Backing up a Windows PC to a Synology NAS takes about 20 minutes to set up and protects your files, system state, or entire drive image, depending on which backup method you choose. Synology, one of the leading NAS brands, ships DSM (Synology's operating system) with three backup tools relevant to Windows users: Active Backup for Business, Hyper Backup, and the shared folder approach using Windows Backup. Each solves a different problem. This guide tells you which to use, then walks through the setup step by step.
In short: Use Active Backup for Business for full PC images, bare-metal restore capability, and centralised management of multiple computers. Use Hyper Backup for backing up specific folders or NAS-to-NAS jobs. Use Windows Backup or File History if you want a simple folder backup without installing software on the NAS. Most home users should start with Active Backup for Business - it is free, included in DSM, and handles both file recovery and full PC restore.
Before You Start: What You Need
You need a Synology NAS running DSM 7.0 or later, connected to the same local network as your Windows PC. The NAS needs a shared folder set up to receive backup data, and a user account with write access to that folder. If you plan to use Active Backup for Business, the NAS also needs sufficient storage - a full PC image backup is typically 50-200GB depending on what is installed.
Check your network connection. If your NAS is connected via Wi-Fi, large initial backups can take many hours. A wired Ethernet connection between the NAS and your router - and ideally between your PC and the router - significantly speeds up both the initial backup and subsequent incremental backups. Many Synology and QNAP models now include 2.5GbE ports, which offer faster transfers than standard Gigabit Ethernet.
Local backup is not the same as off-site backup. A NAS in your home backs up your PC, but if your house burns down or is burgled, both are lost together. A complete backup strategy follows the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy off-site or in the cloud. Your NAS handles the local copy. Pair it with Synology's Hyper Backup to a cloud service like Backblaze B2 or Synology C2 for the off-site copy.
Step 1: Create a Shared Folder on the NAS
A shared folder is a folder on the NAS that network devices can access over SMB (the network file-sharing protocol Windows uses). Every backup method in this guide writes to a shared folder, so setting one up correctly first saves troubleshooting later.
Log in to DSM in your browser using the NAS's IP address (typically 192.168.x.x or find it in Synology Assistant). Open Control Panel, then Shared Folder, then Create. Name the folder something descriptive like PC-Backups. Leave data encryption off for home use - encryption adds overhead and the data is protected by your network and NAS login credentials. Tick Enable Recycle Bin to allow file recovery within the folder if you accidentally delete something from within a backup set.
Step 2: Create a Dedicated Backup User
Create a user specifically for backup jobs rather than using your main DSM admin account. Go to Control Panel, then User and Group, then Create. Name it something like backup-agent and set a strong password. On the Permissions step, give this user Read/Write access to the shared folder you created in Step 1. Leave all other permissions off.
Using a dedicated user limits the blast radius if backup credentials are ever compromised. A backup account that can only write to the PC-Backups folder cannot access your personal files, delete other folders, or make DSM configuration changes. This is a basic security practice that takes 2 minutes to implement.
Method 1: Active Backup for Business (Recommended for Most Users)
Active Backup for Business (ABB) is Synology's free backup agent for Windows PCs and servers. It installs a lightweight agent on your Windows machine, which the NAS then manages centrally. ABB supports full PC image backups, incremental backups (only changed blocks since the last backup), and bare-metal restore - meaning you can restore an entire PC to a new drive if the original fails. For home users and small businesses, this is the most capable free backup tool available for Synology.
Start on the NAS. Open Package Center in DSM and install Active Backup for Business if it is not already installed. Once installed, open it from the application menu. The first run wizard will prompt you to create a storage folder - point it to your PC-Backups shared folder.
On your Windows PC, download the Active Backup for Business Agent from Synology's download centre. Run the installer. When prompted, enter your NAS's IP address, the backup account username and password you created in Step 2, and confirm the connection. The agent will appear in the ABB portal on your NAS as a registered device.
Back in the ABB portal on the NAS, select your Windows PC and create a backup task. Configure the following: Backup source - choose Entire PC for a full image backup, or Custom to select specific drives or folders. Destination - your shared folder. Schedule - set the frequency (daily at a specific time works well for most people). Retention policy - how many backup versions to keep before old ones are deleted.
First backup tip: The initial backup copies everything and can take several hours for a PC with 200GB+ of data. Schedule it overnight. Once the first backup completes, subsequent incremental backups only transfer changed blocks and finish in minutes for typical daily use.
Method 2: Windows Backup to a Network Location
If you prefer not to install software on the NAS, Windows has two built-in backup tools that can write directly to a network share: File History and Windows Backup (available in Windows 11). Both work by mounting your NAS shared folder as a network drive and writing backups to it.
To use either, first map the NAS shared folder as a network drive. Open File Explorer, click This PC, then Map network drive. Choose a drive letter (e.g. Z:) and enter the path to your shared folder in UNC format: \\NAS-IP\PC-Backups where NAS-IP is your NAS's IP address. Check Connect using different credentials and enter your backup account username and password. Tick Reconnect at sign-in so the mapping survives reboots.
For File History: go to Settings, then System, then Storage, then Advanced storage settings, then Backup options. Select your mapped network drive as the backup destination. File History backs up your Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, and Desktop folders on a schedule. It does not create a full system image.
