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Troubleshooting & FAQ

This page covers the most common issues when connecting S3Dock to object storage.

Connection fails or is rejected

  • Check the endpoint scheme. S3Dock requires https:// by default. If your provider uses plain HTTP (for example a local MinIO or NAS), enable Allow insecure HTTP endpoints in Settings > Network / Object Storage, then reconnect.
  • Trim copy-paste errors. S3Dock strips accidental spaces and line breaks from the endpoint, bucket, access key ID, and secret key, but double-check values copied from your provider dashboard.
  • Verify the bucket exists and the keys are correct. The access key ID and secret key must have permission to list and read (and write, if you upload) the bucket.

Path-style URL required

Some providers do not support virtual-host bucket addresses. Enable Use path-style URLs in the advanced connection settings when connecting to:

  • Cloudflare R2
  • MinIO
  • Ceph
  • Self-hosted or custom object storage endpoints

Amazon S3 and most public clouds use virtual-host style and should leave this off.

Region is required (or must be left blank)

  • Most regional providers (Amazon S3, Wasabi, Backblaze B2, DigitalOcean Spaces, Google Cloud Storage) require a Region. Use the exact value shown by your provider.
  • Some providers (for example certain MinIO or R2 configurations) do not need a region. When left blank, S3Dock still uses us-east-1 internally for request signing. The connection editor shows “Region (optional)” for those presets.

“Access Denied” or empty folder

  • Confirm the bucket policy or IAM user allows s3:ListBucket and s3:GetObject for the prefix you are browsing.
  • If you see the bucket but no files, the credentials may only have access to a sub-prefix. Navigate to the allowed prefix or adjust the policy.

Playback or preview does not load

  • S3Dock generates short-lived signed URLs for images, videos, and audio. If a URL expires mid-session, refresh the folder or reopen the file.
  • Video seek may show Range OK or Range fallback. If seeking stutters, the provider may not support HTTP Range requests; keep Range check enabled so the app detects this.
  • Increase the Signed URL hours (Settings > Network / Object Storage) if large files time out before finishing.

Signed URLs and sharing

  • Signed preview and playback URLs expire after the configured lifetime (1–24 hours). They are not permanent public links.
  • When you choose Open with, S3Dock shares a short-lived signed URL with the selected app. Enable Confirm external app open to be warned before sharing.

Offline downloads never finish

  • Keep Offline uses Wi-Fi-only constraints by default. Connect to Wi-Fi, or disable Download only on Wi-Fi in Settings > Offline & Downloads.
  • Check that the Android “Downloads” permission is granted on older devices if saving to public Downloads fails.

Cache grows large

Open Settings > Cache to see usage and raise or lower the per-type limits, or clear images, thumbnails, video stream, or all cache from Maintenance.

Moving providers

You can switch providers by editing the connection settings instead of changing your whole workflow. Use Settings import/export or a database backup when moving to a new device.