diff --git a/apps/user_ldap/lib/Connection.php b/apps/user_ldap/lib/Connection.php
index 37f7dcaea5ca7..4b890d8a31131 100644
--- a/apps/user_ldap/lib/Connection.php
+++ b/apps/user_ldap/lib/Connection.php
@@ -241,6 +241,7 @@ public function init($force = false) {
 	}
 
 	/**
+	 * @throws ServerNotAvailableException When connection failed or configuration is invalid
 	 * @return resource|\LDAP\Connection The LDAP resource
 	 */
 	public function getConnectionResource() {
diff --git a/apps/user_ldap/lib/User_LDAP.php b/apps/user_ldap/lib/User_LDAP.php
index d787bfea4d40c..e014832b21611 100644
--- a/apps/user_ldap/lib/User_LDAP.php
+++ b/apps/user_ldap/lib/User_LDAP.php
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ public function getUsers($search = '', $limit = 10, $offset = 0) {
 	 * @param string|\OCA\User_LDAP\User\User $user either the Nextcloud user
 	 * name or an instance of that user
 	 * @throws \Exception
-	 * @throws \OC\ServerNotAvailableException
+	 * @throws ServerNotAvailableException
 	 */
 	public function userExistsOnLDAP($user, bool $ignoreCache = false): bool {
 		if (is_string($user)) {
@@ -586,14 +586,18 @@ public function countUsers() {
 			return $this->userPluginManager->countUsers();
 		}
 
-		$filter = $this->access->getFilterForUserCount();
-		$cacheKey = 'countUsers-'.$filter;
-		if (!is_null($entries = $this->access->connection->getFromCache($cacheKey))) {
+		try {
+			$filter = $this->access->getFilterForUserCount();
+			$cacheKey = 'countUsers-'.$filter;
+			if (!is_null($entries = $this->access->connection->getFromCache($cacheKey))) {
+				return $entries;
+			}
+			$entries = $this->access->countUsers($filter);
+			$this->access->connection->writeToCache($cacheKey, $entries);
 			return $entries;
+		} catch (ServerNotAvailableException $e) {
+			return false;
 		}
-		$entries = $this->access->countUsers($filter);
-		$this->access->connection->writeToCache($cacheKey, $entries);
-		return $entries;
 	}
 
 	public function countMappedUsers(): int {