rclone guide

What rclone is and how to use it with a WebDAV server

rclone is a free command-line tool that copies files between your computer and dozens of storage services. This guide sets it up with a WebDAV server, step by step, including the commands that can delete data and how to avoid them.

Updated 5 October 2026 · 6 min read

rclone's own description is short: “a command-line program to manage files on cloud storage”. It works with over 70 storage products and does for them what cp, rsync, ls and mount do for local disks. It is free and has no graphical interface by default. That sounds harder than it is: for everyday use you need four or five commands.

Install rclone

At the time of writing (October 2026) the current version is v1.75.1. The commands below come from rclone's install page.

• Windows: winget install Rclone.Rclone. Alternatives: choco install rclone, scoop install rclone, or download the zip and extract rclone.exe, which runs without installation from CMD or PowerShell.
• macOS: the install script below, or sudo port install rclone (MacPorts). brew install rclone also works, but rclone's page warns that the Homebrew version “will not support mount any more”. If you download the binary with a browser, remove the quarantine flag with xattr -d com.apple.quarantine rclone.
• Linux: sudo -v ; curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash. The Snap package can't mount.

Add a WebDAV remote

A “remote” is a saved connection with a name. Here we'll call it lifetimecloud, but any WebDAV service works the same way. You need three things: the address, your username and the password. For LifetimeCloud these are https://lifetimecloud.me/dav/<username>/, your username, and a WebDAV token (not your account password). You'll find all three under “Profile” → “Full profile & settings” → “WebDAV / rclone Access” → “+ Enable WebDAV”.

1. Run rclone config and choose n (New remote).
2. name> type lifetimecloud.
3. Storage> type webdav.
4. url> paste the WebDAV address.
5. vendor> type other (“Other site/service or software”). Type the word rather than a number: the numbers in the list change between versions.
6. user> your username.
7. At the password question choose y (“Yes type in my own password”) and paste the token twice.
8. Leave bearer_token> empty and answer y at “Keep this remote?”.

The summary shows pass: *** ENCRYPTED ***: rclone stores the password obscured. Be aware that obscuring is not encryption. The documentation of rclone obscure says plainly that rclone can decrypt it, and that it only prevents “eyedropping”. To really protect the config file, run rclone config and choose s (“Set configuration password”).

First commands

rclone lsd lifetimecloud:
rclone ls lifetimecloud:Documents
rclone copy ~/Pictures/2024 lifetimecloud:Photos/2024 --dry-run
rclone copy ~/Pictures/2024 lifetimecloud:Photos/2024 --progress

lsd lists folders, ls lists files with sizes. --dry-run does a trial run with no permanent changes. --progress (or -P) shows a live overview of the transfer. Note that copy copies the contents of the source folder, not the folder itself, which is why the destination above names the folder explicitly. On Windows, paths look like C:\Users\you\Pictures.

copy or sync: the one that deletes

rclone copy copies new and changed files and never deletes anything in the destination. rclone sync makes the destination identical to the source, “including deleting files if necessary”. rclone itself warns that this can cause data loss and recommends testing with --dry-run or --interactive (-i), which asks before each destructive step.

When rclone overwrites a file on LifetimeCloud, the previous version is kept: over WebDAV the history keeps the last 3 versions for 30 days (from the website it's 1 year).

Mount it as a drive

rclone mount shows the remote as a disk or folder. rclone's documentation recommends --vfs-cache-mode writes. Without it, files can only be written sequentially and “many applications won't work” with them.

• Windows: install WinFsp first, then rclone mount lifetimecloud: X: --vfs-cache-mode writes. The window stays busy while the drive is mounted; press Ctrl-C to stop.
• macOS: rclone mounts through its built-in NFS server, macFUSE or FUSE-T. Not with the Homebrew build. Create an empty folder, then rclone mount lifetimecloud: ~/LifetimeCloud --vfs-cache-mode writes. Unmount with umount.
• Linux: you need fusermount or fusermount3. Same command with an empty, existing folder; unmount with fusermount -u.

If you prefer the drive built into your operating system, without rclone, see mapping WebDAV as a network drive.

What WebDAV does and doesn't protect

On LifetimeCloud, files uploaded from the website are encrypted in your browser before they leave. Files sent over WebDAV are not end-to-end encrypted by us. They travel over HTTPS, but they are stored exactly as they arrive. Our website can open them, and a share link to one of them serves it unencrypted. The opposite is also true: files you uploaded from the website show up in the WebDAV listing with their names, but downloading them over WebDAV gives you encrypted data you can't use. Open those from the website.

Encrypt on your computer with crypt

rclone's crypt remote encrypts and decrypts another remote. It sits on top of the WebDAV remote and encrypts on your computer before upload. Contents and, by default, file and folder names are encrypted. Anyone looking at the WebDAV side, our website included, sees only encrypted data.

1. Run rclone config, choose n and name it, for example lcsecret.
2. At Storage> type crypt.
3. When rclone asks which remote to encrypt, give the WebDAV remote and a folder, for example lifetimecloud:vault.
4. Keep the default name encryption, then type a strong password or let rclone generate one. The optional second password (salt) adds protection, but it's one more secret to remember.
5. Use lcsecret: instead of lifetimecloud:, for example rclone copy ~/Documents lcsecret:Documents --progress, or mount lcsecret:.

Where LifetimeCloud fits

WebDAV is available on every LifetimeCloud plan, the free one included (1 GB, up to 50 files, 50 MB per file). That's enough to test this guide end to end. For real backups, the paid plans are 1 TB and 2 TB with a one-time payment and no subscription; current prices are on the plans page. Whatever service you use, one copy is not a backup: the 3-2-1 rule explains how many you need. If you'd rather use a graphical program, see the Cyberduck guide.