How to access pCloud via WebDAV?

Sometimes shunned in favor of more modern solutions, the WebDAV protocol remains a good option for people who would like to access their online storage space without having to install additional software, or for those who prefer to use compatible software capable of doing this well. more than accessing a single storage service. Among the cloud storage solutions that offer WebDAV access, we find the Swiss company pCloud. We explain the functionalities of the protocol and its use with the Swiss cloud storage service.

The WebDAV protocol was created as a response to a problem: while the web was originally designed to allow both reading and writing, over time the majority of the web was read-only for users. An extension of HTTP was therefore needed to allow additional operations, such as creating, modifying and moving files within a web server. That’s where WebDAV came along. To put it simply, WebDAV allows a web server to behave like a file server.

But how to access pCloud with this protocol? If this question interests you, it’s because you want to know more about pCloud, and you’re right! Note that the online service offers free 10 GB cloud storage, perfect for getting started!

Why access pCloud via WebDAV?

WebDAV: a standard protocol

WebDAV was created a long time ago, which may have its drawbacks, such as the fact that some cloud storage services no longer support it, but also its advantages. Among these is its native integration with Windows File Explorer, which allows you to connect to a web server using WebDAV without having to download additional software. After adding it, it will be displayed in File Explorer as an easily accessible network drive, similar to what Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive offer, with folders that appear as native directories in File Explorer. You can navigate normally, add files or folders, modify them using your default applications as with any document stored on your computer, or even delete them. Subsequently, if you connect to your cloud storage space via its online interface for example, you will be able to see the changes you have made to the files stored in your space.

In the case of cloud storage services, they often offer clients to download to their computer to be able to access their storage space easily. The problem is that not all operating systems are necessarily supported and users of certain Linux distributions, for example, are sometimes shunned by publishers, who have not created an application compatible with their system operating. If the cloud service supports WebDAV, these users can therefore choose to use the protocol to access their files on their computer, without going through an online interface and without being limited by the lack of an official application.

Finally, if you do not want to use the client offered by pCloud, with WebDAV you have the possibility of accessing your cloud storage space using compatible software. There are many on all platforms (Cyberduck, WinSCP, SmartFTP, etc.), which have more or less features and which can be paid or free.

Synchronizing service data

WebDAV can also be used to sync data from a service to your cloud storage. For example, the Enpass password manager offers to use WebDAV to be able to connect and synchronize your password vault with pCloud. This is also the case for Zotero, which allows document synchronization via WebDAV, or Joplin, for synchronizing notes. It is still necessary to check for each service whether your cloud storage is still supported. Joplin, for example, no longer supports pCloud via WebDAV, and the majority of popular cloud storages, like Google Drive or Dropbox, do not use WebDAV.

Configure WebDAV access for pCloud

pCloud gives its users the choice between two hosting locations for their data: either Luxembourg for their data to be stored on servers in the European Union, or Dallas in Texas for data stored in the United States. Depending on your choice of location, the WebDAV access configuration is slightly modified.

If you have an account hosted in Luxembourg

Whether your data is hosted in Luxembourg or the United States, the first steps in setting up WebDAV access are done the same way. On Windows 10, simply right-click on “This PC” in File Explorer and choose the “Connect a network drive” option. You can choose the reader you want. It is in the folder field that things differ a little. This is where you enter the pCloud WebDAV URL and it is different depending on whether your account is European or American.

For European accounts, the URL is “https://ewebdav.pcloud.com”. If asked for a port, enter “443”. If you want to use a specific pCloud folder, you can add its name to the URL, in the form “https://ewebdav.pcloud.com/[votre-dossier]”, without the brackets. It is recommended to leave the “Reconnect when connecting” option checked.

Subsequently, you will be asked to enter a username and password. These are the ones you use on pCloud. Enter them and WebDAV access is now configured. On other platforms or software, the procedure may be different. pCloud unfortunately doesn’t have dedicated WebDAV FAQs or tutorials on its website, but other cloud storage services, like Nextcloud, have documentation provided that can help you.

If you have a US-hosted account

If your account is hosted in the United States, the steps to configure access will be the same except for the URL to use. Here it is “https://webdav.pcloud.com”. Everything else works the same, you’ll need to log in with your pCloud credentials and you can choose a specific folder by appending its name to the WebDAV URL.

If you are unsure whether your data is hosted in the United States or Luxembourg, you can check where your data is stored in your pCloud account settings. If necessary, pCloud offers the possibility to change region.

The limitations of WebDAV for pCloud

WebDAV is not perfect and in the case of pCloud there are two cases where its use will not be possible: if you do not have a subscription and if you have activated double authentication.

In the first case, the change has been effective since February 2022. It is now necessary to have one of the paid subscriptions, detailed in our pCloud review, to be able to use WebDAV. In the case of two-factor authentication, WebDAV does not support it. When you use WebDAV to connect a service to pCloud or to add the pCloud server to your computer, you must enter your username and password. If double authentication is enabled, the connection does not work, because the protocol does not have features that would validate this second authentication.

To get around this without having to do without the security provided by double authentication, certain cloud services allow you to create “app passwords”, to be used instead of your usual password to connect to an application. Unfortunately, this is not the case with pCloud and it is necessary to completely disable protection to configure WebDAV access, which poses security risks.

Finally, if you have paid a subscription for pCloud Crypto, you will only be able to read stored files online or with the Swiss storage service’s official applications. The pCloud Crypto offering allows files to be stored in a special “Crypto” folder, where they are protected with client-side encryption before being sent to the service’s servers for added security and privacy. If it is possible to see and access the Crypto folder with WebDAV, the stored files will be unreadable because they are encrypted. It is therefore necessary to use the online platform or applications for computers and telephones to be able to read them.