Knowledge Center

Create a Shared Folder

Shared folders are the basic directories where you can store and manage files and folders on your Synology NAS.

  1. Go to Control Panel > Shared Folder and click Create > Create Shared Folder.
  2. Specify a name and description.1
  3. In the Location field, select a storage on which to create the shared folder. 2
  4. Modify the following options:
    • Hide this shared folder in "My Network Places": The shared folder becomes invisible under "Network" in Windows File Explorer but remains accessible through \\server name\shared folder name for authorized users.
    • Hide sub-folders and files from users without permissions: Users without List Folders/Read data permission can only view the shared folder itself, not its sub-folders or files.3
    • Enable Recycle Bin: Deleted files in the shared folder are moved to a folder named #recycle.4
  5. Add a security measure:
    • Protect this shared folder by encrypting it: Enhances data protection with encryption.5
      1. The encryption key cannot include equal signs (=), commas (,), or colons (:).
      2. If you have initialized the key store, the Add encryption key to Key Manager option is available to mount the encrypted folder automatically when the system starts.
    • Protect this shared folder with WriteOnce: You can activate WriteOnce to restrict changes for a set duration, which can’t be modified once set.6
      • Mode: Choose between Enterprise mode and Compliance mode.
      • Enable Auto Lock: Automatically locks a file to a selected state after the Auto Lock Timer runs out. If this option is not enabled, you can manually lock your files by going to File Station, open the WriteOnce shared folder, right-click on the desired file, select WriteOnce > Lock.
        • Auto Lock Timer: When a file is added to the folder, a countdown starts. The file locks when the countdown ends. If you modify the file before the countdown ends, the timer is reset.
        • Retention: Select how long the files will be locked.
        • Lock state: Files in "Immutable" and "Append-only" states cannot be modified or deleted, but "Append-only" state allows continuous data additions.
  6. Configure the following options:
    • Enable data checksum for advanced data integrity: Select to use CRC32 checksum and copy-on-write to protect shared folders and ensure data integrity, which can’t be modified once set.7
    • Enable file compression: Data in the created shared folder will be automatically compressed by the Btrfs file system to save storage space. When retrieved for use, the data will be automatically decompressed.8
    • Enable shared folder quota: Select to specify the maximum capacity for each shared folder. You can enter the maximum capacity.9

Default Shared Folders

Below is a list of shared folders that are created automatically when certain applications, services, or packages are installed or enabled.

Name Description
ActiveBackupforBusiness It stores backup data and will contain database and configuration files when a backup task is created.
chat It contains attachments in the packages.
docker It is the default mount path for container.
homes It contains the homes folders of all users. Only the system administrator can access and manage all users' home folders.
MailPlus It contains the domain data, spam reports, quarantine settings, etc.
music It stores music you want to listen to with Audio Station.
NetBackup It is created automatically when rsync is enabled.
photo It will be created when Media Server is installed or when you enable Shared Space in Synology Photos.
satashare It is created automatically when you connect an eSATA external drive device to the eSATA port of the Synology NAS. Available on certain models only.
surveillance It is a read-only folder for storing Surveillance Station recordings and can only be accessed by the system administrator.
usbshare It is created automatically when you connect an USB external drive device to the USB port of the Synology NAS. Available on certain models only.
video It stores video files you want to browse through DLNA/UPnP devices.
web It is the default storage location for the contents of a website hosted on the Synology NAS.
web_packages It contains files of installed third-party packages.

Note:

  1. Shared folder naming rules:
    • Shared folder names are case-insensitive and can include 1-32 characters. Names cannot include the following characters: ! " # % & ' ( ) * + , / : ; < = > ? @ [ ] \ ^ ` { } | ~
    • The first character cannot be a minus sign or a space character, and the last character cannot be a space.
    • A dollar sign ($) can only be added at the end of the shared folder name to hide it from SMB connections.
    • You cannot use default shared folder names or names reserved by the system (., .., global, lost+found, home, printers, usbbackup).
    • The shared folder description is case-sensitive and should be less than 64 displayable Unicode characters.
  2. Restrictions for shared folders created in Peta Volume:
    • Shared folders created in Peta Volumes do not support shared folder encryption or file compression.
    • Shared folder located in Peta Volume cannot be moved to non-Peta Volume and vice versa.
  3. You can modify privilege settings of each folder and file by going to File Station.
  4. Recycle Bin is not available for WriteOnce shared folders.
  5. Encrypting shared folders:
    • The encryption key will be downloaded automatically. It's essential for mounting shared folders and cannot be recovered if lost.
    • AES 256-bit encryption protects data by blocking unauthorized access. Encrypted shared folders cannot be accessed without the key, even if drives are removed.
    • The name of a file or a folder in an encrypted shared folder can't exceed 143 English or 47 Asian (CJK) characters. On macOS, it can’t exceed 130 English or 43 Asian (CJK) characters.
    • Pressing the reset button on the Synology NAS to restore passwords to default will unmount encrypted shared folders and deactivate automatic mounting.
    • Learn more about encrypting/decrypting shared folders.
  6. WriteOnce:
    • This option is available for only the volumes using the Btrfs file system.
    • Refer to the Synology NAS models that support WriteOnce.
    • The actual retention period may be longer than the value you specified. For more information, refer to this article.
    • To avoid unforeseen issues, it's essential not to migrate WriteOnce data to devices lacking WriteOnce support. Refer to Synology WriteOnce (WORM) White Paper for details in different scenarios.
  7. Data checksum:
    • This option will always be enabled for a WriteOnce shared folder with Compliance mode and is available exclusively for volumes using the Btrfs file system.
    • Enabling this option triggers a full-scale data scrubbing.
  8. File compression:
    • This option is available only when you create a shared folder in a Btrfs volume or when Advanced data integrity protection is enabled.
    • This option cannot be enabled if shared folder encryption is enabled.
    • This option reduces the performance of the shared folder.
    • The compression rate differs with data types: Text files enjoy the highest compression rate, while multimedia files may not be well compressed.
  9. Shared folder quota:
    • Only when the storage is using Btrfs file system will the option of Enable shared folder quota be available for shared folders.
    • The combined storage usage of all users' home directories cannot exceed the quota of "homes".
  10. Certain features and options of a shared folder are supported only by VDSM and models with the following package architectures: Apollolake, Avoton, Braswell, Broadwell, Bromolow, Cedarview, and Grantley. (Check the package architecture of your model)