Hyper Backup is Synology's primary backup tool. It provides scheduled, versioned, deduplicated backup from your Synology NAS to local external drives, remote NAS units, rsync targets, or cloud storage (Backblaze B2, Amazon S3, Synology C2, and others). This guide covers the three most common Hyper Backup configurations: NAS-to-USB-drive for local backup, NAS-to-cloud for offsite backup, and NAS-to-NAS for second-site replication. These three, combined, form a complete 3-2-1 backup implementation on Synology hardware.
In short: Open Hyper Backup → Backup Wizard → choose your destination (USB drive, cloud, or remote NAS) → select shared folders to back up → set your schedule and retention policy → run an initial backup. The backup wizard is the clearest path through the initial configuration; Configure compression and client-side encryption during task creation; settings such as the integrity-check schedule can be modified later.
Hyper Backup vs Snapshot Replication vs Active Backup
Synology provides several backup tools with different purposes:
- Hyper Backup: Backs up NAS folders to an external destination (USB, cloud, remote NAS). Versioned backup. Keeps multiple restore points. Best for: offsite backup, cloud backup, protecting NAS data against drive failure or ransomware
- Snapshot Replication: Btrfs filesystem snapshots. Point-in-time recovery of supported shared folders and LUNs on Btrfs volumes. Near-instantaneous, low overhead. Best for: rapid recovery from accidental deletion or ransomware when the snapshot folder is isolated
- Active Backup for Business: Agent-based backup of Windows PCs and physical servers, plus agentless backup of supported VMware and Hyper-V virtual machines. Microsoft 365 requires the separate Active Backup for Microsoft 365 package. This backs up your computers to the NAS. Different direction. Best for: business PC protection
This guide covers Hyper Backup. Snapshot Replication can complement Hyper Backup for fast local recovery, but a 3-2-1 strategy still requires three copies across at least two different devices or media, with one copy offsite.
Step 1: Install Hyper Backup
Hyper Backup is a Package Center application:
- Open Package Center in DSM
- Search for Hyper Backup
- Install. Approximately 60MB
Cloud destinations require the relevant provider account and authorization or credentials; Hyper Backup Vault is used when another Synology NAS is the destination. For Backblaze B2, you need a Backblaze account and an Application Key. For Synology C2, a Synology account. For Amazon S3, AWS IAM credentials. Create these accounts/credentials before starting the backup wizard to avoid interruption.
Step 2: NAS-to-USB Local Backup
Connect an external USB drive to the Synology NAS. Hyper Backup supports ext4, Btrfs, FAT, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, and PetaSpace backup destinations; multi-version local or USB backups are stored in Synology's .hbk format.
- Open Hyper Backup and click the + button → Data backup task
- Select Local folder & USB
- Choose the USB drive as the destination. Create a subfolder name (e.g.
hyper-backup) - Select the shared folders to back up. Include all folders with important data. Hyper Backup includes supported system configurations in its backup versions by default; DSM also provides a separate Configuration Backup facility.
- Set your backup schedule. Daily at a time when the NAS is idle (e.g. 3:00 AM)
- Set retention policy. Number of backup versions to keep. Keeping seven daily versions provides roughly one week of daily recovery points.
- Enable Client-side encryption with a strong passphrase. Essential if the USB drive might leave your premises
Run the initial backup manually via Back Up Now. For large data volumes (multi-TB), the initial backup takes hours. Run it when NAS can be left undisturbed.
Step 3: NAS-to-Cloud Offsite Backup
Offsite cloud backup protects against local disasters (fire, theft, flood). Backblaze B2 is the most cost-effective option for most users ($0.006/GB/month, free egress for the first 3× stored).
- Create a Backblaze account at backblaze.com. Under App Keys, create an application key with Read/Write access to the specific bucket and enable Allow List All Bucket Names so Hyper Backup can select it.
- Create a new bucket in Backblaze (type: Private) with Object Lock disabled unless you want immutable backups
- In Hyper Backup, select + → Data backup task → S3 Storage, then choose Custom Server URL, enter the Backblaze B2 S3 endpoint, and select Signature Version v4.
- Enter your Backblaze Application Key ID and Application Key. Select your bucket
- Select folders, set schedule, enable encryption with a passphrase you can remember (and have stored separately)
For 1 TB, Backblaze B2 storage is USD $6 per month before currency conversion, tax, and any chargeable excess egress. Initial backup speed is limited by your NBN upload speed. A 1TB initial backup at 20Mbps upload takes approximately 110 hours. Plan for this over several days.
