a portable Nextcloud sync client, then you can just compile it yourself. (@FlexW)

If I want a version that I can update & install on a restricted device (i.e., install without admin rights), would I then also be expected to compile it myself? (Not a retorical question - I don't know if the two situations would be the same or not.)

[Xansala]

@FlexW: self-compiling is something probably only a few people can do. Why is there no *.exe install release anymore as it was the case with version prior to 3.2? That would solve the topic for me and a lot of other people because the *.exe installer can simply be extracted and then the client can be used. Maybe it helps to understand the background: I would like to use the Nextcloud client on my employer's computer too where I do not have administrator rights (hence I cannot install it).

[FlexW]

@Aldaris1985 @keunes I understand your situation and what I said about self compiling was more of a suggestion to work around that issue. We deprecated the exe installer because we wanted to reduce the complexity. Maintaining all kind of different installers is a lot of work. MSI is the official supported way from Microsoft to install Windows applications, therefore we choose that way. Maybe the MSI installer can be modified to allow non-admin installs (I don't know it at the moment), but don't expect any work in that department soon, as there is currently no paying customer demanding that feature. The MSI scripts can be found in this repository, and if you know how to do it, you can provide a pull request.

[minecraftchest1]

What complexity does adding the user installable exe add?

[Xansala]

@minecraftchest1: In case you are interested, I found a work-around that makes it work for me. I install the *.msi installer file on a computer with admin rights and then I simply copy over the Nextcloud Client folder to my work computer. There might be some Explorer integration still missing but I can use it on my work computer incl. automatic startup with Windows.

[24mu13]

You can install using WinGet, but eventually it requires admin rights!

winget install Nextcloud.NextcloudDesktop

[shadowlmd]

Nextcloud installer transformed into an ugly piece of junk software now restarting system without even asking. WTF? It doesn't even need to restart the system.

[braunjulia]

Currently admin permissions are needed to install the VC runtime and the shell extensions, used for showing the sync status icons in the folders and the context menu in Explorer.

When I rewrote the build scripts for 32-bit support (see #840) I also considered to modify the installer script to allow installation without admin privileges.

I'll run some tests soon.

@misch7 Hello, we are an Austrian company and we would like to sponsor exactly this nextcloud feature, to allow installation without admin privileges. So that the nextcloud client on Windows can update itself. It means we are willing to PAY the development effort for this feature. Unfortunately, neither the normal nextcloud support nor the "Get a quote" support could be of any help. Is there any chance to just pay for having this feature coded, gifted to the community, without needing to be in an enterprise subscription etc .. ??

Please, can you provide a quote for this feature, or direct me to the correct person to ask? If you have more questions, let me know and I will PM you more contact info.

Thank you and kind regards! Julia

[misch7]

@braunjulia Hello Julia, I really appreciate your intention to volunteer in gifting this feature to the community and will be happy to work with you on its implementation. Please kindly PM me with your contact info.

Thanks and kind regards, Michael

[braunjulia]

@Aldaris1985 @keunes If possible we would like to make this a crowdfunding effort - do you know any other companies or individuals willing to participate funding this feature?

[keunes]

I'm afraid that my current employer has no interest in open source stuff.

[Xansala]

@braunjulia: Happy to support this feature for a crowd-sourcing campaign privately. Nevertheless, I am not connected to the IT industry much nor is my employer. Hence I am afraid I cannot help much further. Maybe reddit (r/nextcloud) would be a good place to ask if someone else would be interested to support.

[GK-774]

I can confirm the following works (I have used it that way for about three years now on my company laptop and as well on a portable SSD):

1. Install the Nextcloud client on a Windows machine where you have admin rights.
2. Zip the Nextcloud program folder and move it to the machine without admin rights (e.g. company laptop).
3. Unzip, start nextcloud.exe, configure.

Of course you won't have the file explorer integration and automatic updates, but it syncs just fine and works without problems. I think it would be easy to offer such a zip file for download.

[shadowlmd]

Best solution so far: https://portapps.io/app/nextcloud-portable/

PS: We don't need a portable version, all we need is an installer that does not require administrator rights to install something that doesn't need administrator rights to work. Similar to how Google Chrome installer works.

[stullekovski]

Hi, also looking for a way to update the official Nextcloud Client on PCs/users without admin rights. Workarounds like "portable" are not that good.

Thanks a lot.