This document compares two methods for backing up files from a Windows 11 computer to a Synology NAS: the Synology Drive client and MiniTool ShadowMaker. It provides step-by-step instructions for setting up backups and restoring files with each program. MiniTool ShadowMaker offers more backup options and management features than the free Synology Drive client, making it more full-featured for backing up multiple data types and devices. Both programs allow scheduling backups to keep files safely stored on the Synology NAS.

1. Title: [Compare 2 Ways] How to Perform SynologyBackupWindows11?
Keywords: synologybackupwindows11,windows11synologynas,synologydrive clientwindows
11, map synologydrive windows11, synologyactive backupforbusinesswindows11
Description: How to conduct Windows 11 SynologyBackupwithSynologyDrive Client(official) or
MiniTool ShadowMaker(professional)?Whichone isbetter?
URL: https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/synology-backup-windows-11.html
Summary: This article mainly teaches you how to back up files/folders from local Windows 11
computers to Synology NAS. It introduces two methods: with official Synology Drive Client and
professional MiniTool ShadowMaker. Besides, this post is involved in mapping Synology drive and
other Synology backup solutions.
Windows 11 Synology NAS is a network-attachedstorage providedbySynologytechnologyforthe
latestWindows11 operatingsystem(OS).Itcanbe usedas a destinationforstoringdatabackup
image files.Now,let’ssee how tobackupfiles ina Win11 computerto SynologyNAS.
How to Do Synology Backup Windows 11 with MiniTool ShadowMaker?
Since SynologyNASisjustastorage device,tocopy data to it,youneeda professionalandreliable
backupservice orbackup software like MiniToolShadowMaker,whichcanbackup files/folders,
partitions/volumes,OSes,andthe entire harddiskdrivesto remote sharedfoldersorNAS.
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How to Back up to Synology NAS Using MiniTool ShadowMaker?
1. Download,install,andlaunchMiniTool ShadowMaker onthe targetWindows11 PC.
2. If it requirespurchase,justclickthe KeepTrial optionto continue toenjoyitsfree trial
version.

2. 3. Whenenteringthe tool’smaininterface,clickthe Backuptab fromthe topmenu.
Alt=MiniTool ShadowMakerBackuptab
4. In the Backup tab,clickthe Source module andselect FoldersandFiles to selectthe items
you’dlike toprotect.

3. Alt=selectfoldersandfilesto backup
5. Clickthe Destinationmodule andchoose Shared> Add newto add your SynologyNASas a
backuptarget place.Youneedto input the NASpath,username,andpasswordtoadd the
NAS.

4. Alt=selectSynologyNASas abackup destination
6. Clickon the Schedule buttoninthe bottomleftof the Backup tab,switchon the schedule
settings inthe popup,andpickup a properbackup schedule,daily,weekly,monthly,oron
event.

5. Alt=setSynologyBackupschedule
7. Clickon the Scheme buttoninthe lowerleftof the Backupscreen,turn onscheme settings
fromits popup,andselecta backup scheme there, full backup,incremental backup,or
differentialbackup.

6. Alt=specifySynologybackuptype
8. Besides,clickthe Optionsbuttonfromthe lowerrightof the Backup tab andmanage the
backuptask and image there. Forexample,youcan determine backupimage size,
compress/comment/encrypt/verify abackupimage,excludecertaincontentfrombackup,
etc.

7. Alt=manage Synologybackupoptions
9. Finally,whenall settingsare done, justclickthe Backup Nowbuttonin the bottomright
corner tostart the backupprocess.
Wait until the backupprocessfinishes.
How to Restore Files from Synology NAS Relying on MiniTool ShadowMaker?
If you lose the source filesafterSynologybackupWindows11to NAS,don’tworry!You can restore
themwiththe remote backupimage withthe helpof the same backupapplication.
1. OpenMiniTool ShadowMakeron the targetcomputer.
2. Move to the Restore tab.
3. There,findthe SynologyNASbackuptaskandclickthe Restore buttonforthe task.
4. In the newwindow,all availableSynologybackupversionswillbe listed.Selectthe one you
prefertorestore.

8. Alt=selectSynologyrestore version
5. Selectthe filesyouwanttorestore fromthe selectedbackupimage version.

9. Alt=choose Synologyrestore files
6. Specifywhere you’dlike torestore the files,boththe source filelocationandanotherplace
are supported.

