How to Automate UGREEN NAS Backups to the Cloud

Use Cloud Drives when you want the simplest scheduled copy from a UGREEN NAS to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, or Backblaze B2. Cloud Drives synchronizes files, so deleted or overwritten data may also change at the destination.

Which Cloud Services Does UGREEN NAS Support?

UGREEN NAS connects supported cloud services through the Cloud Drives application. Because some integrations require a minimum firmware version, check the latest firmware for your NAS model before troubleshooting a missing service or synchronization option.

How Do You Schedule a UGREEN NAS Cloud Backup with Cloud Drives?

1. Update UGOS Pro and install Cloud Drives

Open App Center, find Cloud Drives, and install or update it.

Open Cloud Drives after installation. If the required provider does not appear, check for a newer UGOS Pro firmware and application version.

2. Add the cloud connection

Open Cloud Drives and select Add Connection.

Choose the provider:

• Google Drive
• Microsoft OneDrive
• Dropbox
• Amazon S3
• Backblaze B2

Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox open an account authorization page. Complete the provider’s sign-in and permission process.

Amazon S3 requires:

• Bucket name
• AWS region
• Access Key
• Secret Access Key

Backblaze B2 requires:

• Bucket name
• Key ID
• Application key

One cloud account can be connected by only one NAS user at a time. If the same account is already attached to another UGREEN NAS user, the new connection can fail.

3. Create the synchronization task

Open the connected cloud service and select Create Sync Task.

Choose:

• The source folder on the UGREEN NAS
• The destination folder or bucket path
• NAS-to-cloud as the synchronization direction

Do not select two-way synchronization for an off-site backup copy.

4. Set the deletion rule

For OneDrive, keep the default option that leaves the cloud file in place when its NAS source is deleted.

For Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, and Backblaze B2, configure destination-side recovery before treating the task as a backup:

• Keep cloud version history or deleted-file recovery enabled.
• Enable S3 Versioning or retain prior B2 file versions.
• Set a retention period long enough to detect accidental deletion or ransomware.
• Use Object Lock when cloud versions must resist deletion.

5. Configure filters and conflict handling

Use file filters to exclude data that does not belong in the cloud copy, such as:

• Temporary files
• Application caches
• Download folders
• Thumbnails
• Re-creatable media proxies
• Incomplete uploads

Review the conflict setting. Overwriting an older cloud file with the newest NAS file is acceptable only when the destination retains previous versions.

6. Set the schedule

Cloud Drives supports manual and scheduled synchronization. Some providers also support real-time synchronization.

For a backup task, scheduled synchronization is usually the better choice. It reduces continuous system activity and creates a short window in which you may notice an accidental deletion or ransomware event before the next cloud job runs.

Choose a schedule based on how much data you can afford to lose:

• Hourly for frequently changing business files
• Daily for active documents and household data
• Weekly for archives that rarely change

Enabling frequent polling can prevent the NAS drives from entering hibernation. Use a longer polling interval or scheduled tasks when immediate synchronization is unnecessary.

7. Name and run the task

Give the task a descriptive name, such as:

Family Photos to Backblaze B2 - Daily

or:

Business Documents to Amazon S3 - Nightly

Select Run after creation if you are ready to start the initial upload.

8. Review the logs

After the task finishes, open the synchronization-task list and check:

• Completion status
• Failed files
• Permission errors
• Skipped files
• Storage-quota errors
• Connection or authorization failures

A green task status confirms that the job ran; it does not confirm that every file can be recovered.

Will a Cloud Drives Task Resume After an Interruption?

Cloud Drives tasks can fail or restart after an interruption. Polling makes the NAS compare the file lists again; it does not guarantee that a partially uploaded file resumes from its previous byte position.

After an interruption:

1. Open Cloud Drives.
2. Check the task status and transfer log.
3. Identify failed or restarted files.
4. Run the task again if it did not continue.
5. Verify file counts and several restored files at the destination.

Use a UPS during a multi-day initial upload and avoid installing firmware updates until the first cloud copy is complete.

How Do You Fix Common Cloud Backup Problems?

For transfer-specific performance problems, follow our guide to fix slow NAS cloud sync.

For jobs that fail despite a working connection, use the deeper NAS backup failure troubleshooting guide.

Backup requirements differ by model, particularly Docker availability for encrypted versioned backups. If that matters to your plan, browse and filter UGREEN NAS models and check the specification before buying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a UGREEN NAS back up to Google Drive automatically?

Yes. Cloud Drives can connect to Google Drive and run scheduled NAS-to-cloud synchronization. Because one-way synchronization follows source changes, keep Google Drive recovery features enabled and maintain another protected copy of critical data.

Does deleting a NAS file delete its cloud copy?

It depends on the provider and task rule. The general Cloud Drives one-way synchronization rule propagates source deletions. OneDrive’s NAS-to-cloud mode currently keeps the OneDrive copy by default, and that setting can be changed. For other providers, use versioning, deleted-file recovery, retention, or Object Lock.

Can a UGREEN NAS back up directly to iCloud Drive?

No. Cloud Drives does not connect directly to iCloud Drive. The UGREEN NAS mobile app can back up photos and videos available on an iPhone, but that does not reproduce the complete contents of iCloud Drive.