Preserve your digital assets
Safeguard every digit of your data
Back up your computer
- You can back up your Windows, macOS, and Linux computer files with ease using Synology Drive Client. Learn more
- Automatically back up your computer whenever a file is modified or trigger a backup task based on your custom schedule.
- Keep deduplicated versions of your backed up files to safeguard important data from threats such as ransomware.
- Select a timestamp and restore a specific file version on your own, without having to bother IT administrators.
Bare-metal backup & recovery
- Active Backup for Business backs up and restores the entire Windows PC, and lets you monitor backup tasks from one simple console. Watch the tutorial
- Use Time Machine to easily back up data stored on macOS to Synology NAS.
- With the self-service recovery portal from Active Backup for Business, you can select one individual file you need from massive amounts of files, without restoring the whole system.
- Generate boot media in the mainstream USB and ISO formats with Active Backup Recovery Media Creator to simplify the recovery process — just a click away.
Portable device protection
- Enable Photo Backup in Moments mobile app and back up all your precious memories to your NAS, preserving all your metadata on-premises while keeping original photo quality.
- Install USB Copy and connect your SD card converter to NAS, and configure auto backups of your photos and videos from your camera or GoPro whenever you insert your SD card.
- USB Copy enables you to preserve another backup to your USB drive by simply plugging it into your NAS.
Towards greater data efficiency & protection
- Photographer : You happen to be a professional photographer? Don’t miss the protection plan designed to safeguard your works. Learn more
- NAS protection : One copy is not enough to you? Learn more about how to further protect data on your NAS. Learn more
- Cross-office syncing : Need to sync data between two studios? Check this solution for cross-office synchronization. Learn more

Get started
Synology Drive
Synology Drive Server
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
Application components
- Synology Drive Admin Console
- Synology Drive ShareSync
- Synology Drive
Specifications
- Compatible with DSM 6.2.2 or above
- Please refer to DSM System Requirements for the 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
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)
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
- Shared folder service management with versioning policies
- Up to 32 historical file versions with cross-version deduplication
- Historical version rotation with duration of 7, 30, 60, or 120 days
- Retention policy of first-in-first-out method or Intelliversioning algorithm, preserving the most significant file versions
- Recommended number of concurrent computer client connections per Synology NAS: Up to 2,000 (See Note 1)
- Monitors and logs detailed system health status, user actions, and events, including service disruption, modification of shared folder configurations, and file manipulations
- Non-admin users' sharing permission settings, including the ability to share files publicly as well as directly with assigned DSM users and group accounts
- Blacklisting file types (e.g., documents, music, videos, images, etc.), file name, file extensions, and maximum file size for specific users' syncing files
- Connection list of client applications with detailed information (e.g., device name, username, application type, online/offline status, IP address, location) as well as an option to unlink the connection
- Customizable content indexing rules for each shared folders for robust search in Synology Drive
- Calculation of application's storage usage and option to 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
Note
- The number of concurrent computer client connections may vary for different Synology NAS models (Refer to each Synology NAS model's product spec for the recommended number)
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 Internet Explorer 10 or later
- 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 the Recycle Bin, which is only accessible by system administrators
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 10.13 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
- On-demand Sync option to reduce computer capacity consumption and overhead on the server (Available on Windows 10 version 1809 and above)
- 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
- 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, and applying labels 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
Specifications
- Compatible with DSM 6.2.2 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 and 2-step verification if the option has been enabled in DSM
- Offline access and auto-update for multiple files on a local device
- Option to view files in My Drive by file types (e.g., document, photo, video, music)
- Integration with iOS Files and Android document provider as a universal entry to easily browse, open, edit, or move files among different storage apps
- Seamlessly edit files online with Microsoft applications
- Smooth previews and generation of thumbnails of raw images, and support for viewing general file formats (Supported formats may vary by OS and device)
- Synology Office files: Synology Document, Synology Spreadsheet, Synology Slides
- Documents: htm, html
- Images: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, bmp
- Audio files: mp3, m4a (except for alac), m4b, flac, ogg, wav
- Accelerates file loading speed with cache management
Limitations
