Don’t worry. If you don’t map it, accessing your Synology NAS network drive is only convoluted. Mapping allows you to browse your NAS from other devices in the local network without going through the official Synology software (DSM) and logging into the NAS. This is quite a handy trick, especially if you want to share storage with other people who don’t want the extra hassle and just need a simple experience they’re already used to. 

Prerequisites Before Mapping

To avoid any accessibility issues after mapping your network drive, ensure you implement the following in your NAS before proceeding.

How to Map a Network Drive from Windows Explorer

Windows OS has a simple Network Drive mapping menu that works for any server storage regardless of the brand name. This will work for Synology too. Here is how to do it on Windows 10 using Windows Explorer. The newly mapped network drive will appear in your Windows Explorer as any other hard drive partition you have in the computer. You can use it as if it were an installed drive.

How to Map a Network Drive Using the Synology Assistant

The other way to map a Network Drive in Windows is by using the Synology Assistant. Here is how to do it. You can now access the newly mapped drive from your Windows File Explorer. You will have to repeat the process on any other computer you want to access the shared folder.

How to Map a Synology Shared Folder on Linux

Mapping isn’t really a thing here since Linux doesn’t use drive letters. The operating system uses mount points, meaning you have to specify a mount point to access the network drive as you would any other local drive. To effectively mount a share, you will have to enable NFS on the Synology NAS and do some command prompt configurations on your Linux computer. If this sounds like too much work, scroll to the end to check how you can still access your shares from Linux using Samba. If you don’t mind, here’s a look at what you should do.

Step 1: Enable NFS

Network File System (NFS) is an old file-sharing protocol many people shun because of its unprotected approach. Though prone to eavesdropping and imposter attacks, some people still use it with the correct precautions. Here are the steps to follow when enabling NFS

Open your Synology Control Panel app and click on File Services.Select the NFS tab on recent DSMs or the SMB/AFP/NFS if your Synology NAS is running an OS older than 7.0In the NFS section, click on the ‘Enable NFS’ option. You can also enable NFSv4.1 if you please, but NFS is the bare minimum.

Step 2: Configure Shared Folders to Accommodate NFS Sharing

Once NFS is active, you can go on and configure your shared folders for access via NFS.

Go to the control panel and select Shared Folder.Select the folder you want to configure in the ensuing menu and click on Edit at the top MenuSelect the NFS Permissions tab from the pop-up windowClick on Create to make a new NFS share ruleUnder the Hostname, IP, enter the IP address of the computer you want to access the share (or a network subnet if you want multiple computers in your home network to access or you have dynamic IPs)Assign the correct privilegesUnder Squash, leave it to No MappingEnable Asynchronous checkbox. This will boost the connection’s performanceCheck allow connections from non-privilege ports Check allow users to access mounted subfoldersClick OK to finishClick OK again to finalize the configuration

After now, you should access the files from your Linux client. If you are on a GNOME 3 desktop environment or have the Nautilus File Manager installed, you can use its ‘Other Locations’ section to access your NFS share. Otherwise, proceed to step 3

Step 3: Installing nfs-common

Launch your terminal and type the following command Enter your root password when prompted and wait for the installation to complete if you did not have it already installed

Step 4: Mounting the share

First, create a mount directory in your computer (any) before executing the following on the terminal. Replace the IP address with your NAS’ address and the paths with the respective paths to your shared folder on the NAS and the path to the mount directory you just created on your Linux computer You can now launch your file manager and see the location (SweetPics in my case) on the left menu of your file manager with the rest of the local locations.

Step 5: Making the mounting automatic

If you don’t want to launch the Terminal every time you start your computer and mount the location, you can add an instruction to the /etc/fstab file that will make it persistent on reboot or shutdown.

The Simple Way: Install Samba

If the above procedure is too complex for you or doesn’t want to enable NFS, you can install Samba and access SMB shares from your Linux profile. Check this too: How to Update Plex on Synology

How to Map a Network Drive on Mac OS

Again, Mac OS won’t let you Map as you do on Windows, but the process is simpler than Linux.

Right Click the Finder Icon on Dock and select the ‘Connect to Server Option.’Enter smb:// followed by Synology hostname or IP address, e.g., smb://192.168.100.1 or smb://TenagraClick on connectWhen the server is found, you will receive a prompt to connect as a guest or a registered user.Select Guest if the guest privileges are what you want, else stick to registered and enter your credentialsClick connectThe shared Drive will now be persistent on your Finder, and you can find it under the Locations menu.

With the above tricks, you should easily access your network shares. It will be easier to onboard.