10. Alt=specifySynologyrestore targetlocation
7. Lastly,clickthe Commit buttonto start the restoration.
The time it costsfor restoringdependsonthe size of filesitwill restore. Justtake yourpatience!
Note:If yourWindows11 computeris corrupted and can’tstartup,you should installMiniTool
ShadowMakeron anotherworking computerand restoretheSynology backupimageto that
machine.If you wantto get thedataon thecrashed PC thatisn’tphysically damaged,just createa
bootableversion of MiniToolShadowMakerinto a USB diskon theworking computer,connectthe
bootableUSBto the crashed PC,and use MiniToolShadowMakerto backup theleft data outonto an
externalstoragedevice like anotherUSBdrive.
Map Synology Drive Windows 11
SynologyNASindows11is a kindof remote storage space,youhave to enteritsaddress,username,
and passwordeachtime youneedtouse it. Fortunately,thereisaway to mountitas a local drive
and take advantage of it justlike it’sanative harddrive!
1. OpenWindows11 File Explorer.
2. Clickon the See more (three dots) icononthe toolbar.
3. In the drop-downmenu,select Mapnetworkdrive.

11. Alt=map networkdrive
4. In the newpop, choose an available driveletterforthe Synologydrive andenteritsfolder
location.If youwantto keepthe mappedSynologydrive foralongtime,youneedtomake
sure Reconnect at sign-inoptionischecked.If not,youneedtoremap the Synologydrive
each time youopenyourcomputer.

12. Alt=whatnetworkfolderwouldyoulike tomap
5. Click Finishandwaitfor the successof the mappingprocess.
To learnmore detailsaboutmappingahard drive,please referto How to Map NetworkDrive
Windows10/11 viaExternal Hard Drives?
How to Do Synology Backup Windows 11 by Synology Drive Client?
SynologyDrive Client isadesktopapplicationthatallows youtobackupdataand synchronize files
on multiple clientPCstoa centralizedserver, SynologyDriveServer. Italsoenablesyoutobuild
schedule backupsandmake versionsof these filesthatcanbe restoredordownloadedwhen
necessary.
How to Specify a Backup via Synology Drive Client?
Before starting, if youhaven’thada SynologyDrive Client installedonyourcomputer,youneedto
downloadone fromitsofficial website.
1. VisitSynologyDownloadCenter.
2. Clickon the Selectyour product type drop-downmenuandselect NAS.
3. Clickon the Selectyour SynologyProduct drop-downmenuandchoose yourSynologyNAS
model.
4. Next,inthe default OperatingSystemtabunderthe searchresults,click the SelectDSM
Versiondrop-downmenuandpickupyour DSMversion.
5. Then,switchto the Desktop Utilitiestab,find SynologyDrive Client,andclickthe Download
button behindit.
6. In the popup,clickthe Download buttonforyour WindowsOS.

13. ALT=download SynologyDriveClient of differentsystem
Afterdownloading the SynologyDrive Client,installitonthe target computer.Then,followthe
belowstepstocreate a backupof filesusingthe installed SynologyDrive Client.
1. Open SynologyDrive Client andselectStartNow.
2. Connectthe SynologyNASrunning SynologyDrive Serverusingeitheritsdomainname, IP
address (IPv6supported),orQuickConnectID.Also,youcanclickon the Search (magnifier)
iconto search all SynologyNASonyour local area network (LAN).
3. Enter yourusername andpasswordandclick Next.

14. Alt=connecttoyour SynologyNAS
4. Whenit comesto choosingthe type of task,justselectthe second Backup Task and click
Next.
Alt=choose the type of taskin SynologyDrive Client
5. Customize yourbackupsource filesanddestination.There are defaultbackupsource files
and targetplace,if youwouldlike toalterthem, justcheckthe filesyouwantto back upand
uncheckthe items youdon’t.Clickthe Selectbuttonbehind the Backupdestinationto
choose anotherremote NAS locationforsaving the backupimage.

15. Alt=selectbackupsource anddestinationinSynologyDrive Client
6. Make backuprules. To personalizethe backupdetailsof thisbackuptask,justclickthe
Backup Rulesbuttonon the above screen.Inthe Backup Ruleswindow,youcan exclude
certainfilesfrombackedupbymaximumfile size (MB),filename,orfile extension.Also,you
can tick to back upfilesandfolderswith the prefix “.”and temporaryfiles/folders.
Moreover, youcan enable the Keeplocallydeletedfilesonthe remote backup destination
folderservice tomake sure the filesalreadybackeduptoSynologyNASwon’tbe removed
evenif youdelete the source onthe local machine.

16. Alt=make backuprulesinSynologyDrive Client
7. Click Apply> Next.
8. Selectbackupmode. There are three backupmodesavailable.
 Continuousbackup:backupwhenfileschange.
 Manual backup:back up onlywhenIclick“Back up now”.
 Scheduledbackup:backupon specificdaysandtimes.

