Knowledge Center

Copy or Move Files or Folders

File Station provides you with various methods of transferring files/folders between two Synology NAS or within the same Synology NAS.

Copy or Move Files/Folders between Two Synology NAS

Without complex setup of file transferring protocols, you can directly upload files/folders via File Station from one Synology NAS to another using the drag and drop feature.

To enable drag and drop between browsers:

  1. Go to Settings > General > File Station.
  2. Tick Enable drag and drop between browsers.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Open two web browsers of the same kind (e.g., Firefox), and connect them respectively to the source and target Synology NAS.
  5. Launch File Station on both Synology NAS. You can now directly drag and drop files/folders between them via File Station.

Note:

  • You can also drag and drop files/folders between two tabs of the same browser.
  • If multiple files/folders are selected for drag and drop, the files/folders will be compressed into one archive for upload.

Limitations:

  • The file size limit for drag and drop varies with web browsers. For Safari, the limit is 1 GB.
  • When you have a large amount of files or if your file size is too big, you may consider using the supported file protocols instead.

Copy or Move Files/Folders within the same Synology NAS

Follow the steps below to move or copy files or folders within the same Synology NAS.

Method 1:

  1. Select the files or folders you want to move or copy. Press and hold the "Shift" or "Ctrl" keys to make multiple selections.
  2. Choose Cut or Copy from the Action drop-down menu.
  3. Go to the destination folder on the Synology NAS.
  4. Choose Paste - Overwrite or Paste - Skip from the Action drop-down menu, depending on whether you want to overwrite files or folders with the same name in the destination folder.

Method 2:

  1. Select the files or folders you want to move or copy. Press and hold the "Shift" or "Ctrl" to make multiple selections.
  2. Drag the folders or files from the main section to another folder on the left panel.
  3. In the pop-up menu that appears, choose Copy - Overwrite, Copy - Skip, Move - Overwrite, or Move - Skip to overwrite or skip files or folders with the same name in the destination folder.

Method 3:

  1. Select the files or folders you want to move or copy. Press and hold the "Shift" or "Ctrl" keys to make multiple selections.
  2. To copy the files/folders, press "Ctrl" + "X" to cut or "Ctrl" + "C" to copy (for Windows) or "Command" + "X" or "Command" + "C" (for macOS).
  3. Go to the destination folder on the Synology NAS.
  4. To paste the files/folders, press "Ctrl" + "V" (for Windows) or "Command" + "V" (for macOS).
  5. In the dialog that appears, choose whether you want to overwrite or skip files with the same name in the destination folder.

Keyboard Shortcuts:

The following keyboard shortcuts may come in handy when moving/copying files and folders in File Station:

  • F2: Rename
  • Del: Delete
  • Ctrl + A: Select all
  • Crtl + X: Cut
  • Crtl + C: Copy
  • Crtl + V: Paste

Note:

  • When copying or moving files/folders to a directory in FAT file system, characters \ *?">| in the filename will be replaced by –, and the Metadata of Mac files will be deleted.
  • If you cut files from your local computer, and then paste them in a Synology NAS folder, the files are retained on your local computer.
  • When moving a file or folder, the "owner" remains the same. However, when copying a file or folder, the "owner" changes to the user who copied it.
  • If you want to move multiple files from a WriteOnce shared folder and the selected files include locked files (in either "Immutable" or "Append-only" state) or expired files, the move task will stop.
Copy or Move Files/Folders between Two Synology NAS
Copy or Move Files/Folders within the same Synology NAS