Synology Drive

DSM Version

General

Features

  • Synchronization server for clients on various platforms
  • Cross-office file collaboration among Synology NAS servers
  • File management on web portal
  • Integrated with Synology Office for online file editing
  • Generates safe and secure file sharing links

Specifications

  • Compatible with DSM 7.0 or above
  • Please refer to DSM System Requirements for a list of supported browsers
  • For Synology Drive Server versions below 3.0:
    • Cloud Station applications, including Cloud Station Drive, Cloud Station Backup, Cloud Station ShareSync, and DS cloud are compatible with Synology Drive Server. That is, the applications will continue to work after Cloud Station Server has been upgraded to Synology Drive Server
    • Synology Drive Client desktop application and Synology Drive ShareSync are compatible with Cloud Station Server. They can continue to function with connection to Cloud Station Server
  • For Synology Drive Server versions 3.0 and above:
    • Synology Drive Server 3.0 and above no longer support Cloud Station Suite applications. If you are using any Cloud Station Suite applications (Cloud Station Server, Cloud Station Drive, Cloud Station Backup, Cloud Station ShareSync, or DS cloud), you must switch to their counterparts in the Synology Drive Suite to ensure compatibility
    • Connected Synology Drive client applications, including Synology Drive Client and Synology Drive ShareSync, must be updated to version 3.0 and above to ensure compatibility
  • The following packages from Package Center must be installed first:
    • Synology Universal Search
    • Synology Application Service
    • Universal Viewer

Limitations

  • Synology Drive Server 3.0 and above versions are not compatible with Cloud Station Suite applications (Cloud Station Server, Cloud Station ShareSync, Cloud Station Backup, Cloud Station Drive, and DS cloud)

Application component

Synology Drive Admin Console

Features

  • Service management center for administrators to monitor and control business data assets and resources on Synology Drive
  • File synchronization server for corresponding client applications on computers, mobile phones, and other Synology NAS servers
  • Option to select specific shared folders on Synology NAS for access in Synology Drive with history version policies
  • Flexible settings for users' access and sharing permissions to suit any deployment scenarios
  • Point-in-time history version restoration of files and folders

Specifications

  • Manage shared folders with versioning policies
    • Up to 32 historical file versions with deduplication across versions
    • Rotate historical versions with durations of 7, 30, 60, or 120 days
    • Retention policy options: first-in-first-out or Intelliversioning algorithm to preserve significant file versions
  • Advanced security options available for shared folders (e.g., restrict file downloads, add watermarks)
    • Compatible with Synology Drive Server 3.4 and above versions
    • Full functionality requires updating to Synology Drive Client 3.4, Synology Drive mobile app 3.3 and above versions
    • Restrict downloads only applicable to non-admin users
    • For the watermarking function:
      • Supports up to 32 characters
      • Customizable settings for content, font color, angle, and transparency
      • Supports files of up to 100 MB in size
      • Limited to specific file types (Learn more)
      • Only supports Synology NAS models with 2 GB or higher RAM (Learn more)
      • Sync tasks are not supported
      • For read-only users, Hybrid Share folders with the watermark function enabled cannot be directly downloaded from C2 Storage
  • Recommended concurrent computer client connections per Synology NAS: Up to 2,000
    • Number of concurrent computer client connections may vary based on the Synology NAS model (Refer to each Synology NAS model's product spec for the recommended number)
  • Supports logging and exporting system information for monitoring purposes, including service disruption, system health status, events, or modification of files or shared folder configurations
  • Allows non-admin users to set sharing permissions
    • Public sharing with password enforcement and expiration time
    • Direct sharing with assigned DSM users and group accounts
  • Export sharing link reports with detailed information about sharing links in selected folders
  • Blacklist file types (e.g., documents, music, videos, images), file names, file extensions, and set maximum file size for syncing files by specific users
  • Connection list of client applications with detailed information such as device name, username, application type, online/offline status, IP address, and location. Includes options to unlink connections or remotely wipe synced files from devices
  • Customizable content indexing rules for each shared folder to enhance search functionality in Synology Drive
  • Calculate application's storage usage and manually clean up deleted files in recycle bins to free up space
  • Version Explorer allows administrators to switch view roles, browse file/folder version history, and download/restore them with minute-level version granularity

Limitations

  • Mounted shared folders cannot be enabled as team folders

Synology Drive ShareSync

Features

  • Real-time collaboration via two-way synchronization with multiple Synology NAS servers in multiple locations
  • One-way synchronization to distribute or collect data and files to remote Synology NAS servers
  • Flexible options to sync folders and selectively sync sub-folders to prevent redundant file syncing

Specifications

  • Sync files on shared folder basis or selectively sync sub-folders with multiple Synology NAS servers
  • Flexible sync mode settings with either syncing all privileges, only domain user privileges or files excluding permissions and metadata
  • Two-way sync or one-way upload/download to meet different remote offices and collaboration needs
  • Blacklisting file types (e.g., documents, music, videos, images, etc.), file name, file extensions, and maximum file size for syncing files and folders for each syncing task
  • Options to tackle file version conflict by either keeping the latest modified version, or keeping the version on the server and renaming to keep the discarded version
  • Monitors the syncing status with connected servers' information and connection status for error handling
  • Monitors and logs detailed file syncing events which can be filtered by shared folders, keywords, or date range

