How to Migrate Data to a New NAS — Step by Step Guide

Migrating data to a new NAS does not need to be stressful, but the method you choose matters enormously. Pick the wrong one and you risk data loss, broken permissions, or days of unnecessary downtime. Whether you are upgrading from an older Synology to a newer model, moving from QNAP to Synology, or consolidating multiple drives into a single NAS, this guide walks through every major migration method ranked by reliability. The safest approaches use dedicated backup-and-restore tools like Synology's Hyper Backup or QNAP's HBS 3. The riskiest involve physically moving drives between devices. The right method for your situation depends on whether you are migrating within the same brand, across brands, or working with limited network speed.

Before You Start. Pre-Migration Checklist

Rushing a NAS migration is how data gets lost. Before you touch anything, work through this checklist. It applies regardless of which migration method you choose.

1. Verify your backup is current and tested. A NAS migration is a data-risk event. Before you begin, confirm you have a complete, tested backup of everything on the old NAS. Following a 3-2-1 backup strategy means you should already have an offsite copy. If you don't, create one now. An external USB drive or cloud sync to Backblaze B2, Synology C2, or similar is the minimum. Do not rely on RAID as a backup. RAID protects against drive failure, not against migration errors, accidental deletion, or corrupted transfers.

2. Document your current configuration. Export your NAS configuration if supported (Synology: Control Panel > Update & Restore > Configuration Backup; QNAP: Control Panel > System > Backup/Restore). Write down or screenshot every shared folder name, user account, group membership, and permission setting. If you have custom firewall rules, static routes, DDNS settings, or scheduled tasks, document those too. Migration tools often transfer data but not every system setting.

3. Check drive compatibility on the new NAS. If you are planning to physically move drives, verify that your existing drives appear on the new NAS model's hardware compatibility list. For Synology, check synology.com/compatibility. For QNAP, check qnap.com/compatibility. If you are buying new drives for the new NAS, see our best NAS hard drive guide for current Australian pricing and recommendations.

4. Note all client mappings and network paths. Every computer, phone, and application that connects to your NAS uses a network path (e.g., \\NAS-NAME\SharedFolder or smb://192.168.1.100/SharedFolder). List every device and application that maps to the NAS so you can update them after migration. This includes mapped network drives on Windows, Finder connections on macOS, backup software pointing to NAS shares, and any media applications like Plex or Emby.

5. Check your network speed. Migration time depends entirely on your network throughput. If both the old and new NAS are connected to the same switch or router via 1GbE Ethernet, expect roughly 100-110 MB/s theoretical maximum (around 80-90 MB/s real-world). If you have 2.5GbE or 10GbE available, use it. The time savings are significant. See our NAS networking guide for details on upgrading your network speed. If both NAS devices are in the same room temporarily, consider a direct Ethernet cable between them (crossover not needed on modern hardware) to avoid bottlenecking through your router.

Migration Methods Ranked by Reliability

Not all migration methods are equal. The list below is ordered from safest to riskiest. Choose the method that matches your situation. Same-brand migrations have dedicated tools that make the process significantly easier and safer than cross-brand transfers.

Method 1. Hyper Backup or HBS 3 (Backup and Restore)

Best for: Synology-to-Synology or QNAP-to-QNAP migrations. This is the safest method overall.

Synology's Hyper Backup and QNAP's Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS 3) are purpose-built backup tools that create complete, versioned backups of your data, shared folder structures, and application settings. By backing up from the old NAS and restoring onto the new one, you get a clean migration with full integrity verification built in.

Step by Step. Synology Hyper Backup

On the old Synology NAS:

1. Open Hyper Backup from the DSM main menu (install it from Package Center if not already installed).

2. Click the + icon and select Data backup task.

3. Choose your backup destination. For migration, the easiest options are: a USB external drive connected to the old NAS, or a remote Synology NAS (the new one, if it is already set up on your network).

4. Select all shared folders and applications you want to migrate.

5. Configure the backup settings. Enable Transfer encryption if backing up over the network, and enable Backup integrity check.