- Synology Slides cannot be viewed if the files are opened with links that do not allow downloads or copies in iOS device
Active Backup for Business
Overview
Features
- Integrated backup solution for Windows physical server, PC, rsync/SMB file server, and VMware vSphere/Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine
- Centralized management interface to monitor the status of all backup tasks, storage consumption, and historical transmission
- Various restoration methods including entire device restoration, instant restore, and granular file recovery
- Maximize backup and storage efficiency by adopting Changed Block Tracking (CBT), Resilient Change Tracking (RCT), and global deduplication
- Minimize service downtime by integrating the backup task with Synology Virtual Machine Manager to replicate a production environment on Synology NAS
Application Components
- Admin Console (Active Backup for Business)
- Recovery Portal (Active Backup for Business Portal)
- Affiliated Desktop Utility (Synology Active Backup for Business Agent, Synology Active Backup for Business Recovery Media Creator, Synology Active Backup for Business Recovery Wizard)
Admin Console
Features
- Centralized management interface to monitor the status of all backup tasks, storage consumption, and historical transmission
- Various restoration methods, including entire device restoration, instant restore, and granular file recovery
- Flexible schedule and retention policies to customize the backup policy
- Detailed logs and reports to keep track of backup statuses and troubleshoot problems
Specifications
- 2.0.4 and previous versions are supported from DSM 6.1.7
- 2.1.0 and above versions are supported from DSM 6.2
- Maximum concurrent backup device: 10
- Users with DSM admin permission can use Active Backup for Business
- Windows Physical Server Backup
- Supports platforms: Windows 10 Creators Update (all editions), Windows 10 (all editions), Windows 8.1 (all editions), Windows 7 SP1 (all editions), Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019
- Supports NTFS file system
- Backup modes: Entire device, system volume, and customized volume backup
- Restoration methods: Entire device restore, file/folder-level restore, volume-based restore, and instant restore to VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or Synology Virtual Machine Manager
- Image-based backup to back up the entire device, including data and system configurations
- Agent-based backup which performs backup and restoration such as getting the changed blocks between snapshots (Download the agent on download center)
- Leverages Microsoft VSS-based Changed Block Tracking to perform incremental backup
- Backup window for users to customize allowed and denied backup time
- Supports inserting the arguments (NAS IP address, username, password, and Active Backup for Business icon creation) to the .msi installer for mass deployment of Synology Active Backup for Business Agent
- The supported operating systems when performing instant restore to Synology Virtual Machine Manager are listed in this article
- Windows PC Backup
- Supports platforms: Windows 10 Creators Update (all editions), Windows 10 (all editions), Windows 8.1 (all editions), and Windows 7 SP1 (all editions)
- Supports NTFS file system
- Backup modes: Entire device, system volume, and customized volume backup
- Restoration methods: Entire device restore, file/folder-level restore, and volume-based restore
- Image-based backup to back up the entire device, including data and system configurations
- Agent-based backup which performs backup and restoration such as getting the changed blocks between snapshots (Download the agent on download center)
- Leverages Microsoft VSS-based Changed Block Tracking to perform incremental backup
- Event-triggered backup including device screen locked, user signing out, and starting up
- Backup window for users to customize allowed and denied backup time
- Supports inserting the argument (NAS IP address, username, password, and Active Backup for Business icon creation) to the .msi installer for mass deployment of Synology Active Backup for Business Agent
- Virtual Machine Backup
- Supports VMware vSphere platforms: VMware vSphere 5.0, 5.1, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 and 6.7
- Supports VMware vSphere versions: VMware free ESXi, VMware vSphere Essentials, VMware vSphere Essentials Plus, VMware vSphere Standard, VMware vSphere Advanced, VMware vSphere Enterprise, and VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus
- Supports all types and versions of VMware virtual hardware, including 62TB VMDK
- Supports Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisors: Hyper-V 2016 and 2019
- Supports Hyper-V Generation 1 and 2 virtual machines, including 64 TB VHDX disks and virtual hardware versions from 5.0 to 9.0
- For backing up Microsoft Hyper-V, a host's system volume with at least 512MB of free storage space is required to install a data mover
- Image-based backup to back up the entire device, including data and system configurations
- Agentless backup
- Leverages VMware Changed Block Tracking and Hyper-V Resilient Change Tracking to perform incremental backup
- Backup window for users to customize allowed and denied backup time
- Restoration methods: Entire device restore, guest OS file/folder-level restore, and instant restore to VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or Synology Virtual Machine Manager
- For guest OS file level restoration, the supported Windows file systems are NTFS and FAT32 and the supported Linux file systems are NTFS, FAT32, ext3, and ext4
