You have just unboxed a Ugreen (a Chinese electronics brand that released its first NAS products in 2020-21) NAS, which is a network-attached storage device that connects to your home router and lets every computer, phone, and TV on your network access the same files and backups. UGOS Pro (Ugreen's own NAS operating system) is the software that runs on it. This guide walks through the full setup from start to finish: inserting and formatting the drives, creating your storage pool, setting up shared folders, managing user accounts, and getting remote access working so you can reach your files from anywhere.
In short: Power on the NAS, connect via browser at the local IP, run the setup wizard to create a storage pool, set up your user account, create shared folders with SMB (the network file-sharing protocol Windows uses) enabled, and map drives from Windows. UGOS Pro's wizard is closer to Synology's (one of the leading NAS brands) guided simplicity than QNAP's (another established NAS brand) complexity. Initial setup time varies with firmware updates, storage configuration, and the options selected.
UGOS Pro: What's Available
UGOS Pro's feature set as of early 2026:
- File Manager: Web-based file browser with drag-and-drop upload, folder sharing, and basic media preview
- SMB file sharing: Windows-compatible SMB shares for mapped drives and network storage
- Container Manager: Docker (software that runs applications in isolated containers) and Docker Compose management. Support for compatible Docker containers
- Backup: Scheduled backup to USB drives and rsync targets; Cloud Drives supports scheduled synchronisation with Amazon S3 and Backblaze B2 on current firmware
- Photos: Photo management with automatic mobile backup via the UGREEN NAS mobile app
- Remote Access: Ugreen's relay-based remote access service (requires Ugreen account)
- App Center: Growing catalogue of native UGOS apps, though smaller than Synology Package Center or QNAP App Center
UGOS Pro is the most rapidly developing NAS OS in the market. Feature additions have been frequent since launch. Check Ugreen's changelog for current capabilities, as features added since this guide was written may not be reflected here.
Step 1: Initial Setup Wizard
After connecting drives and powering on the Ugreen NAS:
- Find the NAS IP on your router's DHCP client list, or use the UGREEN NAS mobile app (iOS/Android), or visit find.ugnas.com from the same local network
- Access the setup wizard at
http://[NAS-IP]in a browser - Create an admin account: username and strong password
- The wizard guides you through drive detection and storage pool creation
Step 2: Create a Storage Pool
Storage pools in UGOS Pro combine drives into a unified storage resource with RAID protection:
- In the Storage Manager, select detected drives
- Choose RAID level: RAID 1 (2 drives, mirrors. Each file stored on both drives, survives 1 failure), RAID 5 (3+ drives, distributed parity, tolerates one drive failure), or JBOD/single for non-redundant configurations
- Select filesystem: Btrfs is recommended. Supports snapshots, data integrity checksums, and is the modern choice for NAS storage
- Confirm and initialise. For large drives, initialisation takes several minutes
After creating the storage pool and volume, create a personal or shared folder before storing files. You can also create additional shared volumes with different purposes (e.g. a separate volume for Docker container data).
Step 3: Create Shared Folders and Users
Create shared folders for your use cases:
- Open Files → click + → Create a New Shared Folder
- Name the folder (e.g.
Documents,Media,Backups) - Enable SMB under Control Panel → File Service → SMB, then grant the relevant users access to the shared folder
- Enable Recycle Bin for accidental deletion recovery
- Set permissions: who can access and whether they have read or read/write access
For user management: Control Panel → User Management → Users → Add → Create. Assign each user to the shared folders they need access to. For a home user, the admin account accessing all folders is sufficient. For multi-user homes or small offices, create individual user accounts with scoped permissions.
Step 4: Map Windows Drives
On Windows, map NAS shares as network drives:
- Open File Explorer → right-click This PC → Map network drive
- Choose a drive letter (e.g. Z:)
- Path:
\\[NAS-IP]\Documents(replace with your share name) - Check Reconnect at sign-in and Connect using different credentials if using a NAS user account different from your Windows login
- Enter NAS username and password when prompted
On Mac: Finder → Go → Connect to Server → smb://[NAS-IP]/Documents. For automatic reconnect on Mac, add the NAS share to Login Items after connecting.
Step 5: Docker with Container Manager
UGOS Pro's Container Manager provides Docker and Docker Compose management without SSH or command line:
- Install and open Docker from App Center
- The dashboard shows running containers, CPU/RAM usage, and images
- For a single container, download the image under Image, then open Container → Create and select it from Local. For Docker Compose, open Project → Create and provide the Compose YAML configuration.
Container Manager's Compose support handles multi-container stacks well. Bind mounts use UGOS Pro paths: /volume1/docker/appname/config for NAS-hosted configuration folders. The interface is cleaner than QNAP Container Station for Compose stack deployment and closer to Portainer's stack management UI in workflow.
