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Knowledge Center

Synology Drive Client

Synology Drive Client is a desktop utility that lets you sync files and back up personal computers to a centralized server running Synology Drive Server.

You can download Synology Drive Client from the following locations:

  • Synology Download Center: Select your product, go to the Desktop Utilities tab > Synology Drive Client > Download.
  • Synology Drive web portal: Click the profile icon in the lower-left corner, select Get desktop and mobile apps > For Desktop.

Before You Start

  • For compatibility, system requirements, and feature specifications, see the Technical Specifications.
  • Choose a Synology storage system as the host and install Synology Drive Server from Package Center. Then, sign in with a system admin account.
  • To create sync or backup tasks, first enable shared folders as team folders in Synology Drive Admin Console > Team Folder.
  • Admins can deploy the utility to multiple Windows devices at once using Active Directory Server. Learn more in this article.

Getting Started

Launch the Setup Wizard

  1. Run Synology Drive Client on your computer:
    • Windows: Go to Start > All Programs.
    • macOS: Go to Finder > Applications.
    • Linux: Go to Dash > Applications.
  2. Click Start Now and select Sync Task or Backup Task.

Create Sync Tasks

Create sync tasks to keep files synced between Synology Drive and your local computer for easier access and collaboration.

Set Up a Sync Task

  1. Enter the IP address or QuickConnect ID, username, and password of your Synology storage system.
    • Domain users: Use domain name or username
    • LDAP users: Use "username@Base_DN"
    • You can also connect via IPv6 or proxy service.
    • You can click the downward arrow on the right to scan your LAN for Synology storage systems.
  2. Click Next. If you can't connect:
    • Ensure Synology Drive Server is installed.
    • Check the internet connection or go to Global Settings to configure the proxy.
  3. Select Sync Task > Next.
  4. Select the folders on the Synology storage system and your computer that you want to sync. Click Edit to modify paths.
  5. Enable On-demand Sync to save space and reduce server load. This feature is currently available on Windows 10 version 1809, macOS 12.3, and above versions.
    • macOS only: You can assign custom names to sync tasks. However, if there's only one task, it will appear as "Synology Drive." Custom names will be applied only when multiple tasks exist, helping you distinguish them in Finder.
  6. Click Advanced to further customize settings:
    • Folder and File Filter: Specify folders and files to exclude from syncing.
      • Max file size: Skip files larger than the specified size.
      • File name: Skip specific file names.
      • File extension: Skip file types, e.g., *.iso.
    • Sync Mode:
      • Choose two-way sync, one-way download, or one-way upload. You can change this configuration at a later time in Sync Rules > Sync Mode.
      • For one-way upload tasks, unselect Keep locally deleted files on the server if you want to also delete the items on the server when they are deleted on the computer.
      • Select Enable On-demand Sync to reduce computer capacity consumption and overhead on the server.
      • Advanced consistency check: Improves comparison accuracy using hash values, execution bit, file permissions, etc. but uses more resources. This takes more time and resources in completing sync tasks. When unselected, the accuracy of file comparison is reduced.

Note:

  • Use an admin account to find your QuickConnect ID in Control Panel > External Access > QuickConnect (for DSM 7.0 or above) or Control Panel > QuickConnect (for DSM 6.2 or earlier).
  • If login fails, check network settings or confirm access in Control Panel > Application Privileges (for DSM 7.0 or above) or Privileges (for DSM 6.2 or earlier) > Synology Drive.
  • Users with read-only permission to a remote Team Folder can only create download-only tasks. Only users with read/write privileges to the remote folder may create two-way and upload-only sync tasks.
  • Maximum file size: 0-10,240,000 MB (0=unlimited). For Hybrid Share, the range is 1-65,536 MB.
  • A Windows environment supports up to 64 sync tasks with Synology Drive Client.
  • You can't sync a folder already used by another sync task or its parent/child folders.
  • On-demand Sync tasks:
    • Available on Windows 10 version 1809 and above and macOS 12.3 and above.
    • Only supported on NTFS drives or local sync folders that are NOT root drive directories or home directories (e.g., C drive, D drive, or C:\Users\<username>).
    • Cannot use local folders that are already synced with Synology Drive's On-demand Sync, OneDrive's File On-Demand, or iCloud Drive and their child folders.
    • File sync statuses are indicated by the icons displayed. The icons are different for Windows and macOS systems.
    • For macOS:
      • On-demand Sync must be enabled during setup and cannot be disabled later. To enable or disable On-demand Sync for a task, delete and recreate it.
      • Only supports two-way sync mode.
      • Does not support filtering files by file size, filename, or file extension.
  • Refer to sync task rules for additional limitations.

