How to Share a NAS Drive with Proxmox (NFS and SMB)

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By the end of this guide you will have a NAS share mounted inside Proxmox as a proper storage backend — visible in the Datacenter storage list and ready to hold VM backups, ISO images, container templates, or even live VM disks. The guide covers both the NFS path (the recommended default for Linux-only environments) and the SMB/CIFS path (better when Windows or macOS clients also need the same share).

What you need before you start

• A working NAS (Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS, Unraid, or any device that can export NFS or SMB shares)
• A Proxmox VE node reachable on the same LAN as the NAS — if you’re still setting that up, see Best Mini PCs for Proxmox Homelabs for hardware ideas
• A dedicated NAS hard drive inside your NAS — purpose-built NAS drives are rated for 24/7 operation in ways that desktop drives are not (the two most common choices are the WD Red Plus and the Seagate IronWolf, both CMR, both rated for 180 TB/year workloads at home NAS scale)
• The static IP address of your NAS (set a DHCP reservation on your router so this never changes)
• Admin credentials for both your NAS web UI and Proxmox

A quick orientation: the Proxmox web UI storage menus

If you are new to Proxmox, the web interface lives at https://YOUR-PROXMOX-IP:8006. Everything in this guide happens in one place: the left-hand tree. At the very top of that tree you will see Datacenter — this is the cluster-wide settings level, above any individual node. Click it, then look at the tabs that appear in the main panel on the right. One of them is Storage. That tab is where all NAS shares are registered. Any storage you add here automatically becomes available to every node in your cluster without you having to repeat the process per node.

The other menu you will visit is the Shell for your individual node (click your node name in the left tree, then click Shell in the tabs). You will use it briefly to verify the NAS is reachable before adding it through the GUI.

NFS or SMB: which should you pick?

NFS (Network File System) is the better default when all your clients are Linux — which is exactly the situation with Proxmox. NFS has less protocol overhead than SMB, and it handles the root-owned files Proxmox writes more simply, which makes it the more predictable choice for VM storage. A single NFS share can simultaneously hold VM disk images, ISO installer files, LXC container templates, VZDump backup archives, and cloud-init snippets — every content type Proxmox understands.

SMB/CIFS is the right pick when the same share also needs to be reached from Windows or macOS machines on the network, or when your NAS does not have a good NFS implementation. SMB3 includes built-in encryption, which NFS requires extra Kerberos configuration to match. On a gigabit network the raw speed difference between the two is small, so choose based on which machines need the share rather than on speed.

This guide walks through the NFS path first (Steps 1–6), then the SMB path as an alternative (Steps 7–10). Follow whichever matches your needs; the Proxmox-side steps are almost identical.

Part A: Sharing a NAS drive over NFS

Step 1: Create a dedicated shared folder on your NAS

Log in to your NAS web interface. The exact menu name varies by brand but the concept is the same everywhere:

• Synology DSM: Control Panel → Shared Folder → Create → Create Shared Folder. Give it a name like proxmox. Disable the recycle bin — Proxmox creates and deletes many small files during normal operation and the recycle bin will fill up fast. Skip folder encryption unless you have a specific reason for it.
• QNAP QTS: Control Panel → Shared Folders → Create a shared folder. Assign read/write access to your administrator account, then click Finish.
• TrueNAS SCALE: Datasets → Add Dataset. Give it a name, leave the type as Generic for NFS use. Once created, go to Shares → Unix (NFS) Shares → Add to expose it.
• Unraid: If you already have a user share defined, you can export it directly. Otherwise go to Shares → Add Share.

The goal is a named folder that exists on one of your NAS hard drives and is ready to be exported over the network. Make a note of the full path the NAS shows you — on Synology this looks like /volume1/proxmox, on TrueNAS it might be /mnt/pool/proxmox. You will need this exact path in Step 3.

Step 2: Enable NFS and grant permission to your Proxmox IP

NFS uses IP-based access control rather than usernames and passwords, so you need to tell your NAS which machine is allowed to connect.

• Synology DSM: Control Panel → File Services → NFS → tick Enable NFS service. Set the Maximum NFS protocol — NFSv4.1 is the best option if your NAS supports it; NFSv3 is the safe fallback. Click Apply. Next, go back to Control Panel → Shared Folder, select your proxmox folder, click Edit → NFS Permissions tab → Create. Enter the IP address of your Proxmox node in the Hostname or IP field. Set Squash to No mapping (this is critical — see the gotcha box below). Set Security to sys. Save.
• QNAP QTS: Control Panel → Network & File Services → Win/Mac/NFS/WebDAV → NFS Service → Enable NFS. Then go to your shared folder, edit its NFS permissions, and add your Proxmox IP with read/write rights. Set the Squash option to NO_ROOT_SQUASH for that IP.
• TrueNAS SCALE: In the NFS share you created, add your Proxmox node’s IP to the Networks or Hosts field. Under Advanced Options, set Maproot User to root and Maproot Group to root, so requests from Proxmox’s root user are not squashed.
• Unraid: In Settings → NFS, enable NFS, then open the share and set Export to Yes. Unraid’s Public NFS mode maps every user to nobody, which breaks container storage, so set NFS Security to Private and add the rule 192.168.1.X(sec=sys,rw,no_root_squash), using your Proxmox node’s IP.

The single biggest gotcha: root_squash. Most NAS devices enable root_squash by default on NFS exports. This setting re-maps any request arriving as root to an anonymous, unprivileged user — which sounds safe, but Proxmox writes VM disk images as root, so root_squash silently blocks writes and causes confusing permission-denied errors. The fix is to set the squash mode to No mapping (Synology) or no_root_squash (TrueNAS, Linux NFS servers) on the export for your Proxmox IP.

Step 3: Verify the NFS export is visible from Proxmox

Before touching the Proxmox GUI, confirm the NAS is actually reachable. In Proxmox, click your node name in the left tree, then click Shell. Run:

showmount -e 192.168.1.X

Replace 192.168.1.X with your NAS’s actual IP address. If NFS is set up correctly, you will see a list of export paths — your /volume1/proxmox (or equivalent) should appear in that list. If the command returns nothing or an error, double-check that NFS is enabled on the NAS and that a firewall rule is not blocking port 2049 between the two machines.

Step 4: Add the NFS share in the Proxmox Datacenter storage menu

In the Proxmox web UI:

1. Click Datacenter in the left tree.
2. Click the Storage tab in the main panel.
3. Click Add → NFS.
4. Fill in the form:
   • ID: A short internal name with no spaces, for example nas-proxmox or synology-nfs. This is just the label Proxmox uses internally.
   • Server: The IP address of your NAS.
   • Export: The full NFS export path you noted in Step 1, for example /volume1/proxmox. This field is case-sensitive.
   • Content: Tick the checkboxes for what you want to store here. See the content types section below before you decide.
   • Nodes: Leave this on All unless you specifically want to restrict which cluster nodes can use this share.
5. Click Add.

Within a few seconds the new storage entry appears under Datacenter → Storage. A green checkmark or an active status next to it confirms the mount succeeded.

Step 5: Choose your content types

The Content setting is one of the most important choices you make here. It tells Proxmox what kinds of data it is allowed to put on this share, and it creates corresponding subfolders automatically so Proxmox can find everything later. Here is what each option does:

For most home Proxmox setups, the sweet spot is to enable ISO image, