- Synology Drive provides centralized file synchronization, cross-site collaboration, web-based file management, secure sharing, desktop backup, and mobile access.
- Client applications on supported computer and mobile platforms can synchronize files with Synology Drive Server.
- Synology storage systems in different offices can collaborate through cross-site synchronization.
- The Synology Drive web portal provides file access and management.
- Synology Office integration enables online editing.
- Files can be shared through password-protected and time-limited links.
General
Scope
Requirements and Compatibility
- Browser compatibility follows the DSM system requirements.
- For Synology Drive Server 3.0 or above:
- Connected Synology Drive Client applications, including Synology Drive Client and Synology Drive ShareSync, must also be version 3.0 or above.
- Install the following packages from Package Center first:
- Synology Universal Search
- Synology Application Service
- Universal Viewer
Application Component
Synology Drive Admin Console
Scope
- Synology Drive Admin Console lets administrators manage synchronization services, Team Folders, versioning and sharing policies, connected clients, activity monitoring, and storage usage.
Team Folders and Versioning
- Administrators can enable selected shared folders as Team Folders and apply versioning policies.
- Each file can retain up to 32 historical versions with deduplication across versions.
- Historical versions can rotate over 7, 30, 60, or 120 days.
- Retention can use first-in-first-out rotation or Intelliversioning to preserve significant versions.
- Files and folders can be restored to a selected point in time.
- Version Explorer lets administrators switch view roles, browse version history, and download or restore files and folders with minute-level granularity.
Limitation
- Mounted shared folders cannot be enabled as Team Folders.
Download Restrictions and Watermarks
- Administrators can enable download restrictions or watermarks for specific shared folders.
- These controls require Synology Drive Server 3.4 or above.
- Full functionality requires Synology Drive Client 3.4 and Synology Drive mobile app 3.3 or above.
- Download restrictions apply only to non-admin users.
- Watermark text can contain up to 32 characters, with customizable content, font color, angle, and transparency.
- Watermarking supports files up to 100 MB and only limited to specific file types.
- Watermarking requires a Synology system with at least 2 GB RAM. (Learn more)
Limitations
- Watermarking is not supported for sync tasks.
- Read-only users cannot directly download files from C2 Storage when watermarking is enabled on a Hybrid Share folder.
Sharing, File Requests, and Labels
- Administrators can allow non-admin users to set sharing permissions.
- Public links can be protected with a password and expiration time.
- Files and folders can be shared directly with assigned DSM users or groups.
- Sharing-link reports can be exported with details about links in selected folders.
- Administrators can allow non-admin users to create file requests with password and expiration options.
- Shared labels can be managed centrally.
- Non-admin users can be granted permission to create them.
- Shared label ownership can be transferred to another user.
File Locking
- Connected Synology Drive client applications, including Synology Drive Client and Synology Drive ShareSync, must be version 4.0.0 or above.
- Shared folders can use automatic or manual file locking so only one user edits a file at a time.
- Administrators can force-unlock files.
Sync Rules and Device Control
- Administrators can block file categories (e.g., documents, music, videos, images), file names, file extensions, or files above a maximum size from synchronization for selected users.
- The client connection list shows device name, username, application type, online/offline status, IP address, and location.
- Client connections can be unlinked, and synchronized files can be wiped remotely from connected devices.
- The recommended number of concurrent computer-client connections varies by Synology model. (Refer to your product's specifications)
Search and Indexing
- Each Team Folder can use customizable content-indexing rules.
- Semantic indexing for AI Search is available on supported Synology models with a GPU.
Monitoring and Storage Maintenance
- System information can be logged and exported for monitoring service disruptions, system health, events, file changes, and shared-folder configuration changes.
- Administrators can calculate Synology Drive storage usage.
- Deleted files can be cleaned up manually from recycle bins to free storage space.
Synology Drive Web Portal
Scope
- The Synology Drive web portal provides browser-based file organization, search, sharing, collaboration, and package backup workflows.
Browser Support
- Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge are supported.
- Chrome 110 or above is required to open Synology Office files.
File Organization
- Files can be accessed through My Drive and Team Folders.
- Personal labels, shared labels, and stars can categorize or highlight important files.
- Files can be sorted by title, modified time, type, owner, or size.
- Hotkeys are available for file organization and navigation.
File Requests and Search
- Collect files from external users via file requests.
- Search content via Synology Universal Search using keyword, location, file type, owner, label, size, and date.
- AI Search accepts natural-language queries and returns semantic results beyond exact keyword matches on supported Synology models with a GPU.
Sharing and Permissions
- Files and folders can be shared with selected DSM users.
- Public sharing links can be protected with a password and validity period.
- Granular file and folder permissions support different sharing scenarios.
Synology Office and Synology Chat Integration
- Synology Office integration enables collaboration on documents, spreadsheets, and slides.
- Send important notifications via Synology Chat.
