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next.hessenbox - FAQ

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Important Notice

The migration to next.hessenbox is complete. The next.hessenbox is now the central service for all Sync & Share requirements at the University of Marburg. The "old" Hessenbox has been successfully decommissioned.

General Information

Access & Usage

Sharing & Collaboration

  • How can data be shared with other users?

    Through the web frontend (https://next.hessenbox.de/), any folder and any file can be shared with other users.

    You can either:

    1. Create internal share (for members of UMR or other cooperative universities): Enter the person's email address and select "Invite guests". The person will receive an invitation and can register.
    2. Create external share: Create a link that you can send by email. You can password-protect the link and configure the validity period.

    Note: Once you have shared the link with other people, you no longer have control over how widely the link is distributed. Therefore, please primarily use the invitation via email.

  • How can I invite guests?

    You can invite external people as guests to next.hessenbox to share files with you. To do this, open the details of the relevant folder or file and enter the guest's email address under "Internal share".

    In the following menu, choose whether the person receives a one-time share link via email or an invitation to a guest account in next.hessenbox.

    Through a guest account, the person receives a permanent account and you can share further content with this person. Additionally, the invited person with a guest account can use a local nextcloud client.

    Important: Guests do not have their own storage space available.

  • How can I create shares for a group of people?

    In the "Contacts" tab, you have the possibility to define "teams" in next.hessenbox. Other members can be authorized as administrators, allowing deputy arrangements to be implemented. You can also manage access to your shares centrally via teams.

    Note: Please make sure to activate the option "Enforce password protection for files shared with this team", otherwise data might be unintentionally made publicly accessible!

  • How can I store data encrypted in next.hessenbox?

    For encrypted storage of data, we recommend the software Cryptomator. With Cryptomator, encrypted vaults can be stored and shared in next.hessenbox, whose contents are only visible with a password.

    Important: Keys and passwords must be stored securely. The storage media on which they are stored must be protected from thieves like a physical keychain.

  • What should be noted for collaborative document editing?

    Next.hessenbox offers the possibility to edit documents collaboratively. Changes from all participants are taken into account and saved in one file.

    Important: Web-based editing is the only way to edit documents together simultaneously. Simultaneous edits via local Office editors (e.g., Microsoft Word) cannot be merged and may lead to data loss.

  • Microsoft Office, OnlyOffice, LibreOffice: What should be noted?

    All common Office editors can open and save typical Office formats such as .docx, .odt, .pptx, or .xlsx. Unfortunately, despite identical file formats, there are small differences in the interpretation of the files.

    This can result in changes in formatting, shifting of images, or changes in diagrams. Therefore, please avoid using different Office editors for editing your documents if possible.

Common Problems & Solutions

  • Can I transfer ownership rights of files and folders?

    Ownership rights for shared folders can be transferred. To do this, navigate to your personal settings (top right) → Sharing.

    There you can select the folder along with the future owner.

  • macOS: Umlauts as a source of errors?

    Compared to other operating systems, Apple macOS uses a special encoding for umlauts. This can lead to various problems, e.g.:

    • Two identical files in shared folders
    • OnlyOffice opens an empty file

    Recommendation: Better not to create file names with umlauts.

    Workaround: If either of these cases applies, you should rename the files via the web frontend. For example, the umlaut "ü" can be renamed to "ue".

  • Which file formats and file sizes are supported?

    The following file formats are supported by OnlyOffice: |doc|docx|xls|xlsx|ppt|pptx|docxf|oform|csv|txt|

    Attention: From version 7.X, OnlyOffice only supports file formats from Microsoft Office ≤ 2003 in view mode. This means that files with the extensions ppt, doc, and xls can only be opened for simple viewing but cannot be edited.

    To continue using the affected files, they must be opened locally in the appropriate Microsoft editor (PowerPoint, Word, Excel) and saved in a compatible format using the "Save as" button.

    Important: OnlyOffice only processes documents up to a certain file size. Therefore, please use files that are smaller than 50 megabytes if possible.

  • Can I let others upload files to next.hessenbox from outside?

    Through the web frontend, file requests can be created. These serve to collect files from third parties, even if they don't have an account. This functionality is accessible via the button marked with a "+" (plus sign).

    Important: Please be aware that files from unknown sources may contain viruses and malware! If in doubt, do not hesitate to contact IT Security.

Support and Further Information