- Application-aware backup for VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines running on Microsoft Windows 2003 SP1 or later (excluding Nano Server due to the absence of the VSS framework)
- Supports backing up operating systems and applications supported by VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V
- The supported operating systems when performing instant restore to Synology Virtual Machine Manager are listed in this article
- SMB protocol file server backup
- Supports SMB protocol: SMB1, SMB2, and SMB3
- Agentless backup
- Backup modes: Multi-versioned, mirroring, and incremental backup
- Restoration method: File/folder-level restore
- Supports backing up Windows ACL
- Supports Windows VSS to ensure backup data consistency
- Performs backup tasks concurrently
- rsync protocol file server backup
- Supports rsync 3.0 or above versions
- Agentless backup
- Backup modes: Multi-versioned, mirroring, and incremental backup
- Restoration method: File/folder-level restore
- Supports backing up Linux POSIX ACL
- Supports rsync module mode, rsync shell mode over SSH, and rsync module mode over SSH
- Supports authentication with a password or an SSH key
- Supports block-level transfer, encryption, and bandwidth control
- Performs backup tasks concurrently
- Management
- Centralized management interface to monitor the current backup status of Windows devices, file servers and virtual machines, storage consumption, and historical transmission
- Generates reports on a customized schedule to monitor overall backup status
- Detailed logs and task history for the status of device backup, canceled tasks, backup failure, restoration migration, and device restoration
- Recommended models
- To choose which Synology NAS best suits your backup scenarios, you can refer to this article
Limitations
- Backup Destination Limitations
- Supported file system of backup destination:
- For Windows PC backup: Btrfs
- For physical server backup: Btrfs
- For file server backup: Btrfs, ext4
- For virtual machine backup: Btrfs
- Supported file system of backup destination:
- Windows PC/Physical Server Limitations
- Only external hard drives are supported to be backed up. Other external devices, such as floppy drives, thumb drives, and flash card readers are not supported
- For backing up dynamic disks, only simple volumes are supported, while other types of volumes are not
- Backing up physical servers/PCs with 4Kn disks is not supported
- Restoring Windows storage space is not supported
- Virtual Machine Limitations
- VMware vSphere
- Some of the features of VMware free ESXi, such as setting up pre/post script and guest OS file, are not supported
- Encrypted virtual machines, which are available in VMware vSphere 6.5, are not supported
- Fault tolerant machines, which are available in VMware vSphere 6.0, are not supported
- Since VMware does not support taking snapshots of the following types of disks, the following types of disks will be skipped automatically when processing: Raw Device Mapping (RDM) disks in physical mode, independent disks, disks connected via in-guest iSCSI initiator, and disks engaged in SCSI bus sharing
- Guest OS file level restore is not supported on virtual machines with UFS file system
- Microsoft Hyper-V
- Only standalone Hyper-V is supported for now. Virtual machines on Hyper-V failover clusters and Microsoft's System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) can only be backed up as standalone Hyper-V virtual machines
- Pass-through virtual disks and guest disks connected via in-guest FC or iSCSI are not supported and will be skipped automatically when processing
- VMware vSphere
Recovery Portal
Features
- Individual file/folder restoration to save the restoration time
- Keyword searching for users to find the desired data easily
Specifications
- User permission
- Users with DSM admin permission can restore or download all users' backup data
- Users without DSM admin permission can restore or download their own backup data, except for their data in file server backup tasks
- Data restoration
- Batch restoration of file/folder under the same directory
- Backup data of Windows physical server, file server, and virtual machine belonging to the partially successful backup versions can be restored
- Data download
- Batch downloading file/folder under the same directory
- File/folder downloaded in batch will be compressed to a single file
- Backup data of Windows physical server, file server, and virtual machine belonging to the partially successful backup versions can be downloaded
Limitations
- Data restoration
- The metadata such as modified time, created time, and ACL permission will not be restored when restoring the file/folder of Windows PC, physical server, and virtual machine
Affiliated Desktop Utility
Features
- Synology Active Backup for Business Agent is required to be installed on the target device for Windows PC and physical server to perform backup and restoration
- Synology Active Backup for Business Recovery Media Creator can facilitate the creation of the recovery media automatically for volume-based/bare-metal restoration for Windows PC and physical server
- Synology Active Backup for Business Recovery Wizard allows users to perform volume-based/bare-metal restoration for Windows PC and physical server with the recovery media created manually by the user
Specifications
- Synology Active Backup for Business Agent
- Supports platforms: Windows 10 Creators Update (all editions), Windows 10 (all editions), Windows 8.1 (all editions), Windows 7 SP1 (all editions), Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019
- Supports x86-64 processor Windows models
- Users with DSM admin permission can log out the service and change the backup type
