Synology Hyper Backup Setup Guide

Hyper Backup is Synology's primary backup tool. It provides scheduled, versioned, deduplicated backup from your Synology NAS to local external drives, remote NAS units, rsync targets, or cloud storage (Backblaze B2, Amazon S3, Synology C2, and others). This guide covers the three most common Hyper Backup configurations: NAS-to-USB-drive for local backup, NAS-to-cloud for offsite backup, and NAS-to-NAS for second-site replication. These three, combined, form a complete 3-2-1 backup implementation on Synology hardware.

Hyper Backup vs Snapshot Replication vs Active Backup

Synology provides several backup tools with different purposes:

• Hyper Backup: Backs up NAS folders to an external destination (USB, cloud, remote NAS). Versioned backup. Keeps multiple restore points. Best for: offsite backup, cloud backup, protecting NAS data against drive failure or ransomware
• Snapshot Replication: Btrfs filesystem snapshots. Point-in-time recovery of the NAS filesystem itself. Near-instantaneous, low overhead. Best for: rapid recovery from accidental deletion or ransomware when the snapshot folder is isolated
• Active Backup for Business: Agentless backup of Windows PCs, VMs, and Microsoft 365 data to the Synology NAS. This backs up your computers to the NAS. Different direction. Best for: business PC protection

This guide covers Hyper Backup. For a full 3-2-1 backup strategy, combine Hyper Backup (offsite/cloud destination) with Snapshot Replication (local fast recovery).

Step 1: Install Hyper Backup

Hyper Backup is a Package Center application:

1. Open Package Center in DSM
2. Search for Hyper Backup
3. Install. Approximately 60MB

For cloud destinations, you will also need the relevant Hyper Backup Vault packages or credentials. For Backblaze B2, you need a Backblaze account and an Application Key. For Synology C2, a Synology account. For Amazon S3, AWS IAM credentials. Create these accounts/credentials before starting the backup wizard to avoid interruption.

Step 2: NAS-to-USB Local Backup

Connect an external USB drive to the Synology NAS. The drive should be formatted as ext4 or btrfs for Hyper Backup compatibility (NTFS works but without some deduplication benefits).

1. Open Hyper Backup and click the + button → Data backup task
2. Select Local folder & USB
3. Choose the USB drive as the destination. Create a subfolder name (e.g. hyper-backup)
4. Select the shared folders to back up. Include all folders with important data. System configuration is backed up separately via DSM's Configuration Backup
5. Set your backup schedule. Daily at a time when the NAS is idle (e.g. 3:00 AM)
6. Set retention policy. Number of backup versions to keep. Default 7 versions covers a week of daily backups
7. Enable Client-side encryption with a strong passphrase. Essential if the USB drive might leave your premises

Run the initial backup manually via Back Up Now. For large data volumes (multi-TB), the initial backup takes hours. Run it when NAS can be left undisturbed.

Step 3: NAS-to-Cloud Offsite Backup

Offsite cloud backup protects against local disasters (fire, theft, flood). Backblaze B2 is the most cost-effective option for most users ($0.006/GB/month, free egress for the first 3× stored).

1. Create a Backblaze account at backblaze.com. Under App Keys, create an application key with Read/Write access to a specific bucket
2. Create a new bucket in Backblaze (type: Private) with Object Lock disabled unless you want immutable backups
3. In Hyper Backup, + → Data backup task → Backblaze B2
4. Enter your Backblaze Application Key ID and Application Key. Select your bucket
5. Select folders, set schedule, enable encryption with a passphrase you can remember (and have stored separately)

For a 1TB Hyper Backup to Backblaze B2, monthly cost is approximately $6 AUD at current exchange rates. Initial backup speed is limited by your NBN upload speed. A 1TB initial backup at 20Mbps upload takes approximately 110 hours. Plan for this over several days.

Step 4: Restore Testing

A backup that has never been tested is not a backup. After the initial backup completes, test restoration:

1. In Hyper Backup, right-click the backup task → Restore
2. Select specific files or folders to restore (not the full volume. Test with a sample folder)
3. Choose a destination (restore to original location or an alternate path)
4. Verify the restored files are intact and accessible

Also use the Integrity Check feature: right-click the task → Integrity check. This verifies all backup versions are readable and uncorrupted. Schedule integrity checks monthly or quarterly. Without regular integrity checks, you may discover a backup is corrupt only when you need it.

🇦🇺 Australian Buyers: Costs and Cloud Options

Cloud backup cost comparison for Australian users (March 2026 AUD):

• Backblaze B2: ~$0.009/GB/month (~$9/TB/month). No egress fee for Hyper Backup. Best value for large backups
• Synology C2 Storage: Plans from ~$10 AUD/month for 100GB to ~$48 AUD/month for 1TB. Higher cost but native Synology integration and AU/APAC data residency options
• Amazon S3 (standard): ~$0.033/GB/month (more expensive, not recommended for bulk backup. Use S3 Glacier Deep Archive for archival at ~$0.0015/GB/month)
• Wasabi: ~$0.0088/GB/month, no egress fees, S3-compatible. Similar to Backblaze B2 in pricing

Hyper Backup supports all of the above. Backblaze B2 and Wasabi are the most cost-effective for large volumes. Synology C2 is convenient for smaller backups and users who prefer Synology's support ecosystem.

See the 3-2-1 backup strategy guide for how to structure local, offsite, and cloud backup together, and the Synology Australia guide for model recommendations.

Scheduling and Retention: The Settings Most Guides Skip

Hyper Backup's default schedule is daily at 12am. For most home users this is fine, but it means backups run during typical off-peak NBN hours when upload speeds may actually be faster. The more important setting is retention policy under Rotation Settings. The default keeps all versions indefinitely, which means your backup destination fills up and eventually fails silently when full.

