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The Local Network permission
iPhone, iPad and (since macOS 15) Mac ask once whether an app may talk to devices on your network. If NFS Files was told no, every connection to your NAS fails — and the system never asks again.
How to tell this is the problem
- Connections fail with “No route to the server” (
host_unreachable), “No network for that address” (network_unreachable) or sometimes a plain timeout — even though the NAS is on and other apps or devices reach it fine. - The dots on the server cards are grey for every server.
- Scan My Network finds nothing at all, and Found on Your Network stays empty.
Turn it on
iPhone and iPad
- Open Settings (the system app, not NFS Files' own settings).
- Scroll to Privacy & Security → Local Network.
- Find NFS Files and turn it on.
- Go back to NFS Files and tap the server again.
If NFS Files isn't in the list, the system hasn't asked yet: connect to a server once, and the prompt appears. Tap Allow.
Mac (macOS 15 Sequoia and later)
- Open System Settings.
- Privacy & Security → Local Network.
- Turn on NFS Files.
- Quit and reopen NFS Files, then connect again.
On macOS 14 and earlier there is no such permission; if you're on 14 the cause is something else — see No route to the server.
Why this exists
Apple added the Local Network permission so apps can’t quietly map your home network. NFS Files needs it for the obvious reason — your NAS is on your local network — and uses it for nothing else: it connects to the servers you add, finds servers advertising NFS over Bonjour, and (only when you tap Scan My Network) checks the addresses on your subnet for an RPC responder. Nothing it learns leaves the device.
Still failing with it on?
Then the network path itself is the problem: No route to the server covers subnets and VLANs, and timeout covers firewalls.