Step 6: Remote Access
UGOS Pro provides remote access via Ugreen's relay service (similar to Synology QuickConnect or QNAP myQNAPcloud):
- Create a free Ugreen account at ugreen.com
- In UGOS Pro, go to Control Panel → Device Connection → Remote Access and enable UGREENlink
- Enable the remote access service. Your NAS receives a unique access URL
- Access UGOS Pro from any browser at the provided URL, or via the Ugreen mobile app
The relay service works behind CGNAT. Performance is limited by your NBN upload speed and relay overhead. NGINX Proxy Manager alone does not provide remote connectivity through CGNAT; it also requires a suitable public-IP, port-forwarding, or tunnel arrangement and careful security configuration. Same approach as other self-hosted NAS services.
🇦🇺 Australian Buyers: Current Ugreen NAS Models
As of August 2026, UGREEN's Australian online store lists five NAS models: the DXP2800 GT, DXP4800 GT, DXP4800 Pro, DH2300 and DH4300 Plus.
- Ugreen DXP2800 (2-bay): Intel Processor N100, 8GB DDR5, 1 × 2.5GbE. Entry 2-bay with strong hardware for the price
- Ugreen DXP4800 (4-bay): Intel Celeron N100, 8GB DDR5, 2 × 2.5GbE. , direct competitor to DS423+ and TS-464
- Ugreen DXP4800 Plus (4-bay): Intel Pentium Gold 8505, 8GB DDR5, 1 × 2.5GbE + 1 × 10GbE. Performance tier. Significantly more powerful than Celeron models
- Ugreen DXP6800 Pro (6-bay): Intel Core i5-1235U, 8GB DDR5, 2 × 10GbE
- Ugreen DXP8800 Pro (8-bay): Same Core i5 platform, 8-bay for high-capacity storage
Ugreen NAS units are available directly from the Ugreen AU online store and select Australian retailers. Check Ugreen's AU website for current pricing and availability. Ugreen pricing is competitive and has been subject to promotional discounts.
See the Ugreen NAS Australia guide for a full model comparison, warranty details, and AU support information.
Related reading: our NAS buyer's guide and our NAS explainer.
Use our free NAS Sizing Wizard to get a personalised NAS recommendation.
See also: our complete UGREEN NAS Australia guide.
Looking for UGREEN accessories?
UGREEN also makes chargers, power banks, USB-C docks, wireless chargers, Ethernet adapters and storage accessories. We have sorted the Australian range into the products actually worth considering.
Browse UGREEN accessories →Is UGOS Pro as good as Synology DSM?
Not yet in overall maturity, but closing the gap. DSM has 15+ years of development and the deepest app ecosystem. UGOS Pro is newer but has launched with competitive core features. File sharing, Docker support, backup, and remote access are all functional. The gap is most noticeable in backup software depth (Hyper Backup's versioning and integrity checking is more mature than UGOS backup), app ecosystem breadth, and advanced features like Active Backup for Business. For users who primarily want file sharing, Docker containers, and photo backup, UGOS Pro is ready. For enterprise-oriented backup or advanced Synology-specific features, DSM remains ahead.
Can I run Docker on a Ugreen NAS?
Yes. The Docker app is installed from UGOS Pro's App Center and supports containers and Docker Compose projects. Compatible Docker images can run when they support the NAS processor architecture and are configured with the required ports, volumes, environment variables and permissions. The Container Manager UI handles stack deployment cleanly. For homelab Docker use, practical container capacity depends on each application's CPU, memory, storage and concurrent-user demands.
Does Ugreen NAS support Time Machine for Mac backup?
Yes. UGOS Pro supports Time Machine backup via SMB. Enable SMB and Bonjour under Control Panel → File Service → SMB, then use Set time machine folder to select or create the backup shared folder. Ugreen's Time Machine implementation follows the same standard as Synology and QNAP.
How does Ugreen's warranty work in Australia?
UGREEN's published NAS warranty is two years for DH/DX and most DXP models, and three years for DXP6800/DXP8800 series devices; Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees apply independently. Warranty service is handled through Ugreen's AU support channels. Contact details are on the Ugreen AU website. As a newer brand in the AU NAS market, Ugreen's local support network is less established than Synology's AU presence, but the direct-from-manufacturer channel is straightforward for warranty claims. Retain your purchase receipt.
Is UGOS Pro suitable for a small business?
For basic SMB use. File sharing, user accounts, backup. Yes. UGOS Pro supports SMB shares with per-user permissions, which covers most small office file server requirements. What it currently lacks versus Synology for business: no Active Backup for Business equivalent (agent-based PC backup), less mature AD domain integration, and a smaller third-party app ecosystem for business applications. For a small team (2-10 users) needing file sharing and basic backup, UGOS Pro is viable and the hardware price/performance is strong. For larger teams or complex backup requirements, Synology remains the more proven choice.
Comparing Ugreen against Synology and QNAP for your use case? The Ugreen NAS Australia guide covers all current models, software capabilities, and how UGOS Pro stacks up against DSM and QTS.