- Synology Active Backup for Business Recovery Media Creator
- Supports platforms: Windows 10 Creators Update (all editions), Windows 10 (all editions), Windows 8.1 (all editions), Windows 7 SP1 (all editions), Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019
- Supports x86-64 processor Windows models
- Supports media types: USB/ISO image
- Requires at least 2.5 GB local system volume storage capacity for temporary files
- Requires at least 1 GB capacity for the USB drive and the volume to store the ISO image
- Synology Active Backup for Business Recovery Wizard
- Supports platforms: Windows 10 Creators Update (all editions), Windows 10 (all editions), Windows 8.1 (all editions), Windows 7 SP1 (all editions), Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019
- Supports x86-64 processor Windows models
- Supports media types: USB/ISO image
USB Copy
Features
- Tasks can be created to automatically copy files and folders from Synology NAS to attached USB/SD storage devices or vice versa
- Multiple copying and file organizing strategies to provide efficient storage usage and easy backup
- Customized configurations to ensure smooth data exchange
Specifications
- USB/SD storage devices implemented with file systems recognized by Synology NAS are allowed to copy data (See this article for more information on external devices)
- Copy task types include Photo/Video Import, Data Import, or Data Export
- Multiple methods to initiate data transfer:
- Hot-plugging a USB/SD device
- Pushing the hardware Copy button
- Enabling a schedule
- Flexible copy modes include:
- Incremental
- Mirroring
- Multi-versioned
- Advanced options are available when the incremental copy mode is selected:
- Remove original file structure in the destination folder
- File conflict policy
- Delete source files after copy completes
- Rotation policy options are available when the multi-versioned copy mode is selected:
- Rotate from the earliest version
- Smart Recycle
- Number of versions (Maximum number of versions to keep spans from 1 to 65535)
- Ejects the USB/SD storage device safely and automatically when all related tasks are complete
- File filters to exclude unwanted file types (music, video, image, document) and file extensions from copy tasks
- Logs:
- Detailed information on each copy task
- Filter to facilitate searches for logs meeting specified criteria or keywords
- Maximum number of log spanning from 5 to 100000
- Notifications:
- SMS
- Mobile
- Beep reminders can be configured for tasks that are starting or completed
- Tasks can be set up for the hardware Copy button
Limitations
- A partition on a USB device can only support one copy task
- Only one folder can be selected for each copy task
- Ejected USB/SD storage devices have to be re-mounted before new tasks can be created
- Can only be accessed by admin or users belonging to the administrators group
- Only certain models support the hardware Copy button and certain limitations apply (Please refer to this article for more information)
Synology Moments
Features
- Photo and video display in chronological order in timeline mode
- Automatic face/special subject recognition in photos with auto-created albums
- Flexible and reliable mobile backup settings
- Synchronization with Synology Drive Server to display photos and videos in My Drive
Specifications
- Compatible with DSM 6.2.1-23824 and above
- Home service must be enabled first
- The following packages from Package Center must be installed first:
- Synology Universal Search
- Synology Application Service
- Synology Drive Server
- Supported file formats
- Image formats: BMP, GIF, HEIC, JPEG, PNG, RAW (3fr, arw, cr2, crw, dcr, dng, erf, k25, kdc, mef, mos, mrw, nef, orf, ptx, pef, raf, raw, rw2, sr2, srf ), TIFF
- Video playback formats: 3G2, 3GP, ASF, AVI, DAT, DivX, FLV, M4V, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, MTS, M2TS, M2T, QT, WMV, XviD
- Apple's Live Photos playback
- 360-degree photo and video playback
- AI-calculated features
- View and edit face recognition results in the People albums
- View photos categorized by objects and scenes in the Subject album
- View photos selected by AI aesthetics in the Moments Select section
- View and decide to keep or delete similar or duplicate photos in the Similar Photos section
- Choose to apply color and angle adjustments while browsing photos in lightbox mode
- Auto-created albums
- View the automatically categorized albums: Shared, People, Subjects, Places, Tags, Videos, and Recently Added
- Enable or disable the People, Subject, and Places albums in Settings
- Photo operations
- Search photos and albums by keywords, tags, and dates
- Advanced search by file types, time ranges, tags, or keywords
- Edit the date, time, and descriptions of photos
- Add general tags to photos or videos
- Rotate photos
- Play slideshows in photo albums
- Share photos and albums
- Download albums
- Mobile backup and browsing
- Back up photos with Wi-Fi/photos only options and duplicated-file handling settings
- Enhance thumbnail resolution with super-resolution under unstable Internet connections
- Display photos and videos in My Drive
- Shared Photo Library: select specific users to access the shared folder "/photo"
Limitations
- Drag-and-drop photo upload only allows a maximum of 2,000 photos per upload
- Drag-and-drop folder upload is only supported via Chrome browser
- AI-calculated features are only supported on selected models (Supported models)
Notes:
- Please note that the figures marked in asterisks are derived from the Synology lab by using high-performance client computers with optimized network settings, and could vary in different environments.