Nextcloud group folders disappear after an update?

Storage and sharing are different evidence

A report for Nextcloud 34.0.5 describes missing Groupfolders after an upgrade. A snapshot restoration removed the original investigation state, and no reliable cause was established. Q1 Official Groupfolders documentation describes administratively configured folders, assigned groups and folder IDs. It also documents occ groupfolders:list for listing configured folders. Q2

Do not create new folders with the same names before identifying the old IDs and their storage mapping. An identical display name does not automatically restore the same shared data arrangement.

Inspect the existing configuration

1. Pause structural changes. Preserve configuration, database and storage state together with upgrade logs. Prevent affected clients from undertaking extensive reorganisation or resynchronisation while the relationship remains unclear.
2. Identify the correct instance. Compare the public server, running version, database connection and mounted data directory. After container changes, an incorrect mount can present a plausible-looking but different dataset.
3. Check application state. In the appropriate administration interface, confirm that Groupfolders is enabled and compatible with the server version. Capture startup or migration errors instead of repeatedly reinstalling the app.
4. List the configuration. Use the administration view or documented read-only listing command in the correct installation context. Are the expected folder IDs present? If they are absent from administrative configuration, user-level permissions are not the only layer to investigate.
5. Compare access narrowly. Where folders exist, check the affected group, membership and configured permissions using a known authorised user. One user losing visibility differs from the entire administrative inventory being empty.

Restore only after identifying the mapping

Associate existing files with their known folder IDs and matching database state. A file scan cannot infer an unknown sharing configuration from a directory name. If a consistent restoration is required, account for changes made since the backup. Afterwards, test a small read and write operation with the intended user group.

Record which evidence established the mapping before changing it. That makes it possible to distinguish a recovered existing folder from a newly created folder that merely has the same label.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just create a group folder with the same name?

No. That can create a new independent configuration. First identify the original folder ID and associated data.

What should I provide for diagnosis?

Provide server and app versions, upgrade timeline, an anonymised folder-ID list, affected groups and a comparison between administrative and user views. Do not publish an inventory of confidential team files.

Help with this case

We can help isolate the affected process and prepare a controlled next step. Discuss case A0235 with KAN KAI WORKS.