nextcloud · mgallien · Jun 11, 2026 · Jun 11, 2026 · Jun 11, 2026 · Jun 11, 2026
@@ -8,64 +8,58 @@
 :blue_book: We decided to use [KDE Craft](https://community.kde.org/Craft) to get all binary dependencies of the [Nextcloud files desktop client](https://github.com/nextcloud/desktop).
 
 ## System requirements
-
-- Windows 10 or Windows 11
-- The desktop client code
-- Python 3
-- PowerShell
-- KDE Craft
-- Microsoft Visual Studio 2022
-- Inkscape
-- A Nextcloud server
+- Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS 13 Ventura (or newer) or Linux
+- [🔽 Inkscape (to generate icons)](https://inkscape.org/release/)
+- Developer tools: cmake, clang/gcc/g++:
+- Qt6 since 3.14, Qt5 for earlier versions
+- OpenSSL
+- [🔽 QtKeychain](https://github.com/frankosterfeld/qtkeychain)
+- SQLite
+- [Xcode](https://developer.apple.com/xcode/) (only on macOS)
+
+#### Optional recommendations:
+- [Qt Creator IDE](https://www.qt.io/product/development-tools)
+- [delta: A viewer for git and diff output](https://github.com/dandavison/delta)
 
 > [!TIP]
 > We highly recommend [Nextcloud development environment on Docker Compose](https://juliushaertl.github.io/nextcloud-docker-dev/) for testing/bug fixing/development.<br>
 > ▶️ https://juliushaertl.github.io/nextcloud-docker-dev/
 
-### Set up Windows 10 or Windows 11
-
-- If you don't have Windows as your main system, you could try to run it as a virtual machine:
-  https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines/
-
-### Set up Microsoft Visual Studio
-
-1. Open the `Visual Studio Installer`.
-2. Click on `Modify`:
-
-![vs-studio-2022](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/6df5e7b9-d1e0-43a9-897e-98f4c37726a9)
-
-3. Select `Desktop development with C++`:
-
-![vs-studio-dev](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/6fef8b8d-d8e3-4ced-b23d-8818f9813c5f)
-
-### Install Inkscape
-
-- Install the latest version of [Inkscape](https://inkscape.org/release).
-
-### Set up KDE Craft
-
+### How to set up Windows 11 for developemtn
+If you don't have Windows as your main system, you could try to run it as a [virtual machine](https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines/).
+
+  #### Set up Microsoft Visual Studio:
+  1. Open the `Visual Studio Installer`.
+  2. Click on `Modify`:
+
+     ![vs-studio-2022](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/6df5e7b9-d1e0-43a9-897e-98f4c37726a9)
+
+  4. Select `Desktop development with C++`:
+
+     ![vs-studio-dev](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/6fef8b8d-d8e3-4ced-b23d-8818f9813c5f)
+
+## Set up KDE Craft
 1. You will need to install Python 3: https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/
-2. Set up KDE Craft as instructed in [Get Involved/development/Windows - KDE Community Wiki](https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/development/Windows).
-3. Use the default options, including Qt6 (since desktop 3.14, we are using Qt 6).
+2. Set up KDE Craft as instructed in [Setting up Craft](https://community.kde.org/Craft).
+3. We recommend to use the default options, including Qt6 (since desktop 3.14, we are using Qt 6).
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
-> `C:\CraftRoot` is the path used by default by `KDE Craft`. <br>
-> When you are setting it up <b>you may choose a different folder</b>: you will need to<br>
-⚠️ change from `C:\CraftRoot` to the path you picked ⚠️ in the next steps listed here.
+> `C:\CraftRoot` is the path used by default by `KDE Craft` on Windows. <br>
+> On Linux and macOS, `CraftRoot` is set at the user's home: `~/CraftRoot`.
+> In the instructions below we will use `<CraftRoot>` to be replaced according to your operating system and set up.
 
