WebDAV drive

How to connect a WebDAV server as a network drive on Windows, Mac and Linux

Windows, macOS and Linux can all open a WebDAV address as a drive without extra software. Each has its own quirks, from Windows' 50 MB file limit to the iPhone Files app, which Apple documents only for SMB servers.

Updated 5 October 2026 · 5 min read

A network drive makes a remote folder look like part of your computer: you open, save and drag files with your usual file manager. Windows, macOS and Linux can all do this with a WebDAV address, without installing anything. Each does it differently, and each has limits you should know before relying on it.

The examples use the LifetimeCloud address, https://lifetimecloud.me/dav/<username>/, with your username and a WebDAV token instead of your account password. You create the token under “Profile” → “Full profile & settings” → “WebDAV / rclone Access” → “+ Enable WebDAV”. The steps are the same for any WebDAV service.

Windows: Map network drive

1. Open File Explorer (Windows logo key + E).
2. Select “This PC” in the left pane. In the ribbon, select “More” and choose “Map network drive”. If you don't see it, right-click “This PC”.
3. In the “Drive” list, pick a letter.
4. In the “Folder” box, type the full address: https://lifetimecloud.me/dav/<username>/
5. To reconnect automatically, tick “Reconnect at sign-in”.
6. Select “Finish”. If Windows asks for a user name and password, use your WebDAV username and token.

Microsoft's current page describes these steps for shared folders. That a web address works in the “Folder” box is confirmed by an older Microsoft page on the WebDAV redirector, which says to “enter the URL for your web site then click Finish”.

Three things to know about Windows

• The WebClient service. Windows' WebDAV support relies on the WebClient service. Microsoft lists it as deprecated since November 2023 and notes that it “isn't started by default”. It is still present in Windows today (it's not on the list of removed features), but it isn't being developed further. If mapping fails with “System error 67… The network name cannot be found”, one cause Microsoft lists is that the WebClient service isn't running on your computer.
• HTTPS only. By default, Windows allows Basic authentication only on secure (HTTPS) sites. Always use the https:// address.
• The 50 MB limit. Windows' WebDAV client refuses files over 50,000,000 bytes (about 50 MB), with error 0x800700DF, “The file size exceeds the limit allowed and cannot be saved”. This is a Windows limit, not the server's.

macOS: Connect to Server

1. In the Finder, choose “Go” → “Connect to Server” (Command-K).
2. In the “Server Address” field, type https://lifetimecloud.me/dav/<username>/. Apple's example shows an address starting with http://; type https:// so the connection is encrypted.
3. Click “Connect”.
4. If asked, choose “Registered User” and enter your username and the WebDAV token.

To disconnect, click the eject icon next to the server under “Locations” in the Finder sidebar. Apple notes that if you change network settings while connected, you need to disconnect and reconnect.

Linux: GNOME, KDE and davfs2

GNOME Files

1. In Files, click “Other Locations” in the sidebar.
2. In “Connect to Server”, type davs://<username>@lifetimecloud.me/dav/<username>/
3. Click “Connect”. If asked for a password, enter the WebDAV token.

davs:// is secure WebDAV over HTTPS; dav:// would be unencrypted.

KDE Dolphin

Type webdavs://<username>@lifetimecloud.me/dav/<username>/ in Dolphin's address bar.

davfs2 (a real mount point)

To mount the folder like a disk for every program, install davfs2 (on Debian and Ubuntu: sudo apt install davfs2), create an empty folder, and mount as root:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/lifetimecloud
sudo mount -t davfs -o uid=yourname,gid=yourname https://lifetimecloud.me/dav/<username>/ /mnt/lifetimecloud

Without saved credentials, davfs2 asks for them each time. To save them, add a line with the mount point, username and token to /etc/davfs2/secrets, for example /mnt/lifetimecloud <username> <token>. The man page requires this file to be readable and writable by root only. For a per-user setup there is ~/.davfs2/secrets, readable only by its owner. davfs2 keeps a local cache; files it couldn't upload end up in its lost+found folder.

iPhone and iPad

The Files app has “Connect to Server” (under “Browse”, then the More button). But the only protocol Apple names for it is SMB, the one used by office servers and home PCs. Apple's guides never mention WebDAV for the Files app, and users report that it doesn't accept WebDAV addresses. So we don't suggest relying on it. On iPhone and iPad, use our website in Safari instead: you can add it to your Home Screen with Share → “Add to Home Screen”. Files you upload there are encrypted in the browser.

What a network drive does not protect

Every method above protects the connection with HTTPS. On LifetimeCloud, files copied to a WebDAV drive are stored as they arrive: they are not end-to-end encrypted by us. Our website can open them, and a share link to one of them serves it unencrypted. Two more things behave differently from the website. Deleting from the drive is permanent, with no trash. And files uploaded from the website show up by name but can't be opened from the drive, because they are encrypted.

If an unencrypted drive isn't acceptable, use rclone mount on a crypt remote. You get a drive letter or folder, and files are encrypted on your computer before upload. The rclone and WebDAV guide shows both steps. If you want a file window rather than a drive, the Cyberduck guide covers that.

Where LifetimeCloud fits

WebDAV works on every LifetimeCloud plan, including the free one (1 GB, up to 50 files, 50 MB per file, no card). It's a practical way to drag files in from your file manager. For files that need end-to-end encryption, use the website: the content of your files is encrypted on your device before it leaves. The paid plans, 1 TB and 2 TB, are a one-time payment; current prices are on the plans page.