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fix(encryption): clarify settings and state/status guidance - #64839

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  • Resolves: #

Summary

  • Clarify the scope of the home-storage encryption setting, including its effect on external storage and existing files.
  • Explain administrator recovery-key availability and the user’s separate recovery opt-in.
  • Clarify private-key password recovery instructions and login-password labels.
  • Make encryption status guidance distinguish disabled server-side encryption, uninitialized session keys, and key-unlock failures in master-key versus per-user-key mode.
  • Point administrators to the Security settings section to enable server-side encryption.

Tests

  • Add coverage for the encryption-enabled state provided to admin settings.
  • Add status-message coverage for master-key and per-user-key modes.

TODO

  • ...

Checklist

AI (if applicable)

  • The content of this PR was partly or fully generated using AI

- Replace the "main storage" wording with "home storage."
- Clarify that this setting does not control separately mounted external storage or trigger bulk encryption or decryption of existing files.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Clarify that enabling the administrator recovery key makes it available for account recovery, and that each account must opt in separately. And change control labels for accuracy.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Clarify that opting in is required, that this option allows the admin to use the recovery key to restore access to encrypted files if the account login password is lost, and that it does not recovery the account's password.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Explain that signing in with the account password initializes the encryption key for the session. Use concise, specific wording that is clear to users and easier to translate.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Make encryption status messages clearer and provide guidance specific to each state, including when encryption is disabled, keys need session
initialization, or a private key cannot be unlocked.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Verify that the admin settings page passes disabled encryption options and a non-default initialization status through to its initial state.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Explain how to use the previous and current login passwords to unlock and update the private encryption key.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
In per-user-key mode, direct users to the personal settings recovery flow; in master-key mode, avoid suggesting they change their personal key password and direct them to their administrator instead (since in master-key mode, initialization uses the system master key rather than the user’s private-key password).

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
…tate

The template reads this property, and Admin.php now provides it.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Point administrators to the Security settings section where they can enable server-side encryption.

Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Josh <josh.t.richards@gmail.com>
@joshtrichards joshtrichards added this to the Nextcloud 36 milestone Sep 27, 2026
@joshtrichards
joshtrichards requested review from a team as code owners September 27, 2026 00:48
@joshtrichards joshtrichards added bug 2. developing Work in progress feature: encryption (server-side) papercut Annoying recurring UX issue with possibly simple fix. labels Sep 27, 2026
@joshtrichards
joshtrichards requested review from kristian-zendato, skjnldsv and susnux and removed request for a team September 27, 2026 00:48
@joshtrichards joshtrichards changed the title fix(encryption): Clarify settings and status guidance fix(encryption): clarify state, settings, and status guidance Sep 27, 2026
@joshtrichards joshtrichards changed the title fix(encryption): clarify state, settings, and status guidance fix(encryption): clarify settings and state/status guidance Sep 27, 2026

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2. developing Work in progress bug feature: encryption (server-side) papercut Annoying recurring UX issue with possibly simple fix.

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