6. Run the backup and wait for it to complete. Do not interrupt it.

On the new Synology NAS:

1. Complete the initial DSM setup on the new NAS. Install drives, create a storage pool, and install DSM. Follow our Synology setup guide if this is your first time.

2. Install Hyper Backup from Package Center.

3. Open Hyper Backup and click the restore icon (the downward arrow) in the bottom-left corner.

4. Select Data and choose the backup source (the USB drive or remote NAS where you stored the backup).

5. Select the backup task and choose which shared folders and application data to restore.

6. Confirm the restore. Hyper Backup will recreate your shared folders with their original permissions and restore all selected data.

7. After restoration completes, verify your data, check permissions on key folders, and confirm application settings transferred correctly.

Step by Step. QNAP HBS 3

On the old QNAP NAS:

1. Open HBS 3 Hybrid Backup Sync from QTS (install it from App Center if needed).

2. Go to Backup & Restore and click Create > New Backup Job.

3. Select the source folders and applications to back up.

4. Choose a destination. A USB external drive or a remote QNAP NAS (via RTRR or rsync).

5. Enable Verify file contents after job is completed in the job settings for integrity checking.

6. Run the backup job and wait for completion.

On the new QNAP NAS:

1. Complete the QTS initial setup. Install drives, create a storage pool and volumes.

2. Install HBS 3 from App Center.

3. Connect the USB backup drive to the new NAS, or configure the remote connection to the old NAS.

4. In HBS 3, go to Backup & Restore and select Restore.

5. Select the backup job and choose which data to restore.

6. Confirm and run the restore. HBS 3 will recreate folder structures and restore data with permissions intact.

Method 2. Synology Migration Assistant

Best for: Direct Synology-to-Synology migration when both NAS devices are on the same network.

Synology Migration Assistant is a dedicated tool within DSM that transfers data, settings, and applications directly from one Synology NAS to another over the network. It is specifically designed for NAS upgrades and handles the process more comprehensively than Hyper Backup. Including system configurations, user accounts, and application packages.

Step by Step. Synology Migration Assistant

1. Set up the new Synology NAS with drives and complete the initial DSM installation. Create a storage pool large enough to hold all data from the old NAS.

2. Ensure both the old and new NAS are on the same local network and powered on.

3. On the new NAS, open Migration Assistant from the main menu (DSM 7.2 and later. Install from Package Center if not visible).

4. Migration Assistant will scan for compatible source NAS devices. Select your old NAS from the list.

5. Enter the admin credentials for the old NAS when prompted.

6. Migration Assistant will analyse the source NAS and present a summary of what will be transferred: shared folders, user accounts, groups, application data, and system settings.

7. Review the migration scope, confirm, and start the migration.

8. The migration runs in the background. Both NAS devices remain operational, but avoid making changes on the old NAS during the transfer. Any changes made after the migration starts may not be captured.

9. Once complete, Migration Assistant will prompt you to verify the results. Check data, permissions, and application functionality on the new NAS.

10. When satisfied, decommission the old NAS or repurpose it as a backup target.

Method 3. QNAP External RAID Manager (Drive Migration)

Best for: Moving drives directly between compatible QNAP models without a network transfer.

QNAP's External RAID Manager allows you to move drives physically from one QNAP NAS to another compatible model. The new NAS recognises the existing RAID configuration and imports the storage pool, volumes, and data. This is the fastest migration method for QNAP users because there is no data copy. You are physically relocating the drives.

Step by Step. QNAP Drive Migration

1. Check compatibility first. Visit qnap.com and verify that the new NAS model supports importing RAID configurations from the old model. Not all combinations work. Particularly if moving between QTS and QuTS Hero, or between significantly different hardware generations.

2. Back up everything before removing drives. This is non-negotiable. If a drive fails during the physical move, you need a fallback.

3. Power down the old QNAP NAS and remove the drives, noting their order in the bays (bay 1, bay 2, etc.). Photograph the drive layout if needed.

