diff --git a/apps/files_external/lib/Lib/Storage/SMB.php b/apps/files_external/lib/Lib/Storage/SMB.php
index 952f6c0893127..bc065b24552a9 100644
--- a/apps/files_external/lib/Lib/Storage/SMB.php
+++ b/apps/files_external/lib/Lib/Storage/SMB.php
@@ -556,7 +556,13 @@ public function touch($path, $mtime = null) {
 	}
 
 	public function getMetaData($path) {
-		$fileInfo = $this->getFileInfo($path);
+		try {
+			$fileInfo = $this->getFileInfo($path);
+		} catch (NotFoundException $e) {
+			return null;
+		} catch (ForbiddenException $e) {
+			return null;
+		}
 		if (!$fileInfo) {
 			return null;
 		}
diff --git a/apps/files_sharing/lib/External/Scanner.php b/apps/files_sharing/lib/External/Scanner.php
index 34ef65f0621cb..71187707ad7bb 100644
--- a/apps/files_sharing/lib/External/Scanner.php
+++ b/apps/files_sharing/lib/External/Scanner.php
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ public function scan($path, $recursive = self::SCAN_RECURSIVE, $reuse = -1, $loc
 	 * @param int $parentId
 	 * @param array | null $cacheData existing data in the cache for the file to be scanned
 	 * @param bool $lock set to false to disable getting an additional read lock during scanning
-	 * @return array an array of metadata of the scanned file
+	 * @return array | null an array of metadata of the scanned file
 	 */
 	public function scanFile($file, $reuseExisting = 0, $parentId = -1, $cacheData = null, $lock = true, $data = null) {
 		try {
diff --git a/apps/files_sharing/lib/Scanner.php b/apps/files_sharing/lib/Scanner.php
index 59b5c8a0b2e81..c4222fcd7ef85 100644
--- a/apps/files_sharing/lib/Scanner.php
+++ b/apps/files_sharing/lib/Scanner.php
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class Scanner extends \OC\Files\Cache\Scanner {
 	 *
 	 * @param string $path path of the file for which to retrieve metadata
 	 *
-	 * @return array an array of metadata of the file
+	 * @return array|null an array of metadata of the file
 	 */
 	public function getData($path) {
 		$data = parent::getData($path);
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Cache/Scanner.php b/lib/private/Files/Cache/Scanner.php
index 0dbc34fae2f50..7bb0341e20105 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Cache/Scanner.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Cache/Scanner.php
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public function setUseTransactions($useTransactions) {
 	 * *
 	 *
 	 * @param string $path
-	 * @return array an array of metadata of the file
+	 * @return array|null an array of metadata of the file
 	 */
 	protected function getData($path) {
 		$data = $this->storage->getMetaData($path);
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ protected function getData($path) {
 	 * @param array|null|false $cacheData existing data in the cache for the file to be scanned
 	 * @param bool $lock set to false to disable getting an additional read lock during scanning
 	 * @param null $data the metadata for the file, as returned by the storage
-	 * @return array an array of metadata of the scanned file
+	 * @return array|null an array of metadata of the scanned file
 	 * @throws \OCP\Lock\LockedException
 	 */
 	public function scanFile($file, $reuseExisting = 0, $parentId = -1, $cacheData = null, $lock = true, $data = null) {
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ protected function updateCache($path, $data, $fileId = -1) {
 	 * @param bool $recursive
 	 * @param int $reuse
 	 * @param bool $lock set to false to disable getting an additional read lock during scanning
-	 * @return array an array of the meta data of the scanned file or folder
+	 * @return array|null an array of the meta data of the scanned file or folder
 	 */
 	public function scan($path, $recursive = self::SCAN_RECURSIVE, $reuse = -1, $lock = true) {
 		if ($reuse === -1) {
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Storage.php b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Storage.php
index 56d997ab974ae..73793aa31fbcf 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Storage.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Storage.php
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public function getStorageCache();
 
 	/**
 	 * @param string $path
-	 * @return array
+	 * @return array|null
 	 */
 	public function getMetaData($path);
 
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Encoding.php b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Encoding.php
index c0587cd0263ed..e2b486546afa9 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Encoding.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Encoding.php
@@ -531,10 +531,6 @@ public function moveFromStorage(IStorage $sourceStorage, $sourceInternalPath, $t
 		return $result;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @param string $path
-	 * @return array
-	 */
 	public function getMetaData($path) {
 		return $this->storage->getMetaData($this->findPathToUse($path));
 	}
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Encryption.php b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Encryption.php
index ef44be5cefb67..a7a915afad9ae 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Encryption.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Encryption.php
@@ -192,10 +192,6 @@ private function modifyMetaData(string $path, array $data): array {
 		return $data;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @param string $path
-	 * @return array
-	 */
 	public function getMetaData($path) {
 		$data = $this->storage->getMetaData($path);
 		if (is_null($data)) {
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Jail.php b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Jail.php
index 1ce0eef65ad0d..c23c39525a858 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Jail.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Jail.php
@@ -441,10 +441,6 @@ public function getETag($path) {
 		return $this->getWrapperStorage()->getETag($this->getUnjailedPath($path));
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @param string $path
-	 * @return array
-	 */
 	public function getMetaData($path) {
 		return $this->getWrapperStorage()->getMetaData($this->getUnjailedPath($path));
 	}
diff --git a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Wrapper.php b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Wrapper.php
index ecd3dcf1c39da..606fb3e24ee7c 100644
--- a/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Wrapper.php
+++ b/lib/private/Files/Storage/Wrapper/Wrapper.php
@@ -577,10 +577,6 @@ public function moveFromStorage(IStorage $sourceStorage, $sourceInternalPath, $t
 		return $this->getWrapperStorage()->moveFromStorage($sourceStorage, $sourceInternalPath, $targetInternalPath);
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @param string $path
-	 * @return array
-	 */
 	public function getMetaData($path) {
 		return $this->getWrapperStorage()->getMetaData($path);
 	}
diff --git a/lib/public/Files/Cache/IScanner.php b/lib/public/Files/Cache/IScanner.php
index 3b00fa2af133c..24281e2903d54 100644
--- a/lib/public/Files/Cache/IScanner.php
+++ b/lib/public/Files/Cache/IScanner.php
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ interface IScanner {
 	 * @param int $parentId
 	 * @param array | null $cacheData existing data in the cache for the file to be scanned
 	 * @param bool $lock set to false to disable getting an additional read lock during scanning
-	 * @return array an array of metadata of the scanned file
+	 * @return array | null an array of metadata of the scanned file
 	 * @throws \OC\ServerNotAvailableException
 	 * @throws \OCP\Lock\LockedException
 	 * @since 9.0.0
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ public function scanFile($file, $reuseExisting = 0, $parentId = -1, $cacheData =
 	 * @param bool $recursive
 	 * @param int $reuse
 	 * @param bool $lock set to false to disable getting an additional read lock during scanning
-	 * @return array an array of the meta data of the scanned file or folder
+	 * @return array | null an array of the meta data of the scanned file or folder
 	 * @since 9.0.0
 	 */
 	public function scan($path, $recursive = self::SCAN_RECURSIVE, $reuse = -1, $lock = true);