How do I migrate data between Synology NAS (DSM 6.0 and later)?

Purpose

The migration process moves your system and data from an old Synology NAS to a new one. Depending on your Synology product or individual setup, Synology provides three methods to perform migration:¹

This article explains the differences between the three methods and their respective limitations to help you choose the most suitable method. In this article, the following terms will be used:

Source Synology NAS device: The original Synology NAS from which data is moved.
Destination Synology NAS device: The Synology NAS to which data is moved.

Notes:

Migrating between Synology NAS and IP SAN is not supported.
If you simply want to copy data to another Synology NAS, try using Shared Folder Sync, SMB, or FTP instead.

Environment

This article is for DSM 6.0 or above. If you are using an older version of DSM, refer to this article instead.
Performing migration requires Web Assistant (or the latest Synology Assistant version).
We recommend migrating to a Synology NAS with better hardware specifications to ensure that all packages and services will work properly after migration. Refer to the product datasheet of your destination NAS for DSM specifications.
- Migrating drives from newer models to older models or discontinued models is not recommended. If such migration is executed, there is a high possibility that all DSM configurations and package settings may be lost in the process. User data in the volumes will remain intact. However, shared folder quota might be disabled permanently.
- Not all Synology NAS models support the same features. You will not be able to use the following services if they're not supported by the destination NAS:
The migration methods mentioned in this article allow you to keep most of your data. However, we strongly recommend backing up the following data before starting:

Item	Backup Method
Shared folders and selected packages	Download Hyper Backup from Package Center. Launch Hyper Backup and click the Create icon > Data backup task. Follow the wizard instructions to perform backup.
System configurations	Go to Control Panel > Update & Restore > Configuration Backup and click Back up Now to back up the following configurations: User and Group Workgroup, Domain, and LDAP File sharing services (i.e., SMB, AFP, NFS, and FTP) Network Backup Others (i.e., Shared Folder, User Home, Password Settings, Password Expiration, SNMP, and Task Scheduler)
License keys	Licensed packages may have different migration policies.
Photo Station Blog posts (Applicable only to DSM 6.2 and earlier)	Launch Photo Station > Settings > Blog > Backup, click Start.

Contents

Choosing the right migration method for you
Migration method comparison tables
HDD migration limitations

Resolution

Choosing the right migration method for you

Deciding on the right migration method is crucial. Follow the below decision tree to determine which migration method is most suitable. Then, continue on to Migration method comparison tables to make sure it is the best choice for you.

Decision tree of how to choose the right migration method

Migration method comparison tables

The tables below compare these three methods. Additional details are provided in the individual articles. Please make sure you fully understand the limitations of each migration method before you begin.

General Specifications

	Migration Assistant	HDD migration	Hyper Backup
Description	Migrating by cloning the system configurations, packages, and data from the source NAS to the destination NAS	Manually take out the drives from the source NAS and insert them into the destination NAS	Migrating by backing up data via Hyper Backup on the source NAS and restoring them using Hyper Backup on the destination NAS
Usage scenario	If you wish to use new drives as well as a destination NAS	If the source NAS is broken² If you wish to continue using the same drives When you wish to migrate the drives despite the model limitations	If you wish to use a new file system on the destination NAS If the other two methods are not suitable
Advantages	Services are still available during migration Very short downtime	Simple Short downtime Saves money by using old drives Comprehensive system and data migration	Safer Optional data and settings migration Allows for changing file system
Disadvantages	Model limitations. If the models of your source and destination NAS are not supported, use Hyper Backup instead DSM version limitations Requires larger storage pool on the destination NAS¹	Limitations HDD/SSD compatibility limitations Storage pool and volume settings cannot be changed	Some package settings cannot be migrated Long migration time Takes longer and requires twice the size of the backup data

System-Related Specifications

	Migration Assistant	HDD migration	Hyper Backup
DSM version	The DSM version on the destination NAS must be the same as or newer than the version on the source NAS. After migration, the DSM version on the destination NAS will remain unchanged	After migration, the destination NAS will retain the newer DSM version between the two NAS. Make sure the destination NAS supports said DSM version before migrating³ ⁴	The DSM version on the destination NAS must be the same as or newer than the version on the source NAS (e.g., migrating from a DS920+ running DSM 7.0 to a DS920+ running DSM 6.2 is not allowed)
File system	Cannot be changed	The destination NAS must support the required file system. If not, the volumes cannot be mounted and data stored on the volumes cannot be accessed	Can be changed
Storage type	Storage Pool and RAID type can be configured based on the available drives on the destination NAS, but the file system of the volumes cannot be changed	The settings of the storage pool and volume will remain the same	Storage pool and volume can be reconfigured
Items migrated	Data (volumes and block-level LUNs), all packages, and most system configurations	Data, all packages, and most system configurations	Selected data, selected packages, and system configurations supported by Configuration Backup

