How to Set Up Automated Backups for Brisbane Home Office Photos and Documents to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) Device

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Set Up Automated Backups for Brisbane Home Office Photos and Documents to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) Device. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Backing up your home office photos and documents to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device ensures your critical business data remains safe even if your computer fails. By automating this process, you remove the risk of forgetting to back up important files and provide a local recovery point for accidental deletions or hardware failure.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Ensure your NAS is connected to your local network and powered on.
2. Create a dedicated backup share and user account on your NAS device.
3. Identify the folders containing your photos and documents (e.g., C:\Users\YourName\Pictures).
4. Map your NAS as a network drive on your computer.
5. Configure your operating system's backup tool to schedule automatic copies to the NAS.
6. Run a test backup to verify files are transferring correctly.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Map your NAS as a network drive

Before you can automate backups, your computer needs a consistent way to access the NAS storage.

1. Open File Explorer on Windows or Finder on macOS.
2. On Windows, right-click This PC and select Map network drive. On macOS, select Go from the menu bar and click Connect to Server.
3. Enter the network path to your NAS shared folder (e.g., \\NAS-NAME\Backups).
4. Select Reconnect at sign-in (Windows) or check Remember this password in my keychain (macOS).
5. Click Finish or Connect.

Step 2: Configure automatic backups on Windows

Windows includes a built-in tool called File History that is ideal for scheduling backups of photos and documents.

1. Open Settings and navigate to Update & Security > Backup.
2. Under Back up using File History, click Add a drive.
3. Select your mapped NAS drive from the list.
4. Click More options to customise the backup schedule.
5. Set Back up my files to Every hour or Daily.
6. Review the default folders included in File History (Documents, Pictures, etc.) and use the Exclude these folders list to remove any you do not need.
7. Click Back up now to start the first synchronisation.

Step 3: Configure automatic backups on macOS

While Time Machine is designed for external drives, you can use it with a NAS or use third-party synchronisation software for more control over specific folders.

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
2. Navigate to General > Time Machine.
3. Click Add Backup Disk or Select Disk.
4. Choose your NAS volume from the available network disks.
5. Toggle Back Up Automatically to On.
6. To back up specific folders only, click Options and use the + button to exclude folders you do not need.

Troubleshooting

NAS drive not appearing in backup settings

• Ensure your computer and NAS are on the same local network.
• Check that the NAS is not in sleep mode.
• Verify the network credentials are correct and saved in your system keychain or credential manager.
• Try accessing the NAS via its IP address instead of the device name.

Backup failing or timing out

• Check if there is sufficient free space on the NAS.
• Ensure your Wi-Fi signal is strong; for large photo libraries, a wired Ethernet connection is recommended.
• Restart both the NAS device and your computer.

For related guidance on portable storage, see our article How to backup photos to external drive.

If you encounter issues during setup, please Open a Ticket for assistance from our Brisbane support team.

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