Shared Folder

At Control Panel > Storage, you can set up shared folders, the basic directories where you can store files and folders on your Synology Router. Before storing any files on your Synology Router, you need to create at least one shared folder. Data stored in shared folders can be kept private or shared with specific users or user groups according to customizable access permissions. In addition, shared folders can be encrypted during creation, adding a layer of protection.

Contents

• Manage shared folders and folder-specific access privileges
  • To create a shared folder
  • To manage folder-specific access privileges for users
  • To delete a shared folder

Manage shared folders and folder-specific access privileges

Shared folders are the basic directories where you can store and manage files and folders on the external storage devices (e.g., USBs) attached to your Synology Router. Before storing any files, you need to create at least one shared folder in the external device via SRM.

To create a shared folder:

1. Go to Control Panel > Storage > Shared Folder, and click the + button.
2. Specify the following information:
   • Name: Specify the name of the newly created shared folder.

     Note:

     • Shared folder names are case insensitive, can include 1-32 characters, and cannot include the following characters: ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , / : ; < = > ? @ [ ] \ ^ ` { } | ~
     • The following names are reserved for system use: ., .., global, home, homes, printers, satashare, usbbackup, usbshare, surveillance.
     • A shared folder name can neither begin with a minus sign or a space, nor end with a space character.
   • Location: Specify in which volume the shared folder will be hosted.
   • Recycle Bin: Tick the Enable Recycle Bin checkbox, and a #recycle folder will be created to accommodate the deleted files. To permanently clear all deleted files in the recycle bin, click Empty Recycle Bin.
   • Encrypt this shared folder: Tick this checkbox to encrypt the shared folder.
     1. Enter the encryption key in the Encryption key and Confirm key fields. The encryption key cannot include commas (,) or equal signs (=).
     2. You can optionally tick the Mount automatically on startup checkbox to mount the encrypted folder automatically when the system starts. If you leave this checkbox unticked, the encrypted shared folder will be unmounted next time when Synology Router restarts. To view or access an unmounted shared folder, you will need to mount the folder manually by entering the encryption key.

     Note:

     AES 256-bit encryption protects data by blocking off all unauthorized access attempts. Those without the encryption key will fail to access or modify the encrypted data even if they remove the hard drives from your Synology Router and mount them on another device. Please be aware of the following points for better management of your encrypted shared folders:

     • Do not lose your encryption key to the encrypted shared folder.
     • Shared folders can only be encrypted at the time of creation.
     • The names of files and folders within encrypted shared folders cannot exceed 143 English characters or 43 Asian characters.
     • If passwords are restored to default using the reset button located on the Synology Router, encrypted shared folders will be unmounted, and the option to automatically mount encrypted shared folders will be disabled.
3. Click OK to save the settings.

To manage folder-specific access privileges for users:

In Control Panel > Storage > Shared Folder, you can customize which users are allowed legitimate access to a specific shared folder when or after you create one.

1. Click the desired shared folder in the folder list.
2. In the User Permissions section at the right, tick one of the following types of access privileges for each user:
   • No access: The selected user cannot access the shared folder.
   • Read/Write: The selected user can view and modify the content of this shared folder.
   • Read only: The selected user can only browse the shared folder content.
3. Click Apply to save the settings.

To delete a shared folder:

1. Go to Control Panel > Storage > Shared Folder.
2. Click the unwanted shared folder in the folder list.
3. Click the recycle bin icon.
4. You will see a confirmation message. Tick the reminder and click Delete to confirm the deletion.