17. Alt=choose backupmode inSynologyDrive Client
The firstcontinuousdatabackup ishighlyrecommendedforitassiststoavoidlosingdata.Yethere,
we will take the scheduledbackupfor example foritismore complex to setup.
9. Specify the backupday,start time,frequency,aswell as the endtime forSynologybackup
Windows11 schedule. Besides,there are twoextrautilitiesthatyoucanturn on.
 Shutdownautomaticallyafterrunningthe last backuptaskof the day
 Continue anyuncompletedbackuptaskswhenthe systemisinoperationagain

18. Alt=setbackupschedule
10. Next,previewyourbackuptaskand click Done to confirmand itwill startthe backup.
Duringthe backup process,youcan view itsprogressbyclickingonthe SynologyDrive Client iconin
the taskbar.Wait patientlyuntil itcompletes.If youhave setupthe shutdownservice above,you
can justleave todo otherbusinesses.
How to Download/Restore a Former Version of Synced Files from Synology Drive Server?
Then,let’ssee astep-by-stepguideforrestoringordownloadingapreviousversionof anitemfrom
itsbackup destination.
1. Launch SynologyDrive Client.
2. Go to the Backup Task tab and selectRestore.

19. Alt=restore backuptaskin SynologyDrive Client
3. Specifythe file(s)youwanttorecover.You are able to selecta particularversionof afile by
choosinga specificdate andtime fromthe top Time menu.
4. Finally,clickthe Restore optionbelowthe time menu.
Alt=restore aspecifictime versionof afile viaSynologyDrive Client

20. Similarly,youcandownloadaspecificversionof the file bysettingupthe time andclickingthe
Download buttonnexttothe Restore button.
MiniTool ShadowMaker vs Synology Drive Client
Afterlearninghowtobackupand restore fileswithbothMiniToolShadowMakerandSynologyDrive
Client,now,let’scompare these twoSynologybackupWindows11apps andsee the differences
betweenthem withinatable!
SynologyDrive Client MiniTool ShadowMaker
Free of charge Yes Yes
Backup source Files/folders  Files/folders
 Partitions/volumes
 Systems
 Entire disks
Backup destination SynologyNAS  SynologyNAS
 OtherbrandsNASlike
QNAP,Buffalo,WD,
Seagate, FreeNAS,etc.
 Remote Sharedfolders
 Local hard disks
Backup schedule  Daily
 Weekly
 Monthly
 Daily
 Weekly
 Monthly
 On userlogon/off
Backup type  Full backup
 Incremental backup
 Full backup
 Incremental backup
 Differential backup
Backup management No Yes
File sync Yes Yes
Additional features No  Remote computer
backup
 Bootable media
creator
 Diskclone
 PXE boot
 …
Accordingto the above comparison,itseemslikethatMiniTool ShadowMakerisabetterchoice than
SynologyDrive Client,especiallywhenyouwanttoback upmultiple typesof dataonyour Windows
11 PC, manage backups,anddo otherdata protection-relatedtasks.
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Synology Active Backup Windows 11
Synology Active Backupisaconsolidated/centralized,license-freebackupsuite forPCs,servers,
virtual machines(VMs), Hyper-V,Windowsendpoints,Microsoft365, MicrosoftG Suite,Google
Workspace, as well as othersoftware asa service (SaaS). ItcentralizesbackuptaskstoSynologyNAS
and allowsyoutomanage from one single console.Besides,reliableandquickrecovery isdelivered
to keeprunningservices,VMs,andfilesinstantlyavailable.

21. Synology Active Backup for Business Windows 11
SynologyActive BackupforBusinesscentralizesbackuptasksforphysical andvirtual environments
to keepyourdata and servicesalwaysavailable.Itbacksupyour businessinsteadof justyourdata
by protectingall yourdigital assetsthroughunlimitedbackupsforWindows/Linux devices,
VMware/Hyper-V,andfile servers.
https://www.minitool.com/news/synology-ds119j-compatible-hard-drives.html
Synology Backup Solutions
Synology’score backupappsprotectmore devices,online services,andDSMprograms,andprovide
newwaysto secure backuptasks.
#1 Active Backup for Business
A license-free backupforall PCs,servers,andvirtual machines.ItsupportsWindowsandLinux OSes,
AES-256 encryption,aswell asinstantrestore migration.
#2 Active Backup for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
Active Backup can migrate existingtaskswiththe new taskrelinkingutilityandmaintaincopiesof
your backupdata on anyotherSynologyNASwith the SnapshotReplicationfeature. Itprotectsfull
MicrosoftGroups includinggroupcalendarsandmailboxes.Also,itrecoversentire Googleand
Microsoft365 mailboxeswithasingle click.
#3 Hyper Backup
HyperBackup supportsbackingupmore DSM configurationsettingsand12 additional Synology
software packages,protectingaltogether38 packages.
https://www.minitool.com/news/synology-assistant.html
Conclusion
In additiontothe SynologybackupWindows11apps and services,there are still manytoolsthatcan
helpyouback upWindows11 to SynologyNASlike the Microsoftofficial Windows11 File History,
Windows11 Backup and Restore,andotherthird-partybackupprograms.