Activity Monitoring and Package Backup
- Detailed user actions and events are logged, including file operations, permission changes, and version rotations.
- Hyper Backup can back up Synology Drive settings and data to local or remote destinations and restore the package to an earlier point in time.
Limitations
- Files deleted from a Team Folder are placed in a Recycle Bin that only system administrators can access.
- Symbolic-link files and folders are not displayed in the Synology Drive web portal.
Utilities
Synology Drive Client
Scope
- Synology Drive Client lets users synchronize files with Synology Drive Server, access and share files from the computer file browser, back up computer data, use file locking, and enable On-demand Sync.
System Requirements
| Platform | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 10 version 2004 or above; Windows on ARM and Windows Server editions are not supported |
| macOS | macOS 12 Monterey or above (64-bit) |
| Linux | Ubuntu 20.04 or above, limited to officially supported versions |
| Synology storage system | Synology Drive Server must be installed |
File Synchronization
- Files are accessible from the computer file browser and can synchronize with My Drive, Team Folder, and Shared with me.
- Tasks can use two-way synchronization, one-way upload, or one-way download.
- Windows clients can create up to 64 synchronization tasks.
- Block selected file names, file extensions, and files above a maximum size for each sync task.
- File operations such as downloads, deletion, and renaming are monitored and logged.
Computer Backup
- Computer files can be backed up to Synology Drive Server in continuous, manual, or scheduled mode.
- Backed-up files and folders can be restored from the client.
Limitation
- Only one backup task can be created for each account.
File Locking
- File locking allows only one user to edit a file at a time to reduce editing conflicts.
On-demand Sync
- On-demand Sync reduces local storage consumption and server overhead by downloading file content when it is needed.
- The feature is available on Windows 10 version 1809 or above and macOS 12.3 or above.
Limitations
- A local folder already used by Synology Drive On-demand Sync, OneDrive Files On-Demand, or iCloud Drive cannot be selected for another On-demand Sync task; its child folders are also excluded.
- Drive-root directories such as C:\ or D:\ cannot be selected.
- User home directories such as C:\Users\<username> cannot be selected.
Synchronization Boundaries
- Each Synology Drive Client can synchronize up to 500,000 files; exceeding this number can reduce performance and cause unexpected errors.
- Certain file and drive types are not supported for synchronization. (Learn more)
- .pst files are not supported because they are not guaranteed to be portable.
- A folder already synchronized, or an ancestor or child of a synchronized folder, cannot be selected for another sync task.
- Files inside a folder mounted through another file protocol might not synchronize because Synology Drive cannot detect changes inside the mount point.
Synology Drive Mobile App
Scope
- The Synology Drive mobile app provides file access, organization, search, sharing, synchronization, offline access, mobile backup, and in-app editing on iOS and Android.
System Requirements
| Platform | Requirement |
|---|---|
| iOS | iOS 18.0 or above |
| Android | Android 10.0 or above |
File Access, Organization, and Search
- Files can be searched, shared, moved, labeled, starred, and added to custom Collections.
- Files can be sorted by title, modified time, type, owner, or size.
- Search criteria include keyword, location, file type, owner, label, size, and date.
- Files can be viewed by category, including documents, photos, videos, and music.
- Storage usage and quota information is available for each Team Folder.
Sharing and App Security
- Files and folders can be shared with selected DSM users.
- Public links can be protected with a password and validity period.
- Application access can be protected by a passcode, with fingerprint authentication on supported devices.
Synchronization and Offline Access
- Two-way and one-way synchronization tasks keep files and folders up to date.
- Custom synchronization rules can be configured for each task.
- Multiple files can be stored for offline access and updated automatically on the local device.
Mobile Backup
- Photos and videos can be backed up to a custom destination path.
- WeChat file backup is available only in the China version.
Synology Office, Text, and PDF Editing
- Synology Office documents and spreadsheets can be edited in the mobile app when Synology Drive Server 3.2.0-795 or above, Synology Office 3.5 or above, and Android 10.0 or iOS 14.0 and above are used.
- .txt and .md (Markdown) files can be edited in the app, including Markdown syntax for .md files.
- PDF annotation includes text highlighting, notes, and signatures.
- On iOS, PDF annotations update the original file in Synology Drive.
- On Android, an annotated PDF can replace the original file or be saved as a new file.
Limitations
- On iOS, Synology Slides cannot be viewed from a sharing link that does not allow downloads or copies.
- PDF annotation is available only for documents that allow editing.
- On Android, annotations can use any character type inside the Synology Drive mobile app, but third-party apps display them only when they use Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Cyrillic, Greek, Japanese (Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji), Korean (Hangul and Hanja), or Latin characters.
File Integration and Display
- iOS Files and the Android document provider provide a shared entry point for browsing, opening, editing, and moving files among storage apps.
- General supported file formats can be viewed in the app.
- Cache management improves file loading speed.
- Dark theme is available.