How to Set Up UGREEN NAS for Multiple Family Users

Create a separate Standard User account for each family member instead of sharing the administrator login. Keep private documents and individual device backups in Personal Folders, then use Shared Folders for photos, media, and household files that several people need.

Give Read/Write access only to people who need to add or change files. Use Read Only for archives that family members should be able to open without accidentally renaming, moving, or deleting anything.

Personal Folders vs. Shared Folders: What Is the Difference?

Personal and Shared Folders solve different access problems. Choosing the right one before moving files prevents complicated permission changes later.

A Personal Folder is created for one NAS account. Other Standard Users cannot access it.

A Shared Folder has its own permission settings. One person can receive Read/Write access while another receives Read Only or Access Denied.

Personal Folder vs. User Folder

UGOS Pro uses these terms in different parts of the interface:

• Personal Folder is the user’s own storage area in the Files app.
• User Folder management is the administrative screen used to manage those user-owned folders.

They do not represent two separate copies of the same data.

Can Administrators See Personal Folders?

By default, the Personal Folder owner and administrators can access the folder. Other Standard Users cannot.

On UGOS Pro firmware 1.18.0.0032 or later, an administrator can grant a user Full rights. The Standard User can then open Personal folder management and enable Hide personal files from other users. When this setting is active, other users, including administrators, cannot view that Personal Folder.

This is an access-control setting, not folder encryption.

Plan the Family Folder Structure Before Creating It

Build the top-level folder structure around who should have access. Do not place confidential documents inside a broadly accessible family folder and then depend on complicated subfolder exceptions.

A practical household structure could look like this:

This structure reflects the consequence of each permission:

• Adults can organize the main photo library.
• Children can view family photos without deleting or reorganizing them.
• Financial, insurance, and tax documents stay limited to adult accounts.
• Children receive a writable location for files they need to contribute.
• Phone and computer backups remain separated by account.

If you want UGREEN Photos to index and organize a household photo library, keep the photo destination consistent and review our photo-storage and migration guide before importing a large existing collection.

How to Create a Separate Account for Each Family Member

Each regular user should have a unique account and password. This makes permissions traceable and prevents everyone from operating with administrator privileges.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Select User Management.
3. Open the User page.
4. Select Add.
5. Choose one of the available account-creation methods:
   • Create to enter the account information manually.
   • Invite to let the person register through an invitation link or QR code.
   • Import to add multiple accounts from an existing list.
6. Enter the username and password.
7. Choose the account role.
8. Enable the user’s Personal Folder when the account needs private storage.
9. Select Next and assign access to existing Shared Folders.
10. Save the account.

Choose Standard User for family members who only need to store, view, or share files. Administrator accounts have extensive system and storage access, so they should be limited to the people who actually maintain the NAS.

Protect every administrator account with a unique password and two-factor authentication. UGOS Pro supports time-based one-time passwords through authenticator apps such as Microsoft Authenticator and Google Authenticator. Store the recovery information somewhere that does not depend on the NAS. Our UGREEN NAS security guide covers the remaining account and network protections.

Enable a Personal Folder for an Existing User

If the account already exists:

1. Open Control Panel > User Management.
2. Find the user.
3. Select the three-dot menu and choose Edit.
4. Enable the user’s Personal Folder.
5. Save the change.

The user will then see the Personal Folder entry after signing in to Files.

How to Create a Shared Folder and Assign Permissions

A Shared Folder should represent one collaboration or access boundary, such as Family Photos or Household Documents.

1. Open Files.
2. Select the + icon in the toolbar.
3. Choose Create a New Shared Folder.
4. Enter the folder name.
5. Select the storage location.
6. Set a storage limit if the folder should not be allowed to consume the entire storage space.
7. Decide whether to hide the folder from network discovery.
8. Leave the Recycle Bin enabled unless the folder has a specific reason not to use it.
9. Select Create.
10. Assign permissions to the relevant users or User Groups.
11. Select OK.

When a Shared Folder reaches its storage limit, new uploads, copies, and backup writes to that folder cannot continue until files are removed or the limit is increased. Existing files remain available, but check any affected upload or backup task for a failure notification.

A storage limit does not delete old files or manage capacity automatically. Configure storage alerts and investigate unexpected growth before the limit is reached.

The Recycle Bin for a newly created Shared Folder is enabled by default and restricted to administrators. It can help recover individual files deleted from that folder, but it does not replace snapshots or an independent backup.

What Do the Three Permission Levels Allow?

Use Read/Write carefully. Someone who only needs to watch family videos or download photos does not need permission to modify the library.

For example:

• Give adults Read/Write access to Family Photos.
• Give children Read Only access to the same folder.
• Give each child Read/Write access to Kids Uploads.
• Set Household Documents to Access Denied for accounts that do not need it.

UGOS Pro can also hide unauthorized subfolders and files when users access a Shared Folder through Files or SMB.

For Windows drive mapping, macOS connections, SMB, and NFS configuration, use our dedicated UGREEN NAS file-sharing guide.

Use User Groups Without Creating Permission Conflicts

User Groups reduce repetitive work when several people need the same access. A household might create groups such as:

• Adults
• Children
• Recurring Caregivers

To create a group:

1. Open Control Panel > User Management.
2. Select the User Group tab.
3. Select Add.
4. Name the group.
5. Add the relevant users.
6. Assign Shared Folder permissions.
7. Save the group.

