How to Back Up Data With UGREEN NAS

Backing up a computer or phone to UGREEN NAS protects the files on that device. It does not protect the NAS itself. Once the NAS holds an important copy, add an external, cloud, or second-NAS backup so one hardware failure, theft, or ransomware incident cannot remove every copy.

Use Backup this computer when you want a recoverable copy of selected folders. Use Sync this computer when you want active files to remain consistent across devices.

Key Takeaways:

• Use Backup this computer for a recoverable copy of selected folders, and use Sync this computer only when you want files to stay consistent across devices.
• A backup stored on the NAS protects the original computer or phone, but the NAS itself still needs another backup to an external drive, cloud service, or second NAS.
• UGREEN computer backup keeps files that were deleted from the source, but it does not provide version history for overwritten files.
• For important data, follow a 3-2-1 backup plan and keep at least one copy outside the normal write access of the NAS.
• Do not trust a backup task just because it completed; restore a few test files and confirm they open correctly before relying on it.

Which UGREEN NAS Backup Do You Need?

Start with the location of the files you need to protect.

If a photo exists on both your computer and NAS, the NAS copy is a backup of the phone. If you delete the computer copy and the NAS becomes the only location, that photo is no longer backed up.

How to Back Up Computer Folders to UGREEN NAS

The UGREEN computer-backup workflow uses the UGREEN NAS desktop client and the Sync & Backup app in UGOS Pro.

For a large first backup, use Ethernet when possible. Practical 1GbE file transfers reach roughly 110 MB/s under favorable conditions, Wi-Fi, small files, computer sleep, and other network activity increase that time.

1. Install the UGREEN NAS Desktop Client

Download and install the desktop client from the UGREEN NAS Download Center.

Open the client and sign in to your UGREEN NAS. The computer must remain powered on, awake, and connected to the NAS while the task runs. The UGREEN NAS desktop client must also remain open. Sleep, shutdown, or closing the client interrupts the backup.

2. Open Sync & Backup

In the UGREEN NAS desktop client:

1. Open Sync & Backup.
2. Select Back up & Restore.
3. Click Add.
4. Select Backup this computer.

If Sync & Backup is not installed on the NAS, install it from the UGOS Pro App Center before continuing.

3. Select the Computer Folders

Under Computer Path, choose the folders you want to protect. You can select multiple folders in one task.

Good candidates include:

• Family photos and videos
• Work documents
• Financial and tax records
• School files
• Creative projects
• Locally stored application data that cannot be downloaded again

4. Choose the NAS Destination

Under Backup Destination, select a personal or shared folder on the NAS. You can also create a dedicated folder for the computer.

Use a clear folder name, such as:

• Backup-Jordan-Laptop
• Backup-Office-PC
• Backup-Family-Desktop

A separate destination for each computer makes storage use and recovery easier to manage.

The account running the task needs permission to write to the destination folder. Avoid using an administrator account for an everyday computer backup when a standard account with access to the backup folder is sufficient.

5. Add File Filters

Use File Filter to exclude data that does not need to consume backup capacity.

Common exclusions include:

• Temporary files
• Download caches
• Reinstallable games
• Application installers that are available elsewhere
• Render caches and proxy files that can be regenerated
• Virtual-machine files that require their own application-aware backup process

Filters can match a file name, folder name, or extension. Separate multiple entries with semicolons.

Do not exclude a folder simply because it is large. Decide whether the files are replaceable and whether another recovery copy already exists.

6. Choose the Backup Policy

UGREEN computer backup provides two policies:

Backup after file change is the better default for documents and other frequently edited files. Manual Backup depends on someone remembering to run it.

After the first full backup, the task uses incremental backup. New or modified files are transferred without copying the entire source again.

7. Review and Start the Task

On the preview screen:

1. Give the task a recognizable name.
2. Confirm the computer folders.
3. Confirm the NAS destination.
4. Review the filters.
5. Confirm the backup policy.
6. Create the task and allow the first backup to complete.

Keep the computer awake and the desktop client open during the first run. Check the task status before assuming the files have finished transferring.

The computer-backup workflow has several limits that matter when planning recovery:

UGREEN NAS account permissions restrict access to the destination, but access control is not encryption. If sensitive files require encryption at rest, encrypt them on the computer before backup or use a client-side encrypted backup workflow.

What Happens When a File Is Deleted From the Computer?

With Backup this computer, files deleted from the source computer remain at the backup destination. This provides a recovery path after accidental deletion on the computer.

Deletion retention is not version history. The workflow retains a deleted source file, but it does not provide a Version List for restoring an earlier revision of an overwritten document.

Retained files also mean that the backup can grow larger than the folders currently stored on the computer. There is no automatic retention limit that removes older deleted files from this workflow. If the destination fills, the backup cannot continue. Free capacity or change the backup destination, then run the task again.

