Using a Shared Folder to Connect Your Mac to a Synology Drive

While Windows-based machines often have a lot of options when it comes to hardware and software, users of Mac computers and Apple operating systems aren't so lucky. Thankfully, there isn't much need for anything else when using a Synology Drive.

What is the Synology Drive?

To put it simply, the Synology Drive is a network-attached storage (NAS) device that is compatibility with many different operating systems – including all of the latest desktop platforms for Mac computers. It effectively lets you create your very own, localized cloud server; and it's relatively easy to setup.

Using Shared Folders with Your Synology Drive

One of the most straightforward and efficient methods of connecting your Mac to your new Synology Drive is by using a shared folder on your desktop system. This gives you the convenience of storing files directly to your NAS without having to enter in your login credentials each and every time. In other words, it provides a streamlined experience that gives the appearance of a single, centralized drive – even if you are technically using an external NAS.

To begin, open Finder on your Mac system. Select "Go" from the menu bar on the top of the screen and then click "Connect to Server." Next, you'll be asked to enter the IP address for your Synology NAS along with the "afp://" prefix.

After connecting to your NAS, you'll be prompted for your DiskStation Manager username and password. Often referred to simply as DSM, this is a free utility that is included with every Synology NAS. If you haven't yet configured your username and password, you will need to do so via their official website.

Now that you've setup your DSM credentials and successfully used them to login to your Synology NAS, you can find your device in the "Shared" list of the Mac Finder window. From here, simply double-click on the shared folder to access or modify its contents.

Using the Synology NAS with Third-Party Software

In most cases, your Synology NAS device should be fully compatibility with any third-party software you can find for your Mac system. This includes many modern data backup and recovery solutions, which will generally give you the option to use your Synology NAS as a target drive for backing up or recovering your important files.

There are a number of benefits in using your Synology NAS to backup or restore data. For best results, however, it's recommended that you store copies of your most important files in several different locations. This is especially true if you are using your Synology NAS device on a daily basis or as your primary working drive. If it happens to fail for some reason, you'll still have copies of your most important files located elsewhere.

Regardless of exactly how you use it, the Synology NAS is a great way to increase the amount of overall storage capacity on your Mac system; and it's much easier to install than a brand new hard drive.

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