HDD migration limitations

Model limitations

You cannot migrate drives from a single-bay model to multiple-bay models and vice versa.
You cannot migrate drives from RC18015xs+ or HD-series models to any models other than itself.
If the package architecture of your source NAS is 88f628x, Alpine, Alpine4k, Evansport, Monaco, Ppc853x, or Qoriq, you can only migrate drives to models with the same package architecture as your source NAS. Otherwise, using HDD migration might result in all DSM configurations and package settings being lost after migration. Only user data in the volumes will remain intact.

Source/Destination model pairing

If none of the above limitations apply to your situation, check the package architecture of your source and destination NAS to learn if HDD migration is suitable for you.

If the source and destination NAS use the same package architecture, you may use HDD migration without any complications. However, migrating drives from newer models to older models or discontinued models is not recommended.
If the source and destination NAS use different package architectures, you may still use HDD migration. However, there are precautions as specified in the following table.

Migration between different package architectures

1. Package architecture group definitions

Group 1: Armada370, Armada375, Armada38x, ArmadaXP, Comcerto2k
Group 2: Armada37xx, rtd1296, rtd1619b
Group 3: Apollolake, Avoton, Braswell, Broadwell, Broadwellnk, Broadwellntbap, Bromolow, Cedarview, Denverton, Geminilake, Grantley, Purley, R1000, V1000, X86

2. Migration table

From \ To	Group 1	Group 2	Group 3
Group 1	O	O^*	▲
Group 2	X	O	Migrating from DSM 7.x to DSM 7.x: O^* Migrating from DSM 6.2 to DSM 7.x: ▲ Migrating from DSM 6.2 to DSM 6.2: ▲
Group 3	X	Migrating from DSM 7.x to DSM 7.x: O^* Migrating from DSM 6.2 to DSM 7.x: ▲ Migrating from DSM 6.2 to DSM 6.2: ▲	O⁵ ⁶

O - Using HDD migration to migrate between these package architectures is safe.
▲ - Re-configuring package settings is required after migration. Original package data and tasks are lost.
X - Using HDD migration to migrate between these package architectures is not recommended. Doing so might result in all DSM configurations and package settings being lost after migration. Only user data in the volumes will remain intact.
* - Repairing packages is required after migration. Original package data and tasks will remain intact.

HDD/SSD Compatibility

The drives used in the source NAS must be compatible with the destination NAS as well. You may check the HDD/SSD compatibility. Synology will not provide technical support if you use incompatible drives on your NAS.

SSD Cache

If you are using SSD cache on your source NAS, and any of the following applies, remove it first before migrating.² If none of the following applies, you can migrate the SSD cache directly:

The SSD read/write cache was built on DSM 7.0 or above but the DSM version on the destination NAS is DSM 6.2 or earlier.
The SSD read/write cache was built before DSM 5.2 but the destination Synology NAS runs on an Alpine CPU.
The destination NAS does not support SSD cache.
The destination NAS does not support the type of SSD that has been installed on the source NAS.⁷

Notes:

If you fit into any of the following scenarios, you may not be able to migrate even if your source and destination devices have the same drive number and capacity. Instead, use more drives or drives with higher capacity on the destination device to create a larger storage pool.
- Your source and destination devices have different RAID type and Multiple volume support settings in Storage Manager.
- The storage pool on the source device was created in DSM 7.0 or earlier, but the destination device has been clean-installed with DSM 7.1 or later.
- The storage pool on the source device was created in DSM 7.0 or earlier, but a Factory Reset has been performed via Control Panel > Update & Restore > System Reset on the destination device running DSM 7.1 or later.
If your source NAS is broken and you force migrate when you are advised to remove SSD cache first, the data in the volumes will not be accessible after migration.
For example, you cannot migrate drives from a DS1513+ running DSM 6.2 to a DS1010+ that had previously installed DSM 5.2, because DS1010+ does not support DSM 6.2.
Always update the packages and the DSM version on the source NAS to the latest available versions.
We recommend migrating to a Synology NAS with better hardware specifications to ensure that all packages and services will work properly after migration. Refer to the product datasheet of your destination NAS for DSM specifications.
If the source NAS currently uses RAID F1, please ensure RAID F1 is supported by the destination NAS.
M.2 SATA and M.2 NVMe are different types of SSDs. Refer to this article for more information.

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