Synchronization behaves differently. Sync keeps folders consistent, so changes can pass from one location to another. Use the UGREEN NAS file-sync workflow for active files that need to remain available on several computers. Do not make a synchronized folder your only recovery copy.

Use Time Machine for Mac Backup History

The UGREEN desktop backup procedure works well for selected Mac folders. Time Machine is the better option when you want Mac backup history that includes files, applications, and system settings.

UGOS Pro provides a dedicated Time Machine destination through SMB and Bonjour. Give each Mac its own backup folder and set a quota before the first backup so one Mac cannot consume the entire storage pool.

Follow our complete UGREEN NAS Time Machine setup for the NAS and macOS configuration sequence.

Back Up Phone Photos and Videos

The UGREEN NAS mobile app can send phone photos and videos to a folder connected to UGREEN Photos. You can select albums, choose a destination, organize files by recording date, and enable background or nighttime backup.

The app uploads the file stored locally on the phone. If iCloud Photos or another cloud service uses an optimized-storage setting, the full-resolution original might not be present on the device when the backup runs.

For the complete iPhone workflow and its HEIC, Live Photo, duplicate, and iCloud considerations, use our guide to back up iPhone photos to UGREEN NAS.

Once computer and phone data reaches the NAS, those source devices have a recovery copy. The next step is protecting the NAS.

The NAS Copy Also Needs a Backup

A NAS with RAID can remain available after supported drive failures. RAID does not recover files after accidental deletion, ransomware, theft, fire, or storage-pool damage beyond the RAID level’s tolerance.

A practical 3-2-1 plan keeps:

1. Three copies of important data
2. Copies on two storage types
3. One copy at another location

For a home setup, that could mean:

• Original files on the computer
• Automatic backup on UGREEN NAS
• A disconnected external drive or off-site cloud backup

If the NAS holds the working library, use the NAS as copy one and create two additional recovery copies.

Choose a Second Destination

External Drive

Connect a compatible external drive and use:

Sync & Backup > Back up & Restore > Add > Backup between storage pools

Select the NAS folders as the source and the mounted external drive as the destination.

Use Incremental Backup when recovery is the priority. Deleted source files remain in the external backup. Mirror Backup keeps the destination identical to the source, including deletions.

If the drive is intended to provide offline protection, safely eject and disconnect it after the task finishes. Our UGREEN NAS external-drive backup guide covers the complete configuration and restore limitations.

UGOS Pro backup packages use the .ubk format and must be restored through Sync & Backup on a compatible UGREEN NAS. Do not assume the external drive will present the backup as ordinary folders that any computer can open directly.

Second NAS or Remote Server

Use Backup this UGREEN NAS to send selected folders to another UGREEN NAS or a compatible rsync or WebDAV server.

Remote-server backup supports scheduled tasks and version retention. Backup packages created through this workflow are encrypted by default and must be restored through UGOS Pro before their contents can be viewed.

Package encryption protects the stored backup archive. Transport encryption is a separate control. Enable Transmission Encryption for rsync or use HTTPS for WebDAV to protect data while it travels between systems.

Use backup rather than synchronization when recovery versions are the goal. NAS-to-NAS synchronization keeps files accessible on both devices, but source changes can propagate to the destination.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage provides a copy outside the home or office. The first upload can take days or weeks for a large library, depending on internet upload speed.

At a sustained 40Mbps upload speed, transferring 20TB takes approximately 46 days before protocol overhead, interruptions, and retries. The real first upload will take longer, so large cloud backups require sufficient bandwidth and a clear recovery plan.

Cloud synchronization is not a complete backup strategy. Use deletion protection, version retention, Object Lock, or another isolated copy so damaged or encrypted files cannot replace every clean version.

Follow our guide to automate UGREEN NAS backups to the cloud for current service support, deletion behavior, bandwidth planning, and restore considerations.

For data that cannot be replaced, keep at least one recovery copy outside the normal write access of the computer and NAS administrator account. CISA’s ransomware guidance recommends offline backups and regular restoration testing.

Test the Backup Before You Depend on It

A completed task proves that data was transferred. A successful restore proves that the backup is usable.

After creating a backup:

1. Confirm that the initial task completed without errors.
2. Review the task log for skipped files or permission failures.
3. Select a small test folder or several representative files.
4. Restore them to a different folder so the originals are not overwritten.
5. Open the restored documents, photos, videos, or project files.
6. Compare file sizes and timestamps with the source.
7. Delete a disposable test file from the source and confirm that the destination behavior matches the selected backup method.

Repeat the restore test after changing destinations, backup modes, permissions, or retention settings. Check it again after major UGOS Pro or desktop-client updates.

If the task stops, skips files, or cannot restore the selected data, use the UGREEN NAS backup troubleshooting guide before relying on it for recovery.