 ## How to use the desktop client blueprints
-
-1. After following the instructions in [Get Involved/development/Windows - KDE Community Wiki](https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/development/Windows).
-2. Open `PowerShell`.
-3. Run `craftenv.ps1` as described in the instructions above:
+1. After following the instructions in [Setting up Craft](https://community.kde.org/Craft).
+2. Open `PowerShell` on Windows, or any terminal in other systems.
+4. Run `craftenv.ps1` as described in the instructions above:
 ```
-C:\CraftRoot\craft\craftenv.ps1
+<CraftRoot>\craft\craftenv.ps1
 ```
 4. Add the blueprints from this repository:
 ```
 craft --add-blueprint-repository https://github.com/nextcloud/desktop-client-blueprints.git
 ```
-5.
+5. Update craft:
 ```
 $ craft craft
 ```
@@ -74,8 +68,8 @@ $ craft craft
 craft --install-deps nextcloud-client
 ```
 
-### Compiling the desktop client
-
+## Compiling the desktop client
+### Windows 
 1. Make sure your environment variable `%PATH%` has no conflicting information to the environment you will use to compile the client. For instance, if you have installed `OpenSSL` previously and have added it to `%PATH%`, the `OpenSSL` installed might be a different version than what was installed via `KDE Craft`.
 2. To use the tools installed with Visual Studio, you need the following in your %PATH%:
 ![path](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ce99a488-22d9-4cf5-8b55-d6ae9e683845)
@@ -91,11 +85,11 @@ craft --install-deps nextcloud-client
 > [!TIP]
 > Alternatively you can use the tools installed with `KDE Craft` by adding them to `%PATH%` in your current session:
 > ```
-> set "PATH=C:\CraftRoot\bin;C:\CraftRoot\dev-utils\bin;%PATH%"
+> set "PATH=<CraftRoot>\bin;<CraftRoot>\dev-utils\bin;%PATH%"
 > ```
 > You also need to set the Qt path for plugins via an environment variable
 > ```
-> set "QT_PLUGIN_PATH=C:\CraftRoot\bin\plugins"
+> set "QT_PLUGIN_PATH=<CraftRoot>\bin\plugins"
 > ```
 > This will result in using the `cmake` version downloaded with `KDE Craft`.
 5. Clone the desktop client repository.
@@ -112,13 +106,51 @@ cd <build-folder>
 ```
 8. Run cmake.
 ```
-cmake ..\<desktop-cloned-repo> -G Ninja -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=. -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=C:\CraftRoot -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo
+cmake <desktop-cloned-repo> -G Ninja -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=. -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=<CraftRoot> -DBUILD_TESTING=ON -DNEXTCLOUD_DEV=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo
 ```
 9. Compile the desktop client
 ```
 cmake --build .
 ```
 
+### Linux and macOS
+After cloning the desktop client code:
+1. Clone the desktop client repository.
+```
+git clone https://github.com/nextcloud/desktop.git
+```
+2. Create the build folder `<build-folder>`.
+```
+mkdir <build-folder>
+```
+3. Go into the build folder.
+```
+cd <build-folder>
+```
+4. Run cmake.
+```
+cmake <desktop-cloned-repo> -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=. -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=<CraftRoot> -DBUILD_TESTING=ON -DNEXTCLOUD_DEV=ON -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug
+```
+5. Compile the desktop client
+```
+make install
+```
+
+> [!TIP]
+> In case of seeing this error when running `cmake`:
+> ```
+> The following required packages were not found:
+>  - libp11
+> ```
+> Try the following - it should work for any missing dependency:
+> 1. Verify that `libp11.pc` is actually in the `CraftRoot` folder, usually it is found at `<CraftRoot>/lib/pkgconfig`.
+> 2. Check which `libp11` `cmake` is finding by running in the build folder:
+>    `pkg-config --libs libp11`
+> 3. If it is finding another version of `libp11` in your system instead of the `CraftRoot` one, you can either:
+>    3.1 Remove the second `libp11` installed or
+>    3.2 Point `cmake` to the correct one:
+>    `export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=<CraftRoot>/lib/pkgconfig`
+
 > [!NOTE]
 > ❓ If you have questions about it, you may use the forums at https://help.nextcloud.com to ask them.<br>
 > 🐛 If you find bugs with these steps, you may open a GH issue at https://github.com/nextcloud/desktop/issues.