Frequently Asked Question

What Does Volume Encryption Mean on a QNAP NAS?

Volume encryption on QNAP NAS uses 256-bit AES encryption to secure the contents of your NAS volumes. To gain access to an encrypted volume, the correct password is essential. This feature ensures that your confidential data remains inaccessible even if the hard drives or the entire NAS system are compromised.

Points to Consider

• Supports both Static Volumes and Thin/Thick Volumes.
• Encryption settings must be done during the initial volume setup. These can't be altered or removed later.
• Removing encryption would mean erasing the entire volume, along with its data.
• If the encryption key is misplaced, decrypting the volume becomes impossible.

Steps to Establish an Encrypted Volume

• Navigate to Storage & Snapshots > Storage > Storage/Snapshots.
• Hit “Create” and then “New Volume.”

• Choose the type of volume (static, thin, or thick).

• Pick a minimum of one free disk and decide on the RAID type.

• In the “Configure” tab, select “Advanced Settings” and activate “Encryption.”

• Create an encryption password with 8 to 32 characters, which can be a mix of alphabets, numbers, and special characters. No spaces allowed.
• Opt for “Save encryption key” to keep the key on the NAS, if you'd like the volume to auto-unlock upon NAS startup. Otherwise, you'll need to enter the key manually every time the NAS is powered on.

• Validate your configurations and press “Finish.”

• Visit Storage & Snapshots > Storage > Storage/Snapshot.

How to Manage Your Encryption Key

After setting up the encrypted volume, the encryption can be managed as follows:

• Visit Storage & Snapshots > Storage > Storage/Snapshot.
• Choose the volume and click “Manage.”
  

• Click on “Actions” > “Encryption” and pick an action from the dropdown menu (Change, Download, Save, Lock/Unlock this Volume).

• From there, we can change the password, download the key (it will generate a “key” file that can be used to unlock the volume instead of typing the password), save the key on the NAS, or lock/unlock the volume.