Step 4: Restore Testing
A backup that has never been tested is not a backup. After the initial backup completes, test restoration:
- In Hyper Backup, right-click the backup task → Restore
- Select specific files or folders to restore (not the full volume. Test with a sample folder)
- Choose a destination (restore to original location or an alternate path)
- Verify the restored files are intact and accessible
Also use the Integrity Check feature: right-click the task → Integrity check. Integrity Check verifies the index structure and, when Check data is enabled, examines backup data for restorability; a time-limited check may not inspect all data in one run. Schedule integrity checks monthly or quarterly. Without regular integrity checks, you may discover a backup is corrupt only when you need it.
🇦🇺 Australian Buyers: Costs and Cloud Options
Cloud backup cost comparison for Australian users (March 2026 AUD):
- Backblaze B2: ~$0.009/GB/month (~$9/TB/month). Standard B2 includes free monthly egress up to three times average stored data; additional direct egress is charged. Best value for large backups
- Synology C2 Storage: New C2 Storage purchases use C2 OneStorage; current cost depends on selected capacity, billing term, tax, and data centre and should be checked in Synology's pricing calculator. Native Synology integration; new subscribers can select Europe or US data centres, while APAC-Taiwan remains available only to existing subscribers.
- Amazon S3 (standard): ~$0.033/GB/month (more expensive, not recommended for bulk backup. Do not move Hyper Backup repositories to Amazon Glacier; Synology documents that doing so may cause the related backup task to fail.)
- Wasabi is S3-compatible and advertises no egress fees, subject to fair-use terms, a 1 TB monthly minimum, and a 90-day minimum storage duration.
Hyper Backup supports all of the above. Backblaze B2 and Wasabi are the most cost-effective for large volumes. Synology C2 is convenient for smaller backups and users who prefer Synology's support ecosystem.
See the 3-2-1 backup strategy guide for how to structure local, offsite, and cloud backup together, and the Synology Australia guide for model recommendations.
Scheduling and Retention: The Settings Most Guides Skip
Hyper Backup scheduling is configurable; confirm the selected time and frequency when creating the task. For most home users this is fine, but it means backups run during typical off-peak NBN hours when upload speeds may actually be faster. The more important setting is retention policy under Rotation Settings. If backup rotation is disabled, versions can continue accumulating until destination capacity or quota is exhausted; configure rotation and storage-usage alerts.
A sensible retention policy for home use: keep daily backups for 30 days, weekly backups for 3 months, and monthly backups for 1 year. This gives you granular recovery options for accidental deletions within the last month, while keeping long-term backup versions at a manageable storage cost. Set this under Task Settings > Rotation > Customized retention policy; Smart Recycle does not implement a monthly-for-one-year rule.
A full destination can stop backups; enable Hyper Backup's excessive-storage-usage alert and configure DSM notification delivery so warnings are surfaced. Enable email or push notifications for backup failure under DSM > Notification > Rules, and set a destination storage alert at 80% full.
How Long Will the Initial Hyper Backup Take on Australian NBN?
The initial Hyper Backup run to cloud (Synology C2, Backblaze B2, or similar) transfers your entire backup set over NBN. Upload speed is the bottleneck, not the NAS. At a sustained 5 Mbps upload rate, theoretical transfer is about 54 GB per 24 hours before protocol and workload overhead; actual upload speed varies by plan, access technology, provider, and connection conditions. A 500 GB NAS backup takes roughly 10 days to complete the first time. On an NBN 50 service, upload speed depends on the retail plan and access technology; use the measured sustained upload rate to estimate completion time.
Subsequent incremental backups are much faster because Hyper Backup only uploads changed blocks, not whole files. A daily incremental of 5 to 10 GB new data completes in 2 to 4 hours overnight on NBN 25. The practical advice: schedule the initial Hyper Backup to start on a Friday evening and run undisturbed over the weekend. Do not interrupt it.
Hyper Backup Initial Upload Time by NBN Plan and Library Size
| 100 GB library | 500 GB library | 2 TB library | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBN 25 (5 Mbps upload) | ~44 hours | ~9 days | ~37 days |
| 10 Mbps sustained upload | ~22 hours | ~5 days | ~19 days |
| NBN 100 (20 Mbps upload) | ~11 hours | ~56 hours | ~9 days |
| NBN 250 (25 Mbps upload) | ~9 hours | ~45 hours | ~7 days |
Verifying Backups: How to Confirm Hyper Backup Is Working
Setting up Hyper Backup is not enough. Backups that have never been restored are not confirmed backups. At minimum, test a restore quarterly: open Hyper Backup, select the backup task, click Restore, and recover a single test file or folder to a temporary location. Confirm the restored file opens correctly. This tests that the selected file and its recovery path are working; it does not establish that the entire repository is uncorrupted.