Add a New Sync Task

  1. Go to Sync Tasks > Create.
  2. Follow the setup wizard.

Manage Sync Tasks

Do the following to manage sync tasks:

  • Use the buttons at the top of the Sync Tasks page to Pause, Resume, or Delete a task.
  • Click Edit Connection and select Enable SSL data transmission encryption to enable this option.
  • On your computer, open the sync folder, right-click a subfolder, select Synology Drive > Stop syncing this folder or Resume syncing this folder.

Note:

  • If the hostname or IP address of your Synology NAS changes, click Edit Connection and re-enter your login information to update it.
  • Deleting a sync task will not remove synced files on the local computer.
  • After deleting a task, linking again may require a full re-sync. When you set up a new connection, Synology Drive will compare existing files and only upload or download changed files.

Edit Sync Rules

  1. Select a sync task and click Sync Rules.
  2. Adjust settings in the Folder, File Filter, and Sync Mode tabs.

Sync and Manage Files

Once Synology Drive Client is set up on all of your computers, files can be synced and accessed across computers and your Synology storage system.

  • Access files:
    • Click the link below your sync tasks to open the Synology Drive folder on your computer and then select the files or folders you want to access.
    • In the Synology Drive Client tray menu, click the folder icon at the bottom to access the local syncing folders from different connected servers.
  • Sync files:
    • Place files into the Synology Drive folder on your computer. The following syncing status will appear on the Synology Drive Client icon in the system tray:
      • Blue icon: Syncing
      • Green icon: Synced
      • Gray icon: Paused
    • Right-click a file on your computer and copy it to your Synology Drive sync folder.
  • Pause or resume syncing: Click the Synology Drive Client icon in the system tray, then choose Pause or Resume.
  • Sync Shared with me items:
    • Select a sync task, click Edit Connections > Shared with me, and select the option to enable syncing.
    • Click the Synology Drive Client icon in the system tray, go to Notifications, click a shared item, and click Sync this item.
  • Pause/terminate Shared with me items: Go to Sync Tasks, select the item, and click Pause or Delete.
  • Download previous versions of a synced file:
    1. Right-click the file and choose Synology Drive > Browse previous versions.
    2. Select a version and click Download.
    3. Name the file and choose a location to save.
  • Create a file sharing link: Right-click the file and choose Synology Drive > Get link. If you have manager permission, you can configure sharing permission.

Note:

  • Synology Office files can be synced, but must be opened in a browser while connected to the Synology storage system. You can trace back to any previous versions of Synology Office files via the Synology Drive web portal.
  • You can view synced file thumbnails for the following file types:
    • Windows File Explorer:
      • Image: bmp, cr2, crw, dng, erf, gif, jpe, jpeg, jpg, mef, mos, mrw, nef, pef, png, rw2, sr2, tif, tiff
      • Video: 3g2, 3gp, asf, avi, m2ts, m4v, mkv, mov, mp4, mpeg, mts, wmv
    • macOS Finder:
      • Image: 3fr, arw, bmp, cr2, crw, dcr, dng, erf, gif, heic, heif, jpe, jpeg, jpg, mos, mrw, nef, orf, pef, png, raf, raw, rw2, sr2, srf, tif, tiff
      • Video: 3g2, 3gp, avi, m2t, m2ts, m2v, m4b, m4r, m4v, mov, mp4, mpe, mpeg, mpg, mpeg4, mts, qt, vob

File Status Icons

Icon overlays

Icon overlays show the sync status of files/folders in your local Synology Drive folder. You can disable them in Global Settings > Display.

Icon Description
File/folder is synced, up to date, or pending sync.
File/folder is excluded due to filters or permissions, such as a system default filter, sync rules filter, server profile settings, or ACL permissions.
Sync in progress.
You have read-only permission.

