How do I reset my Synology NAS? (For DSM 6.2.3 or earlier)
Last updated: Jan 3, 2025
How do I reset my Synology NAS? (For DSM 6.2.3 or earlier)
Environment
Make sure that the status of your Synology NAS is Ready via either of the following tools:
- Web Assistant: Enter find.synology.com in the search bar of your web browser and find your Synology NAS.
- Synology Assistant: Open the desktop utility and find your Synology NAS, available in the Download Center.5
Resolution
Mode 1: Reset administrator login credentials and network settings6
- Locate the RESET button on your Synology NAS.7
- Use a paper clip to gently press and hold down the RESET button for about 4 seconds until you hear a beep, and then release the button immediately.
- Launch Web Assistant. Double-click on your Synology NAS. On the login page, enter the system default username admin, leave the password field blank, and click Sign In.
- Create a strong password and click Submit.
- Sign in to DSM with the username admin and the password that you have just created.8
- Go to Control Panel > User > the User tab and double-click on the administrator account you want to use.
- In the pop-up window, go to the Info tab and reset your password. Click OK.
- Disable the admin account by first signing in with your administrator account, and then going to Control Panel > User > the User tab. Double click on admin and tick the Disable this account checkbox. Click OK.
- The admin account status should now be Disabled.
Mode 2: Reset Synology NAS and re-install the operating system DSM4
This mode wipes out all system configurations and carries out all the reset functions included in Mode 1.
- Find the RESET button at the back of your Synology NAS. If you have difficulty locating the RESET button, select your Synology NAS model on this page, go to the Documents tab, and refer to the Product Manual.
- Use a paper clip to gently press and hold down the RESET button for about 4 seconds until you hear a beep, and then release the button immediately.
- Within 10 seconds, press and hold down the RESET button again for 4 seconds until you hear 3 more beeps.
- Wait for about 2 minutes until the STATUS light on your Synology NAS blinks orange, indicating that your Synology NAS has been successfully reset and the system configurations have been wiped.
- To re-install DSM, enter find.synology.com in the search bar of your web browser and find your Synology NAS on the Web Assistant page. The server name of your Synology NAS should be either DiskStation, FlashStation, or RackStation, depending on your Synology NAS model. The status of your device should be Configuration lost.
- Double-click on your Synology NAS and follow the wizard to complete the re-installation process.
Notes:
- The reset process on a Synology NAS will only work if a drive is installed and DSM is set up.
- If you only want to change the administrator password, go to DSM > Options > Personal > Account to do so without resetting your Synology NAS.
- Resetting the Synology NAS does not impact its data. However, we strongly recommend launching Backup & Replication (available on DSM 5.2) or Hyper Backup (available from DSM 6.0) to back up data and system configurations before the reset.
- Per this end-of-availability notice, Synology no longer offers DSM 6.2.3 and earlier versions on its website. Before resetting, ensure you have the needed installation file, as it won't auto-download during the process.
- Refer to the Synology Assistant Help page for definitions of device status.
- Once your Synology NAS is reset via Mode 1, the following settings take place:
- The admin account is restored to default.
- UI management port is reset to 5000/5001.
- IP, DNS, gateway, and other net interfaces are reset to DHCP.
- PPPoE is disabled.
- Auto Block is disabled.
- Firewall rules are disabled.
- High-availability cluster is removed.
- Virtual Machine Manager cluster is removed.
- Encrypted folders are unmounted and the feature Mount automatically on startup is disabled. For security reasons, if the cypher is a machine key, it is deleted from Key Manager. Learn how to retain the machine key for decrypting shared folders after reset.
- Refer to the Product Manual if you need assistance locating the RESET button.
- If you have previously set admin as the username for your administrator account, you can simply use this username with the strong password you have just set to log into DSM.