Limitations

  • Under the following circumstances, files will not be synced by Synology Drive ShareSync:
    • Certain file types or file paths containing certain characters (Learn more)
    • The file path is longer than 2,048 characters
    • The file name is longer than 255 characters
  • Each Synology NAS can connect with multiple remote Synology NAS servers, but a Synology NAS can only be paired with a remote Synology NAS once
  • A local shared folder cannot be set as the sync folder for multiple remote Synology NAS servers simultaneously
  • Mounted shared folders and folders without write permission cannot be used as sync folders
  • Files and folders under the mounted folder on the local Synology NAS will not be synced

Synology Drive

Features

  • File access on web portal and collaboration through team folders with labels and stars to categorize or mark important files
  • Granular and flexible file/folder permission settings for secure sharing scenarios
  • Integration with the online editing tool Synology Office and instant messaging service Synology Chat for seamless team collaboration

Specifications

  • Supported browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Edge
  • File management with labels, stars, or hotkey, and sorting by title, modified time, type, owner, and size
  • Content searching via DSM built-in package Synology Universal Search with a variety of search criteria (e.g., keyword, location, type, owner, labels, size, and date) to quickly gather the most relevant data
  • Customizable permission settings to share folders and files only with other DSM users, or share publicly with the protection of password and validity period
  • Monitors and logs detailed user actions and events, including file manipulations, permission modifications, and version rotations
  • Provides the ability for team collaboration on documents, spreadsheets, and slides through the integration with Synology Office
  • Sends important update notifications via the Synology instant message application Synology Chat
  • Backs up Synology Drive to local or remote destinations and restores the settings and data of the package to a previous point in time with the Synology package Hyper Backup

Limitations

  • Deleted files from Team Folder will be placed in Recycle Bin, which is only accessible by system administrators

Affiliated Utility

Synology Drive Client

Features

  • Desktop application to synchronize files and folders between the computer and the Synology Drive server to access, browse, and share files via file browser
  • Real-time or scheduled computer backup from local computer to Synology Drive Server with the capability to restore files and folders on the client side

Specifications

  • Synology Drive Server package must be installed on your Synology NAS
  • Supported operating systems:
    • Windows 7 and above, excluding Windows 10 on ARM and Windows Server editions
    • macOS 10.14 and above (64-bit)
    • Ubuntu 18.04 and above (officially supported versions)
  • Create up to 64 sync tasks with Synology Drive Client for Windows environment
  • The On-demand Sync feature helps reduce computer capacity consumption and overhead on the server (Available on Windows 10 version 1809, macOS 12.3, and above versions)
  • File access from file browser on local computer with synchronization with My Drive, Team Folder, and Shared with me folders on Synology Drive Server
  • Two-way sync or one-way upload/download to meet different collaboration needs
  • Blacklisting file name, file extensions, and maximum file size for each sync task
  • Flexible backup settings with continuous, manual, or schedule mode to meet different backup needs
  • Monitors and logs file manipulations, including downloads, delete, rename, etc.

Limitations

  • The maximum number of files each Synology Drive Client can sync is 500,000. Exceeding this figure may reduce the application's performance and cause unexpected errors
  • Certain file and drive types are not supported on Synology Drive sync task (Learn more)
  • .pst files are not supported because .pst files are not guaranteed to be portable
  • Only one backup task can be established for one account
  • Folders already synced or folders that are ancestor or child folders to a synced folder cannot be selected for sync task
  • If the local folder contains a folder mounted via other file protocols, files inside this mount point might not be synced because Synology Drive cannot detect file changes inside a mount point
  • On-demand Sync
    • Local folders which are already synced with Synology Drive's On-demand Sync, OneDrive's File On-Demand, or iCloud Drive and their child folders cannot be selected for a task with On-demand Sync
    • Root drive directories (e.g., C:\ and D:\) and home directories (e.g., C:\Users<username>) cannot be selected as On-demand Sync folder

Synology Drive (Mobile)

Features

  • Easy access and file management on the go with file searching, sharing, moving, applying labels, and creating customized collections in iOS and Android environments
  • Granular and flexible file or folder permission settings for secure sharing scenarios 
  • Offline access to view the files downloaded to the local device
  • Keep files and folders up-to-date with the sync function
  • Protects photos and videos on the mobile device with the photo backup function
  • Protects files on WeChat with the WeChat backup function (Only on China version)

Specifications

  • System requirements
    • iOS: 15.0 or above
    • Android: 8.0 or above
  • File management with labels, stars, sorting by title, modified time, type, owner, and size
  • Content searching with a variety of criteria (e.g., keyword, location, type, owner, labels, size, and date) to quickly gather the most relevant data
  • Customizable permission settings to share folders and files only with other DSM users, or share publicly with the protection of password and validity period
  • Secure application lock with passcode (Fingerprint scanner supported)
  • Photo backup to custom backup path for flexible management
  • Enhanced protection of mobile data with two-way and one-way sync task that allows for setting custom sync rules
  • Offline access and auto-update for multiple files on a local device
  • Supports editing Synology Office documents and spreadsheets (Requires Synology Drive Server 3.2.0-795, Synology Office 3.5, Android 10.0, iOS 14.0, and above versions)
  • Supports annotating PDF files. Annotations will be updated to the original file in Synology Drive. Annotating PDF files on Android devices is supported through third-party applications (Requires Synology Drive Server 3.2.0-795)
  • Option to view files by file types (e.g., document, photo, video, music) and to create custom Collections
  • Integration with iOS Files and Android document provider as a universal entry to easily browse, open, edit, or move files among different storage apps
  • Supports viewing general file formats (Supported file formats)
  • Accelerates file loading speed with cache management
  • Provides storage usage and quota limit information of each team folder
  • Supports dark theme settings

Limitations

  • Synology Slides cannot be viewed if the files are opened with links that do not allow downloads or copies in iOS device