On-demand Sync icons

Windows:

Icon Description
Online-only file/folder. Does not take up disk space.
Open and download a local copy or right-click the file, select Synology Drive > Pin local copy permanently to keep an offline copy.
Downloaded to the local computer and can be viewed offline.
Right-click it, select Synology Drive > Free up space to delete the local copy and release space. However, when computer is low on disk space, local copies will be auto-deleted to release space. The icon will change to the cloud icon and these copies are still available when online.
Permanently pinned to the local computer and can be viewed offline.
When computer is low on disk space, permanently pinned copies will not be auto-deleted to release space.

macOS:

Icon Description
Online-only file/folder. Does not take up disk space.
Open and download a local copy to the computer or right-click the file, select Download to download a local copy. Alternatively, right-click the file, select Pin local copy permanently with Synology Drive icon to keep an offline copy.
File/folder cannot be uploaded to Synology Drive server, possibly due to sync or connection error.
File is downloading or queued. Progress is shown by the icon.
No icon Downloaded to the local computer and can be viewed offline.
Right-click it, select Free Up Space with Synology Drive icon to delete the local copy and release space. However, when computer is low on disk space, local copies will be auto-deleted to release space. The icon will change to the cloud icon and these copies are still available when online.
Permanently pinned to the local computer and can be viewed offline.
When computer is low on disk space, permanently pinned copies will not be auto-deleted to release space.

Note:

  • On macOS, sentinel_helper may prevent Synology Drive's icon overlays from appearing for non-On-demand Sync tasks. To fix this, go to System Settings > Login Items > File Provider Extensions and disable sentinel_helper.

Locking and Unlocking Files

You can lock and unlock files directly from your synced folder on your desktop. Locking a file prevents others from editing it while you're working, helping teams avoid conflicts and coordinate more effectively. If you're collaborating, be sure to lock the file before making changes. This ensures that no one else can edit it until it is unlocked.

  • To lock a file:
    • Right-click the file in your Drive sync folder. Navigate to Synology Drive > Lock file. A lock icon will appear over the file icon on your desktop and in the web portal. Once you lock a file, you can continue editing it.
    • Locked files can only be moved, renamed, or deleted by the person who locked them. However, others can make a copy of it.
  • To unlock a file:
    • Only the user who locked it or someone with manager privileges can unlock a file. Right-click the file and go to Synology Drive > Unlock file.
    • If you don't have permission to unlock a file, right-click the file and select Request Unlock. This notifies the user who locked it.
  • When you lock a file, the following take place:
    • Users with edit permission can lock files. While a file is locked, others can still view, comment, and share the file, but they cannot edit it.
    • Anyone who tries to edit a locked file will see a message instructing them to save it as a new file.
    • Only the user who locked the file or a user with manager privileges can unlock it.

Note:

  • File locking only applies to files, not folders.
  • If a folder contains locked files, attributes like shared labels, My Labels, and Star may not be retained after it is moved.
  • Locking or unlocking files via Synology Drive Client will sync to other devices.
  • If a locked file is overwritten by moving or copying another file with the same name:
    • On macOS: The system will create a renamed conflict file.
    • On Windows: The locked file may be overwritten without warning.
Supported Manual Locking/Unlocking Auto Locking/Unlocking
Synology Drive web portal Yes No
Synology Drive mobile apps No No
Synology Drive Client Windows and macOS Windows only
Sync types Two-way sync tasks Two-way sync tasks with On-demand Sync (ODS) enabled
File types All file formats except Synology Office files Only Microsoft Office and AutoCAD files

Create Backup Tasks

Create backup tasks to back up your files from computers to Synology Drive Server.

Create a Backup Task:

  1. Enter the IP address or QuickConnect ID, username, and password of your Synology storage system.
    • Domain users: Use domain name or username
    • LDAP users: Use "username@Base_DN"
    • You can also connect via IPv6 or proxy service.
    • You can click the downward arrow on the right to scan your LAN for Synology storage systems.
  2. Click Next. If you can't connect:
    • Ensure Synology Drive Server is installed.
    • Check the internet connection or go to Global Settings to configure the proxy.
  3. Select Backup Task > Next.
  4. Select the local folders for back up and the destination on your Synology storage system.
  5. Click Backup Rules to modify settings.
    • Max file size: Skip files larger than the specified size.
    • File name: Skip specific file names.
    • File extension: Skip file types, e.g., *.iso.
    • Back up files and folders with the prefix "."
    • Back up temporary files and folders
    • Keep locally deleted files on the remote backup destination folder: Prevent server copies from being deleted when removed locally.
  6. Click Next and select a backup mode.
    • Continuous backup: Back up whenever changes occur.
    • Manual backup: Back up only when you click Back up now.
    • Scheduled backup:
      • Run on: Select backup days.
      • Start time/End time: Select start and end times of the backup task.
      • Frequency: Set how often to run the backup task. If you choose to run it at regular hourly intervals, you can specify when the last run should take place.
      • Optional: Enable auto shutdown after last backup or resume unfinished backups after restart.
  7. Review settings and click Done.

