How to Reset Synology NAS without Losing Data?

Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) is a centralized storage system to store and manage data over a network. It is managed through DiskStation Manager (DSM) and supports network configuration, user authentication, and role-based access controls. Sometimes, severe performance degradation, firmware corruption, misconfigured upgrades, or lost login credentials can make your NAS device inaccessible. In such situations, resetting the Synology NAS is the most effective recovery mechanism. Synology provides two modes – Mode 1 and Mode 2 – in the DSM to reset the NAS. Let’s take a detailed look at these modes to reset Synology NAS without losing data.

Reasons to Reset Synology NAS

There are several situations where you need to reset the Synology NAS. Here are some common ones:

• Lost/forgotten the login credentials of the admin account due to which you are unable to access your account.
• Incorrect network configuration settings, like IP address, DNS server name, IPv4/IPv6 configuration, etc., because of which you are unable to access the NAS.
• Reset custom network configuration and settings to restore them to factory defaults before moving the NAS to another network.
• Reinstall DiskStation Manager (DSM) to troubleshoot system-related errors or problems such as lost configurations, etc.

How to Reset Synology NAS without Losing Data?

There are two ways (modes) provided by Synology to reset the Synology NAS device. Let’s look at them in detail.

Important: Though these modes don’t cause data loss, you should back up your important files and system configuration in case something goes wrong.

Mode 1: Reset Administrator Login Credentials and Network Settings

If you have forgotten or lost the login credentials of the admin account or want to reset network settings before moving the NAS to another network, you can use the Mode 1 to reset your Synology NAS. This will reset the admin account password and network configurations to factory defaults. Here’s what to do:

Note: Before you begin, find your Synology NAS device using the Web Assistant and ensure that it is shown there with its status marked as “Ready.”

• Locate the RESET button on your Synology NAS device. It is generally located on the backside.

Note: The exact location of the RESET button differs with the model of your NAS. You may refer to the hardware installation manual.

• Now, use a paper clip or a SIM card ejector tool to gently press the button. Hold it for approx. 4 seconds until you hear a beep. Release it immediately.
• Now, relaunch the Web Assistant and change its password. This will help keep your account safe, as the default password is easy to guess.
• Double-click on your NAS device from the list.

• The DiskStation login screen will appear. Enter the username as “admin” and leave the password field empty. Click on Sign in.

• You will see the Set a stronger password screen. Enter a strong password. Once you are done, click on Submit.

• Now, click on Log in Now and use the new password you just created to sign in. The DSM will appear.

If you were using a different name for your admin account, you can reset that account’s password from the Control Panel. For this:

• In DSM, Open Control Panel and click on User.

• Locate the previously used account and double-click on it.

• Enter a new password in the given field and confirm it. Click on OK.

• Now, log in to the Synology NAS using your account.

After doing this, you should also disable the default “admin” account. To do this:

• Click on Control Panel in DSM and then click on Users.
• Double-click on the “admin” account to open its details.
• Check the Disable this account option and select the Immediately option under it.
• Click OK.

This will disable the “admin” account.

Mode 2: Reset Synology NAS and Reinstall DSM

If you are facing errors while using your NAS or want to clear the system configuration to default, you can use the Mode 2. This mode wipes the existing copy of the DSM and reinstalls the latest copy. It also carries out the reset functions performed in Mode 1. This mode does not impact the data or erase it from the configured storage drives. However, you should back up your data using Hyper Backup or Backup & Replication before proceeding. Let’s take a look at the steps to reset Synology NAS and reinstall DSM:

• Locate the RESET button at the back of your Synology NAS device.

Note: If you are unable to locate the RESET button, check the product manual for the exact location of the button on your NAS device.

• Use a paper clip or a SIM card removal tool to gently press the RESET button. Hold it for around 4 seconds until you hear a beep. Release it.
• Immediately, press and hold the button again for another 4-5 seconds until you hear 3 beeps. Remove the pin to release the button.
• Wait for around 2 minutes. The STATUS light on the NAS device will begin blinking orange. This is an indicator of a successful reset and configuration wipe.

• Now, reinstall the DSM. For this, go to find.synology.com to open Synology Web Assistant. Depending on the type of your device, it will be listed as either DiskStation, RackStation, or FlashStation. Its status will be shown as “Configuration Lost.”

• Double-click on your NAS to begin reinstalling the DSM. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the operation.

After this, you will need to reconfigure various system settings, admin accounts, etc.

What to do if Synology NAS becomes Inaccessible after Reset?

Resetting the Synology NAS by using the above mentioned modes do not cause data loss. But sometimes, problems with the NAS device occur after resetting it. For example, users may be unable to connect to it via the Web Assistant. With RAID-based NAS or SHR, the existing storage pool may show as “Not Initialized“, preventing the storage from booting up.

In such a scenario, you can take the help of Stellar Toolkit for Data Recovery. It is a powerful NAS data recovery software that you can use to recover data from inaccessible or non-booting Synology NAS device. Its advanced algorithms perform a byte-level scan to locate the data and recover it with 100% accuracy. The tool also supports NAS drives set up as SHR-1 and SHR-2, and RAID-based NAS devices.

Stellar Toolkit for Data Recovery can recover data from crashed or degraded RAID-0, 5, or 6 arrays, or traditional storage media, including HDDs, SSDs, flash drives, SD cards, and CDs/DVDs.

Here are some features of this powerful NAS data recovery software:

• Simplifies data recovery from NAS devices
• Online recovery from NAS devices over the local network using the SSH protocol
• Recovers accidentally deleted files from network-attached storage devices
• Supports recovery from various virtual machine image files, including VMDK, VDI, VHD, & VHDX
• Recovers data from HDDs, SSDs, flash drives, etc.
• Compatible with NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, APFS, HFS, HFS+, Ext4, Ext3, and Ext2 formatted storage devices

Watch this video to see how Stellar Toolkit for Data Recovery recovers data from inaccessible Synology NAS.

Final Word

You can reset Synology NAS without losing data by using the two modes provided by Synology. Mode 1 is used when you need to reset admin login credentials or move the NAS to another network. Mode 2 is used to reset the system configuration or when you want to reinstall DSM.

However, you should back up your NAS data and system configuration before resetting the NAS. This will be helpful if anything goes wrong during the reset process or failed initialization afterward. If the NAS becomes inaccessible, you can use Stellar Toolkit for Data Recovery. It is a powerful NAS data recovery tool developed to recover data from unbootable, inaccessible, or crashed NAS devices of different brands, such as Synology, QNAP, and ASUSTOR.

FAQ