4. Insert the drives into the new QNAP NAS in the same bay order.

5. Power on the new NAS. QTS should detect the existing RAID configuration and prompt you to import the storage pool.

6. Follow the prompts to import. The system may need to install or update QTS on the new hardware.

7. Once QTS is running, verify all shared folders, data, and permissions are intact.

8. Install any application packages that were on the old NAS. Apps generally need to be reinstalled even though their data is preserved.

Method 4. Rsync Over the Network

Best for: Cross-brand migration (e.g., QNAP to Synology), Linux-based NAS devices, or any situation where vendor-specific tools are not available.

Rsync is a universal file synchronisation tool built into virtually every NAS operating system, including Synology DSM, QNAP QTS, TrueNAS, UnRAID, and any Linux-based storage device. It copies files over the network with built-in integrity checking, supports incremental transfers (only copying changed files), and preserves file permissions, ownership, and timestamps. If you are migrating between different NAS brands, rsync is the gold standard.

Step by Step. Rsync Migration

Option A: Using the NAS GUI (easier)

Both Synology and QNAP support rsync through their backup tools:

1. On the new NAS (destination), enable the rsync service. On Synology: Control Panel > File Services > rsync. On QNAP: Control Panel > Network & File Services > rsync.

2. On the old NAS (source), create a backup job targeting the new NAS via rsync. On Synology, use Hyper Backup with "rsync" as the destination type. On QNAP, use HBS 3 with an rsync remote destination.

3. Select all shared folders to transfer.

4. Run the job. Rsync will copy all files to the new NAS with integrity checks.

5. After the initial sync completes, run the job again to catch any files that changed during the first transfer. This incremental pass is much faster.

6. Once the final sync is complete and verified, switch client connections to the new NAS.

Option B: Using rsync via SSH (more control)

If you are comfortable with the command line, SSH provides more flexibility:

1. Enable SSH on both NAS devices.

2. SSH into the old NAS (or a computer on the same network).

3. Run the rsync command:

rsync -avzP --progress /volume1/SharedFolder/ admin@NEW-NAS-IP:/volume1/SharedFolder/

The flags: -a (archive mode, preserves permissions and timestamps), -v (verbose output), -z (compress during transfer), -P (show progress and allow resume if interrupted).

4. Repeat for each shared folder, or use a script to iterate through all folders.

5. After the initial transfer, run the same command again. Rsync only copies changed files, making the second pass fast.

6. Verify data on the new NAS before decommissioning the old one.

Method 5. USB Copy

Best for: Small datasets (under 2 TB) or situations where both NAS devices cannot be on the same network simultaneously.

USB copy is the simplest migration method. Plug an external USB drive into the old NAS, copy your data to it, then plug it into the new NAS and copy the data off. Both Synology and QNAP support USB external drives natively. They mount automatically and appear as shared folders.

Step by Step. USB Copy

1. Connect a USB external drive to the old NAS. Ensure it is formatted as NTFS, exFAT, or ext4 (the NAS needs to be able to write to it). exFAT is the safest cross-platform choice.

2. On the old NAS, use File Station (Synology) or File Manager (QNAP) to copy all shared folders to the USB drive. Alternatively, use the built-in USB Copy utility for a one-touch backup.

3. Wait for the copy to complete. USB 3.0 delivers around 100-130 MB/s for sequential files, but small files will slow it significantly.

4. Safely eject the USB drive from the old NAS.

5. Connect the USB drive to the new NAS.

6. Copy the data from the USB drive to the new NAS shared folders.

7. Manually recreate shared folder permissions, user accounts, and any application settings on the new NAS.

Method 6. Synology Drive Migration (Physical Drive Move)

Best for: Synology-to-Synology upgrades between compatible hardware. But this is the riskiest method and should only be used when you have a verified backup.