Hyper Backup includes a built-in integrity check under the task context menu (right-click > Data Integrity Check). Run this monthly for local backup targets and quarterly for cloud targets. If an integrity check finds a problem, the task enters restore-only state; it does not automatically re-back up affected files.
Use our free NAS Sizing Wizard to get a personalised NAS recommendation.
Related reading: our NAS buyer's guide, our 3-2-1 backup guide, and our NAS explainer.
See also: our complete Synology NAS Australia guide.
See also: our full Backup and Disaster Recovery guide.
How long does Hyper Backup take?
The initial backup time depends on data volume and destination speed. Local USB backup time varies with the drive, interface, file mix, NAS load, compression, encryption, and deduplication; estimate it using measured throughput for the intended setup. For cloud backup: limited by NBN upload speed. At 20Mbps (NBN 100): 1TB takes approximately 110 hours (4-5 days running continuously). Subsequent incremental backups are much faster. Only changed files are transferred. Run the initial cloud task continuously or use the provider's supported seed/import procedure where available; a normal local backup task cannot simply be switched to a cloud destination.
Does Hyper Backup encrypt data?
Yes. Enable client-side encryption in the backup task settings. Encryption uses AES-256 with a passphrase you set. Encrypted backups cannot be read without the passphrase. Store it securely (in your password manager) and separately from the NAS. For cloud destinations, encryption is strongly recommended. Your encrypted data on Backblaze B2 or S3 is unreadable to the storage provider without your passphrase.
Can I access Hyper Backup files directly without restoring?
No. Multi-version Hyper Backup tasks use Synology's .hbk format and are not directly browsable as ordinary files; single-version local or USB tasks retain the original formats and folder structure. Use Hyper Backup, Hyper Backup Explorer, or Hyper Backup Vault to browse or retrieve supported multi-version backup contents. This is why integrity checks are important: you cannot manually verify backup data by browsing it. Use Hyper Backup Explorer (a downloadable utility from Synology) to browse backup contents on a PC without the NAS, useful for disaster recovery when the NAS itself is unavailable.
How many versions should I keep in Hyper Backup?
A practical minimum is 7 daily versions (one week of recovery points). A better practice for ransomware protection is 30 daily versions. Ransomware sometimes lies dormant before encrypting files, and you want to be able to restore from before infection. The storage overhead of versioning depends on how much data changes daily. For mostly-static NAS storage, the deduplication in Hyper Backup means versioning overhead is modest. Files that haven't changed don't consume additional space per version.
Can Hyper Backup back up to a second Synology NAS?
Yes. Hyper Backup supports backing up to a remote Synology via rsync or Synology's proprietary Hyper Backup Vault protocol. The destination NAS must have Hyper Backup Vault installed (free from Package Center). This enables NAS-to-NAS backup over the local network or internet. Useful for households with two Synology units, or for backing up to a family member's NAS at a different location. Internet backup requires the destination to be securely reachable, such as through a VPN or suitable routed access; DDNS is optional when addressability is handled another way.
What is the difference between Hyper Backup and Snapshot Replication?
Hyper Backup creates versioned backup archives on an external drive, USB, or cloud service. It is designed for disaster recovery: if the NAS itself fails, you restore from the Hyper Backup archive. Snapshot Replication creates instant point-in-time copies of a shared folder within the same NAS or to a second Synology NAS. Local snapshots on the same NAS do not protect against failure of that NAS, while replicated snapshots on a separate Synology NAS can provide protection and failover. Most users should run both: Hyper Backup for offsite disaster recovery and Snapshot Replication for quick file recovery within the same system.
Can Hyper Backup back up to Google Drive or Dropbox directly?
Hyper Backup supports Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Synology C2, Microsoft Azure, and other S3-compatible services; Microsoft OneDrive is supported by Synology Cloud Sync, not Hyper Backup. Backblaze B2 is the most cost-effective option for Australian users needing long-term storage: around USD $0.006 per GB per month, with no download fees if you use their Cloudflare-partnered free egress. Synology C2 is the most integrated option if you want Hyper Backup to work with zero additional configuration.
Does Hyper Backup encrypt backup data before uploading to the cloud?
Yes, if you enable client-side encryption during task setup. This encrypts the backup data locally on the NAS before it is transmitted, meaning the cloud provider cannot read your files. Hyper Backup downloads the private encryption-key file to your computer; a password-encrypted copy of the private key is also stored at the backup destination. If you lose both the encryption password and the downloaded encryption key, the backup data cannot be recovered. Write the encryption key down and store it separately from the NAS.
Planning how much storage you need for Hyper Backup versions and cloud costs? The Backup Storage Calculator estimates total storage based on your data size, change rate, and retention policy.