A sensible retention policy for home use: keep daily backups for 30 days, weekly backups for 3 months, and monthly backups for 1 year. This gives you granular recovery options for accidental deletions within the last month, while keeping long-term backup versions at a manageable storage cost. Set this under Backup Settings > Rotation > Smart Recycle.

How Long Will the Initial Hyper Backup Take on Australian NBN?

The initial Hyper Backup run to cloud (Synology C2, Backblaze B2, or similar) transfers your entire backup set over NBN. Upload speed is the bottleneck, not the NAS. On NBN 25 (the most common plan in regional Australia), upload speed averages 5 Mbps, which transfers around 53 GB per 24 hours. A 500 GB NAS backup takes roughly 10 days to complete the first time. On NBN 50, upload is 10 Mbps and the same 500 GB takes around 5 days.

Subsequent incremental backups are much faster because Hyper Backup only uploads changed blocks, not whole files. A daily incremental of 5 to 10 GB new data completes in 2 to 4 hours overnight on NBN 25. The practical advice: schedule the initial Hyper Backup to start on a Friday evening and run undisturbed over the weekend. Do not interrupt it.

Verifying Backups: How to Confirm Hyper Backup Is Working

Setting up Hyper Backup is not enough. Backups that have never been restored are not confirmed backups. At minimum, test a restore quarterly: open Hyper Backup, select the backup task, click Restore, and recover a single test file or folder to a temporary location. Confirm the restored file opens correctly. This also tests that the backup data is not corrupted.

Hyper Backup includes a built-in integrity check under the task context menu (right-click > Data Integrity Check). Run this monthly for local backup targets and quarterly for cloud targets. A failed integrity check indicates corrupted backup data and triggers an automatic full re-backup of affected files.

Use our free NAS Sizing Wizard to get a personalised NAS recommendation.

Related reading: our NAS buyer's guide, our 3-2-1 backup guide, and our NAS explainer.

How long does Hyper Backup take?

The initial backup time depends on data volume and destination speed. For local USB: transfer rate is typically 60-80MB/s to a USB 3.0 drive. 1TB takes 3-5 hours. For cloud backup: limited by NBN upload speed. At 20Mbps (NBN 100): 1TB takes approximately 110 hours (4-5 days running continuously). Subsequent incremental backups are much faster. Only changed files are transferred. Schedule the initial cloud backup to run over a week of nightly sessions, or complete it on the local network first and then switch to cloud.

Does Hyper Backup encrypt data?

Yes. Enable client-side encryption in the backup task settings. Encryption uses AES-256 with a passphrase you set. Encrypted backups cannot be read without the passphrase. Store it securely (in your password manager) and separately from the NAS. For cloud destinations, encryption is strongly recommended. Your encrypted data on Backblaze B2 or S3 is unreadable to the storage provider without your passphrase.

Can I access Hyper Backup files directly without restoring?

No. Hyper Backup uses a proprietary deduplicated format. Backup files are not directly browsable on a USB drive or in cloud storage. You must restore through the Hyper Backup interface. This is why integrity checks are important: you cannot manually verify backup data by browsing it. Use Hyper Backup Explorer (a downloadable utility from Synology) to browse backup contents on a PC without the NAS, useful for disaster recovery when the NAS itself is unavailable.

How many versions should I keep in Hyper Backup?

A practical minimum is 7 daily versions (one week of recovery points). A better practice for ransomware protection is 30 daily versions. Ransomware sometimes lies dormant before encrypting files, and you want to be able to restore from before infection. The storage overhead of versioning depends on how much data changes daily. For mostly-static NAS storage, the deduplication in Hyper Backup means versioning overhead is modest. Files that haven't changed don't consume additional space per version.

Can Hyper Backup back up to a second Synology NAS?

Yes. Hyper Backup supports backing up to a remote Synology via rsync or Synology's proprietary Hyper Backup Vault protocol. The destination NAS must have Hyper Backup Vault installed (free from Package Center). This enables NAS-to-NAS backup over the local network or internet. Useful for households with two Synology units, or for backing up to a family member's NAS at a different location. Remote NAS backup over internet requires configuring DDNS and port forwarding or a VPN between the two NAS units.

What is the difference between Hyper Backup and Snapshot Replication?

Hyper Backup creates versioned backup archives on an external drive, USB, or cloud service. It is designed for disaster recovery: if the NAS itself fails, you restore from the Hyper Backup archive. Snapshot Replication creates instant point-in-time copies of a shared folder within the same NAS or to a second Synology NAS. Snapshots are faster to restore from but do not protect against hardware failure. Most users should run both: Hyper Backup for offsite disaster recovery and Snapshot Replication for quick file recovery within the same system.

Can Hyper Backup back up to Google Drive or Dropbox directly?

Yes. Hyper Backup supports Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Synology C2, and other S3-compatible cloud services natively. Backblaze B2 is the most cost-effective option for Australian users needing long-term storage: around USD $0.006 per GB per month, with no download fees if you use their Cloudflare-partnered free egress. Synology C2 is the most integrated option if you want Hyper Backup to work with zero additional configuration.

Does Hyper Backup encrypt backup data before uploading to the cloud?

Yes, if you enable client-side encryption during task setup. This encrypts the backup data locally on the NAS before it is transmitted, meaning the cloud provider cannot read your files. The encryption key is stored locally on the NAS. If you forget the encryption password, the backup data cannot be recovered even if the files are intact. Write the encryption key down and store it separately from the NAS.