For a full system image backup using Windows tools: open Control Panel (not Settings), then Backup and Restore (Windows 7) - despite the name, this works on Windows 10 and 11. Select Create a system image and point it to your mapped network drive. This creates a complete image that can restore your entire system to a new drive.
Method 3: Hyper Backup (For Folder-Level Backup Jobs)
Hyper Backup is Synology's tool for backing up NAS data - not PC data directly. However, if you use your NAS as a file server where PCs already store their documents (using the NAS as a network drive), then Hyper Backup becomes relevant: it backs up those NAS-hosted files to another destination such as a second NAS, an external drive, or a cloud service.
If your workflow is: PC documents stored on NAS shared folder, and you want a second copy of those NAS files elsewhere - that is Hyper Backup's job. Install it from Package Center, create a backup task pointing to your shared folders, and configure a destination. Hyper Backup supports incremental backups, versioning, and encryption. This is the correct tool for NAS-to-cloud or NAS-to-NAS backup of files already living on the NAS.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Cannot connect to NAS from Windows: Check that SMB (file sharing) is enabled in DSM. Go to Control Panel, then File Services, then SMB, and ensure SMB service is enabled. Also confirm both the PC and NAS are on the same subnet (same 192.168.x.x range). Windows Firewall can sometimes block SMB traffic - temporarily disabling it to test confirms whether it is the cause.
Active Backup agent cannot register with NAS: Confirm your NAS has HTTPS enabled in DSM and that port 443 is accessible from your PC. The ABB agent communicates with the NAS over HTTPS. If you have changed the default DSM port, update the agent registration with the correct port.
Backup runs slowly: Check whether the NAS and PC are connected over Gigabit Ethernet rather than Wi-Fi. A Wi-Fi connection at typical 50-100 Mbps takes 5-10x longer than a Gigabit Ethernet connection for the same backup size. For initial backups of hundreds of gigabytes, a wired connection is worth the temporary inconvenience.
Shared folder permission errors: Verify the backup user has Read/Write permission on the shared folder in DSM's Control Panel, and that no folder-level permissions deny access. DSM has both shared folder permissions and individual folder permissions within a share - check both.
Related reading: our Synology brand guide and our 3-2-1 backup guide.
Use our free Backup Storage Calculator to size your backup storage correctly.
Does Active Backup for Business cost anything?
Active Backup for Business is free and included with DSM on all Synology NAS models. There is no per-seat licence, no subscription, and no limit on the number of devices you can back up. This makes it unusually competitive compared to third-party backup software. The only requirement is a Synology NAS running DSM 7.0 or later.
How much NAS storage do I need for PC backups?
As a starting point, plan for 1.5-2x the used storage on each PC you are backing up, multiplied by the number of backup versions you want to keep. A PC with 150GB of data, keeping 7 daily versions, needs roughly 150-300GB of NAS storage for that backup set (incremental backups after the first are much smaller). A 4TB NAS drive comfortably handles backup for 2-3 PCs with daily versioning for several weeks.
Can I restore individual files or do I have to restore the whole backup?
Both options are available with Active Backup for Business. The ABB agent on Windows allows you to browse backup versions and restore individual files, folders, or the entire PC image. For single-file recovery, right-click a file in the ABB restore portal and choose restore. For full system recovery from a failed drive, ABB includes a bootable recovery environment you can run from a USB drive.
Does the NAS need to be on for backups to run?
Yes. The NAS must be powered on and connected to the network at the scheduled backup time. Most NAS devices support Wake-on-LAN so they can be scheduled to power on before backups and shut down afterward, reducing power consumption. Synology's built-in power scheduler handles this - configure it in Control Panel under Hardware and Power, then Power Schedule.
Will my NAS backup survive a ransomware attack?
It depends on your configuration. If ransomware encrypts your PC and your NAS is mounted as a network drive, the ransomware can often reach the NAS and encrypt your backup as well. Active Backup for Business is more resilient because backups are written to an ABB-managed repository that Windows applications cannot directly access or modify. Enabling immutable snapshots on the ABB repository adds another layer of protection - even if ransomware reaches the NAS, it cannot delete the snapshot history.
Can I use this with a Windows Server instead of a desktop PC?
Yes. Active Backup for Business supports Windows Server as well as Windows 10 and 11 desktops and laptops. The setup process is identical. For Windows Server environments, ABB also supports application-consistent backups for Microsoft SQL Server, Exchange, and SharePoint through VSS integration - ensuring backups of active databases are captured in a consistent state that can be restored cleanly.
Australian Buyers: What You Need to Know
Synology NAS devices are well stocked in Australia through BlueChip IT and Multimedia Technology, with Mwave, Scorptec, PLE, and Umart as common retail channels. Consumer models including the DS223, DS423+, and DS923+ are generally available from stock. Australian Consumer Law applies to Synology purchases from Australian retailers, covering you for warranty and repair obligations beyond the manufacturer's standard warranty period.
Synology does not have a phone support number in Australia. Support is handled through online tickets and, when required, remote support sessions. For technical setup questions, Synology's documentation is thorough and the Synology community forums are active. Most common backup configuration issues are documented in Synology's Knowledge Centre at kb.synology.com.
Not sure which Synology NAS to buy for your backup setup? The buying guide covers the current range with AU pricing from Mwave, Scorptec, and PLE.
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