NAS guides: duplicates, disk space and safe cleanup

Remove duplicate files on a Synology NAS

Cleaning your Synology but it stays full? The built-in tool only lists 5,000 duplicates per report, and you often have far more. Here's how to see them all and free real space, without risking a file.

Find and remove duplicate files on a QNAP NAS

Your QNAP keeps filling up with the same photos, videos and downloads? QuMagie only handles photos, and the rest means the command line. Here's how to find and clear every duplicate on a QNAP, safely and with no file limit.

Find and remove duplicate files on TrueNAS

Your TrueNAS pool keeps filling up and you assumed ZFS dedup handled duplicates? It doesn't touch your existing files. Here's how to actually find and remove duplicate files on TrueNAS, safely, without touching your pool.

Remove duplicate files on a UGREEN NAS

Your UGREEN NAS is filling up with the same photos and videos, but UGOS Pro has no duplicate finder yet? Here's how to find and remove every duplicate on a UGREEN NASync, safely, by content, with nothing to install on the NAS.

Your NAS is full: what to do first

Your NAS is out of space and the obvious fix is a new drive. Before you spend, here's where the space actually goes and how to reclaim gigabytes for free, starting with the biggest culprit: duplicate files.

How to find duplicate files reliably

Two files can have the same name and different content, or different names and identical content. Here's how to find real duplicates reliably, by size and by fingerprint, instead of guessing from filenames.

Why I built NAS Ranger

The story behind NAS Ranger. A NAS file tool that doesn't depend on your NAS brand, its apps or its firmware updates. Written in Rust, so it's fast, safe and tiny. No file limits, an import sorting gate, and bulk duplicate cleanup.

Find your NAS volume and share names

An app asks for your NAS share name and you're not sure what to type. Here's the difference between a volume, a share and a folder, and where to find the exact name on each brand of NAS.

SMB, AFP or NFS: which protocol to reach your NAS

Your NAS offers SMB, AFP and NFS and you just want to connect. Here's what each one is for, why SMB is the safe default on Windows, Mac and Linux today, and when NFS still makes sense.