Synology supports physically moving drives from one DiskStation to another compatible model. The new NAS recognises the existing Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) or standard RAID configuration and imports the storage pool and volumes. This avoids a lengthy data copy, but it carries real risk. If anything goes wrong during the process, your data is on those drives with no copy elsewhere (unless you backed up first).

Step by Step. Synology Drive Migration

1. Back up everything first. This method is risky enough that Synology's own documentation emphasises having a backup before proceeding.

2. Check the Synology compatibility list to confirm the new model supports migration from the old model. Not all combinations are supported. Particularly if moving between significantly different hardware generations or between x86 (Intel/AMD) and ARM-based models.

3. Power down the old NAS and remove all drives, noting the bay order carefully.

4. Insert the drives into the new NAS in the same bay order.

5. Power on the new NAS. DSM should detect the existing volume and guide you through the migration process.

6. DSM may need to reinstall or update itself on the new hardware. Follow the prompts.

7. Once DSM is running, verify all data, shared folders, and permissions.

8. Reinstall any packages that did not carry over. Most DSM packages need to be reinstalled, though their data should be preserved.

Cross-Brand Migration. Moving Between Different NAS Brands

If you are moving from QNAP to Synology, Synology to QNAP, or from any other NAS brand to another, your only reliable options are network-based transfers. The two practical methods are rsync (Method 4 above) and USB copy (Method 5). Of these, rsync is strongly preferred because it handles integrity checking, preserves file attributes, and supports incremental transfers.

Never attempt to physically move drives between different NAS brands. Synology uses its own Btrfs or ext4 volume structure with SHR RAID. QNAP uses ext4 (QTS) or ZFS (QuTS Hero) with its own RAID metadata. These are fundamentally incompatible. Inserting QNAP drives into a Synology NAS (or vice versa) will not work. The new NAS will not recognise the volumes and may prompt you to initialise the drives, which would destroy all data.

For a cross-brand migration, the general process is:

1. Set up the new NAS with fresh drives and complete the initial OS installation.

2. Create shared folders on the new NAS that mirror your old folder structure.

3. Use rsync to transfer data from the old NAS to the new NAS over the network.

4. Manually recreate user accounts, permissions, and application settings on the new NAS.

5. Verify all data and permissions before decommissioning the old NAS.

If you are upgrading from an older NAS brand to a current model, this is a good opportunity to rethink your folder structure and permissions. Migrating to a new brand is a clean-slate moment. Take advantage of it rather than blindly replicating a messy setup.

NBN and Network Considerations for Australian Users

If both NAS devices are on the same local network, NBN speeds are irrelevant. Your migration runs at local network speed (1GbE, 2.5GbE, or 10GbE depending on your hardware). NBN only matters if you are migrating between NAS devices at different locations, or if you plan to use cloud backup as part of your migration strategy.

On a typical NBN 100 plan, upload speed is around 20-40 Mbps (roughly 2.5-5 MB/s). That means uploading 1 TB to the cloud takes approximately 55-110 hours. For remote NAS-to-NAS migration over the internet, even a fast NBN 250 plan with 25 Mbps upload would take over 88 hours for 1 TB. If your migration involves remote transfers over NBN, plan for days of transfer time and use rsync's resume capability in case of interruptions.

Also note that some NBN connections use CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT), which prevents incoming connections to your network. If you need to run rsync between two locations and your NBN provider uses CGNAT, you will need to set up a VPN tunnel or use the NAS vendor's relay service (Synology QuickConnect or QNAP myQNAPcloud). See our NAS security guide for more on securing remote access.

Post-Migration Checklist

After migration is complete, do not decommission the old NAS immediately. Run through this checklist first to confirm everything transferred correctly.

1. Verify data integrity. Spot-check files across multiple shared folders. Open documents, play media files, check photo thumbnails. For large migrations, compare file counts and folder sizes between old and new NAS. If you used rsync, run it once more with the --dry-run flag. If no files are listed for transfer, the data matches.

2. Test shared folder permissions. Log in from different user accounts and verify they can access only what they should. Permission issues are the most common post-migration problem, especially after cross-brand migrations where user accounts had to be recreated manually.