Note:

  • Only one Synology storage system connection is allowed per backup task. To back up to another server, delete the current task and create a new one.
  • Use an admin account to find your QuickConnect ID in Control Panel > External Access > QuickConnect (for DSM 7.0 or above) or Control Panel > QuickConnect (for DSM 6.2 or earlier).
  • If login fails, check network settings or confirm access in Control Panel > Application Privileges (for DSM 7.0 or above) or Privileges (for DSM 6.2 or earlier) > Synology Drive.
  • Users with read-only permission to a remote shared folder cannot set it as the backup destination.
  • When Keep locally deleted files on the remote backup destination folder is enabled, deleted local files remain in the remote backup.
  • Maximum file size: 0-10,240,000 MB (0=unlimited). For Hybrid Share, the range is 1-65,536 MB.
  • Refer to backup task rules for additional limitations.

Manage Backup Tasks

Double-click the Synology Drive Client icon in the system tray and go to the Backup Task page.

  • Automatically start backup: Place files into the designated backup folder on your computer. While the backup runs, uploaded files will appear in Logs tab.
  • Pause or resume backup: Click Pause or Resume to temporarily stop or restart the backup.
  • Modify backup folder: Click … > Settings > Backup Source and select or unselect folders.
  • Change backup rules: Click … > Settings > Backup Source > Backup Rules.
  • Change backup mode: Click … > Settings > Backup Mode.
  • Edit the backup task connection: Click … > Settings > Connection.
  • Enable SSL data transmission encryption: Click … > Settings > Connection and select Enable SSL data transmission encryption.
  • Delete a backup task: Click … > Delete task.

Note:

  • Up to three files are uploaded to the destination concurrently.
  • Deleting a backup task will not remove previously backed-up data on the server. However, the files must be reprocessed when you reconfigure the backup task.

Manage Backed Up Files and Historical Versions

Synology Drive saves historical versions of each modified file according to the settings in Synology Drive Admin Console. Every time you modify a file, a backup version is created, just in case you want to revert to an older version.

Double-click the Synology Drive Client icon in the system tray, go to the Backup Task page, and click Restore.

  • View the history of files by selecting a specific date and time from the Time drop-down menu.
    • Browse and select files: Click Browse Previous Versions to view all historical versions of the file at once.
    • Restore a file: Select a file you want to restore, then click Restore. The file will be restored to its directory on the computer.
    • Download a file: Select a file you want to download, and then click Download.
  • Download or restore a deleted file or folder: Select Show deleted files to display all deleted files in the file chooser below. You can then select items to download or restore.
  • Check the download or restore progress: Click the background task icon at the upper-right corner to display task progress.

Note:

  • After closing the Restore window, the task list will be cleared.

To access your backed up files on your Synology storage system, do any of the following:

  1. Sign in to Synology Drive web portal with your credentials and click Computer Backup in the left panel.
  2. Files backed up from your computers will be saved here.

Note:

  • Any changes made to the backup destination from server side will not be updated to the local computer backup source.

Manage Application Settings

Double-click the Synology Drive Client icon in the system tray.

  • View logs: Go to the Logs page and filter events using the All events drop-down menu.
  • View notifications: Go to the Notifications page to view notifications of sync and backup events.

Manage Global Settings

Double-click the Synology Drive Client icon in the system tray and go to the Global Settings page to modify general application, notification, display, and proxy settings.

General Tab

  • Set Synology Drive application to launch on login.
  • Select a default action after restart or connection resume.
  • Configure file conflict rules:
    • Keep the latest modified version: When a conflict occurs, the file with the latest modified time is kept. If it's the local file, the server version becomes a historical version. If it's the server file, the local file is discarded. However, you can select Rename to keep the discarded version.
    • Keep the version on the server: Always keeps the server file. However, you can still select Rename to keep the discarded version.
    • Rename to keep the discarded version: Optional. Enable this option to keep discarded files.
  • Select a default folder for Synology Drive when you click Synology Drive Client in the system tray.
  • Select the default language.

Note:

  • If more than one computer makes changes to the same file, conflicts may occur. To fix this issue, set a conflict solution rule or lock the file before making changes.
  • Conflicting files to be kept will be renamed "[file name]_[computer name]_[modified date]_Conflict.[file extension]" (for example, "a.txt" might be renamed as "a_ComputerName_20181001_Conflict.txt").

Notifications Tab

You can enable or disable desktop notifications for file events.

Display Tab

  • Choose whether to show tutorial tips on launch.
  • Enable minimalist tray icon.
  • Show or hide context menus or icon overlay in the synced local folder (excludes On-demand Sync tasks).