When another person needs the same access later, add that account to the existing group instead of configuring every folder separately.

Current UGOS Pro User Management resolves conflicting permissions in this order:

Access Denied > Read Only > Read/Write > Not set

This means a restrictive group permission can override a more permissive assignment elsewhere. After adding someone to a group, open that user’s Permissions & Settings page and confirm the effective result.

Keep Subfolder Permissions Simple

When a parent folder’s permissions change, existing subfolders can merge the new permissions, receive an overwrite, or keep their existing settings.

Complex exceptions become difficult to audit. If two sets of files need genuinely different access, create two top-level Shared Folders instead of burying both beneath one broad folder.

For example, use separate Family Photos and Household Documents Shared Folders. Do not place Household Documents inside a general Family folder and then try to block access several levels down.

Use a Share Link for Temporary Guests

A visitor who only needs to view selected photos once does not need a permanent NAS account.

Use a Standard User account when someone needs recurring access to the NAS. Use a UGREENlink sharing or collection link for temporary access.

To share selected files:

1. Confirm that UGREENlink remote access is enabled.
2. Open Files.
3. Select the file or folder.
4. Right-click and choose Share.
5. Choose an external recipient.
6. Set an expiration date, access password, and allowed-access count.
7. Generate and send the link.

For uploads, right-click the destination folder and choose Request files. The resulting collection link lets the recipient upload files to that destination without receiving continuing access to the NAS.

Give temporary links an expiration date and password. Remove them when the recipient no longer needs access.

Test What Each Family Member Can See

Saving a permission does not prove the entire folder structure behaves as intended. Test it from the user’s perspective before uploading private or irreplaceable files.

1. Sign out of the administrator account.
2. Sign in with the family member’s account.
3. Confirm that the correct Personal Folder appears.
4. Check which Shared Folders are visible.
5. Open a Read Only folder and confirm that files cannot be renamed, moved, uploaded, or deleted.
6. Open a Read/Write folder and test those actions with a disposable file.
7. Confirm that Access Denied folders do not appear.
8. Repeat the test for each user role or User Group.

If the result does not match the plan, return to Control Panel > User Management > User, edit the account, and inspect Permissions & Settings. Check both direct user assignments and inherited User Group permissions.

Keep the Family Library Organized as It Grows

Once permissions are working, a few rules will keep the structure understandable.

Name Folders by Purpose

Use names that explain why the folder exists:

• Family Photos
• Household Documents
• Shared Media
• Kids Uploads
• Home Projects

Inside those folders, use consistent year, event, or project names. For example:

Family Photos
├── 2025
│   ├── 2025-06 Graduation
│   └── 2025-12 Holidays
└── 2026
    ├── 2026-03 Spring Break
    └── 2026-07 Family Reunion

Avoid vague folders such as Misc, New Folder, or Everyone. Their purpose and access rules become unclear as the library grows.

Review Accounts and Storage Use

Review inactive accounts and User Group membership whenever household access changes. Remove unnecessary permissions, but do not delete an account as the first step.

Storage limits can prevent one Shared Folder from consuming all available capacity. Separate Personal Folders also make it easier to identify which user or device is responsible for unexpected storage growth.

Disable and Transfer Data Before Deleting a User

Do not delete an account until you have copied any files you want to keep out of that user’s Personal Folder.

Use this offboarding sequence:

1. Disable the account to stop new access without deleting it.
2. Identify the files that must be retained.
3. Copy those files to an administrator-controlled Shared Folder or independent backup.
4. Review sync, backup, sharing, and collection tasks that use the account or its folders.
5. Confirm that the retained files open from their new location.
6. Delete the account only after the transfer and restore check are complete.

Account deletion is not a data-transfer method. If the files matter, preserve them before removing the user.

Do Not Confuse Data Organizing with File Organization

UGOS Pro’s Data Organizing feature is a storage-maintenance function for supported storage configurations. It does not rename, tag, categorize, or rearrange family files.

Folder naming, permissions, and UGREEN Photos determine how people find and manage content. Data Organizing belongs in the storage-maintenance workflow described in our UGREEN NAS maintenance checklist.

Back Up Before Deleting a Shared Folder

Deleting individual files from a Shared Folder can send them to the Recycle Bin when that feature is enabled.

Deleting the top-level Shared Folder is different. UGOS Pro permanently deletes the folder and everything inside it, and the operation cannot be undone. Back up its contents before deleting the Shared Folder itself.

Recycle Bin, RAID, and access permissions address different problems. None of them replaces an independent copy of irreplaceable photos, documents, or videos. Use a separate destination and verify that the files can be restored by following a complete NAS data-backup plan.

Do Not Confuse Data Organizing with File Organization

UGOS Pro’s Data Organizing feature is a storage-maintenance function for supported storage configurations. It does not rename, tag, categorize, or rearrange family files.

Folder naming, permissions, and UGREEN Photos determine how people find and manage content. Data Organizing belongs in the storage-maintenance workflow described in our UGREEN NAS maintenance checklist.

Back Up Before Deleting a Shared Folder

Deleting individual files from a Shared Folder can send them to the Recycle Bin when that feature is enabled.

Deleting the top-level Shared Folder is different. UGOS Pro permanently deletes the folder and everything inside it, and the operation cannot be undone. Back up its contents before deleting the Shared Folder itself.

Recycle Bin, RAID, and access permissions address different problems. None of them replaces an independent copy of irreplaceable photos, documents, or videos.