3. Update client mappings. If the new NAS has a different IP address or hostname, update every mapped network drive, backup application, media server, and device that connects to the NAS. On Windows, update mapped drives in File Explorer. On macOS, update Finder connections. Update any scheduled backup software (Veeam, Time Machine, Acronis) that points to the NAS.

4. Update the NAS IP address if needed. If possible, assign the new NAS the same static IP as the old one. This avoids needing to update client mappings across every device. If both NAS devices need to be online simultaneously during the transition, assign the new NAS a temporary IP, then reassign the old IP after the old NAS is powered down.

5. Verify application settings. Check that Docker containers, Plex libraries, Surveillance Station cameras, Synology Drive sync connections, and any other applications are functioning correctly. Some applications may need reconfiguration or database rebuilds after migration.

6. Confirm backup jobs are running. If you had automated backup jobs on the old NAS (Hyper Backup, HBS 3, USB Copy, cloud sync), recreate or verify them on the new NAS. Do not assume they transferred. A NAS without a working backup job is a data loss event waiting to happen.

7. Keep the old NAS running for at least two weeks. Do not wipe or repurpose the old NAS immediately. Keep it powered on (or at least intact with its drives) for a minimum of two weeks after migration. This gives you time to discover any files or settings that did not transfer correctly. After two weeks of normal operation on the new NAS with no issues, you can safely decommission the old unit.

What to Do With the Old NAS

Once you are confident the migration is complete and verified, the old NAS still has value:

Repurpose as an offsite backup target. This is the best use for an old NAS. Place it at a family member's house or a second location and use Hyper Backup, HBS 3, or rsync to send nightly backups from the new NAS to the old one. This gives you a genuine offsite backup as part of a 3-2-1 backup strategy at no additional hardware cost.

Use as a local backup NAS. Keep it on the same network as a secondary backup target. Even a local second NAS protects against ransomware, accidental deletion, and primary NAS hardware failure.

Sell it. Australian NAS units hold their value reasonably well, particularly Synology Plus series models. List it on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Gumtree. Wipe the drives securely before selling. A full format, not a quick format. And consider selling the NAS without drives to avoid any data recovery risk. Check where to buy (and sell) NAS in Australia for more options.

Migration Method Comparison

Australian Consumer Law Note

If your migration is prompted by a NAS hardware failure, remember that Australian Consumer Law protections apply when purchasing from Australian retailers. Your warranty claim goes to the retailer, not the manufacturer. Neither Synology nor QNAP have service centres in Australia. The standard warranty process runs through the supply chain (retailer to distributor to vendor in Taiwan) and typically takes 2-3 weeks. If you are buying a new NAS as a replacement, purchasing from an authorised Australian retailer ensures full ACL coverage. See our where to buy NAS in Australia guide for recommended retailers.

Our File Transfer Speed Estimator calculates how long a large data migration will take over your LAN connection, and our Backup Storage Calculator helps size the backup storage needed before and after the migration.

Use our free NAS vs Cloud Migration Cost Calculator to compare the total cost of migrating from cloud to your own NAS.

Can I move hard drives from a Synology NAS to a QNAP NAS (or vice versa)?

No. Synology and QNAP use different file systems and RAID metadata structures. Physically moving drives between different NAS brands will not work. The destination NAS will not recognise the volumes and may prompt you to initialise the drives, which would erase all data. For cross-brand migrations, use rsync over the network to transfer data safely. This applies to all NAS brand combinations, not just Synology and QNAP.

How long does it take to migrate 10 TB of data to a new NAS?

Over a standard 1GbE network connection, expect approximately 30 hours for 10 TB. Over 2.5GbE, approximately 12 hours. Over 10GbE, approximately 3-4 hours. These are real-world estimates. Actual speeds depend on file sizes (many small files transfer much slower than a few large files), network congestion, and NAS hardware performance. If using USB copy, the time roughly doubles because data is copied twice (NAS to USB, then USB to NAS).