Proxy Tab

  • Select Auto-detect to use proxy settings provided by the operating system.
  • Select Maual to manually specify server IP and port. Enable proxy authentication if needed.

Note:

  • If proxy is enabled, Synology Drive Client will always connect to Synology storage system through proxy.
  • Only HTTP tunnel is supported. SOCKS 4/5 and other types of proxies are not supported.

Note:

  • If SSL verification fails, it may be due to an untrusted self-signed certificate or potential security risk. Go to Control Panel > Security > Certificate for details.

Usage Tab

  • View your personal storage usage in team folders or My Drive.
  • Total capacity is only shown if the quota limit has been set for the user.
  • The usage calculation is not available for ext4 file system.

Remove Synology Drive Client on macOS

  1. Go to Finder > Application and right-click the Synology Drive Client application, then select Package Contents.
  2. Go to Contents > SharedSupport.
  3. Copy and paste Remove Synology Drive Client onto your desktop.
  4. Double-click Remove Synology Drive Client to uninstall the Synology Drive Client.

Sync Task Rules and Backup Task Rules

Rules shared by Sync Tasks and Backup Task (Unless otherwise specified)
Sync or Backup Tasks are not supported if the file and drive types are:
  • macOS alias
  • Windows/macOS mounted drives
  • Windows shortcuts
  • Windows symbolic links
  • Hidden files or folders
  • Windows folders with these attributes:
    • OFFLINE
    • REPARSE_POINT
    • SYSTEM
    • TEMPORARY
  • The file type is any of the following: tmp, temp, swp, lnk
  • The file name starts with a tilde (~)
  • The file name is or contains any of the following:
    • @eadir
    • .SynologyWorkingDirectory
    • #recycle
    • desktop.ini
    • .DS_STORE
    • Icon\r
    • thumbs.db
    • $Recycle.Bin
    • @sharebin
    • System Volume Information
    • Program Files
    • Program Files (x86)
    • ProgramData
    • #snapshot
    • @tmp (Backup Task only)
    • tmp (Backup Task only)
    • temp (Backup Task only)
On Windows, Sync or Backup Tasks are not supported if:
  • The path of the folder/file contains the following characters: * : ? \ / " < > |
  • The name or path of the folder/file is longer than 247 characters
  • File type is a shortcut or symbolic link
  • Files or folders with these attributes:
    • OFFLINE
    • REPARSE_POINT
    • SYSTEM
    • TEMPORARY
On macOS, Sync or Backup Tasks are not supported if:
  • The path of the folder/file contains the following characters: \ /
  • The path of the folder/file is longer than 768 characters
  • The file name is longer than 255 characters
  • The file type is any of the following:
    • Icon
    • Socket
    • Device node
    • FIFO
On Linux, Sync or Backup Tasks are not supported if:
  • The path of the folder/file contains the following characters: \ /
  • The path of the folder/file is longer than 2,048 characters
  • The file name is longer than 255 characters
  • The file type is any of the following:
    • Socket
    • Device node
    • FIFO
Other rules that restrict Sync or Backup Tasks:
  • If local folder contains a mount point, files inside the mount point might not be synced or backed up because Synology Drive cannot detect file changes inside a mount point.
  • Network drives and removable devices (such as USB drives or SD cards) are not supported on Synology Drive.
  • Sync Tasks only:
    • When setting file names you don't want to sync, please note that on Windows a capitalized and lower case file names are considered to be the same file (e.g., A.txt and a.txt), but on Linux and macOS systems they can be used as different file names.
    • .pst files are not supported because they are not guaranteed to be portable.
    • If local folder contains a mount point, files inside the mount point might not be synced because Synology Drive cannot detect file changes inside a mount point.
    • For Linux: Changes made to a file with multiple hard links may not be immediately synced to the other links. Additionally, Synology Drive may experience a delay in detecting newly created linked files, leading to a delay in uploading the hard links.
Before You Start
Getting Started
Launch the Setup Wizard
Create Sync Tasks
Set Up a Sync Task
Add a New Sync Task
Manage Sync Tasks
Edit Sync Rules
Sync and Manage Files
File Status Icons
Locking and Unlocking Files
Create Backup Tasks
Create a Backup Task:
Manage Backup Tasks
Manage Backed Up Files and Historical Versions
Manage Application Settings
Manage Global Settings
General Tab
Notifications Tab
Display Tab
Proxy Tab
Usage Tab
Remove Synology Drive Client on macOS
Sync Task Rules and Backup Task Rules