How do I change an ext4 volume to a Btrfs volume?

Purpose

Since it is not possible to change the file system of a volume once it has been created, we recommend the following alternative method: backing up the data from an ext4 volume before transferring them to the newly created Btrfs volume (and vice versa).

Notes:

The Btrfs file system is available on specific Synology NAS models only. For more information, refer to this article.

Resolution

Back up the data on the ext4 volume

Using Hyper Backup is highly recommended to back up data in File Station and Package Center.¹

Data in Shared Folder stored in the ext4 volume.
Settings and packages in Package Center stored in the ext4 volume.

Remove the ext4 volume

Launch Storage Manager. Do the following according to your DSM version:
- DSM 7 and above:
  1. Go to the Storage page.
  2. Click the upper right icon of the ext4 volume you want to remove. Select Remove.
  3. Read and follow the instructions on the pop-up window. Click Remove.²
- DSM 6.2 and earlier:
  1. Go to the Volume page.
  2. Select the ext4 volume you want to remove. Click Remove.
  3. Read and follow the instructions on the pop-up window. Click Remove.²
Enter the password of your DSM account and click Submit to confirm the removal of the volume.

Create a Btrfs volume

Launch Storage Manager. Do the following according to your DSM version:
- DSM 7 and above:
  Go to the Storage page and click Create > Create Volume.³ For more information, refer to this article.
- DSM 6.2 and earlier:
  Go to the Volume page and click Create.³ For more information, refer to this article.
Follow the wizard to finish.

If your Synology NAS does not have sufficient storage capacity for creating a volume, you can back up the data to an external device (e.g., USB device, PC, or a remote Synology NAS), or expand the storage capacity by adding extra drives (DSM 7/DSM 6.2) or replacing the existing drives (DSM 7/DSM 6.2).

Restore data to the Btrfs volume

Restore the data to this newly created volume using Hyper Backup.
Refer to this article for step-by-step instructions on how to restore data via Hyper Backup.

Notes:

To know more about the limitations of using Hyper Backup for data backup, refer to this article and for detailed instructions on backing up your data, proceed to this article.
All data on the volume will be deleted once a volume is removed and all services will stop temporarily during the volume removal process.
Before a volume can be created, you must create at least one storage pool. For detailed steps, refer to the respective help article for DSM 7 and DSM 6.2.

Further reading

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