Do I need to buy new hard drives for the new NAS?

Not necessarily. If your existing drives are healthy and compatible with the new NAS, you can either migrate them physically (same-brand only, between compatible models) or keep them in the old NAS during a network-based transfer and then repurpose them. However, if your drives are older than 3-4 years, a migration is a good time to replace them with fresh NAS-rated drives. Drive failure rates increase with age, and starting a new NAS with aging drives defeats the purpose of the upgrade.

Will my Plex media server settings transfer to the new NAS?

It depends on the migration method. Synology Migration Assistant and Hyper Backup can transfer Plex data including the media database and metadata. For rsync and USB copy migrations, you need to separately back up and restore the Plex database directory. On Synology, the Plex data lives in the Docker or Package directory depending on how it was installed. On QNAP, it is in the QNAP App directory. The actual media files (movies, TV shows, music) transfer with any method, but the Plex database containing watch history, metadata, and library settings needs to be handled separately unless a full application backup is used.

Can I use rsync to migrate data from my NAS to a new NAS at a different location?

Yes, but transfer speed will be limited by your internet upload speed. On a typical Australian NBN 100 plan with 20-40 Mbps upload, transferring 1 TB takes approximately 55-110 hours. Rsync supports resume after interruption, so a multi-day transfer is feasible if the connection drops. You will need either port forwarding on the destination network, a VPN tunnel between the two sites, or the NAS vendor's relay service. Note that CGNAT on some NBN connections blocks incoming connections entirely. In that case, initiate the rsync job from behind the CGNAT connection pulling data from the non-CGNAT site.

What happens if the migration fails partway through?

This is why the pre-migration backup is critical. If a network-based migration (Hyper Backup, rsync, Migration Assistant) fails, your old NAS is untouched. Simply fix the issue and restart. Rsync and Hyper Backup support incremental transfers, so they will resume from where they left off rather than starting over. If a physical drive migration fails (the new NAS does not recognise the drives), reinsert the drives into the old NAS. The original RAID should still be intact. The worst-case scenario is a physical drive migration where a drive is damaged during handling and you have no backup. Always back up before any migration.

Should I change my RAID type when migrating to a new NAS?

A migration is a good time to reconsider your RAID configuration. If you were running RAID 0 (no redundancy), moving to RAID 1, RAID 5, or SHR is strongly recommended. If you had RAID 1 on a 2-bay and are upgrading to a 4-bay or larger, RAID 5 or SHR gives you more usable capacity with single-drive fault tolerance. However, changing RAID type requires a fresh setup on the new NAS. You cannot change RAID type during a physical drive migration. Use a network-based migration method (Hyper Backup, rsync, or Migration Assistant) to transfer data to a new NAS with a different RAID configuration.

Is it worth upgrading to 2.5GbE or 10GbE before migrating a large dataset?

For a one-time migration, probably not. Unless you were already planning to upgrade your network. A 10GbE upgrade cuts a 10 TB migration from 30 hours to 3-4 hours, but the cost of two 10GbE-capable NAS devices, a 10GbE switch, and cabling can exceed $500-800 in additional hardware. However, if your new NAS already has 2.5GbE (most current Synology Plus and QNAP models include it), a 2.5GbE switch for $50-80 is a worthwhile investment. The migration benefits are immediate, and you retain the faster network speed for daily use afterward. See our NAS networking guide for current pricing on 2.5GbE and 10GbE switches in Australia.

Do I need to re-map Time Machine backups after migrating to a new NAS?

Yes. Time Machine on macOS connects to a specific network share. After migration, you need to point Time Machine to the shared folder on the new NAS. Your existing Time Machine backup data will transfer with the migration (as long as the shared folder is included), but macOS will treat the new NAS as a different backup destination. You may need to "inherit" the existing backup by holding Option and clicking "Select Disk" in Time Machine preferences, then choosing the backup on the new NAS. If the NAS hostname or IP has changed, macOS may not automatically find the backup share.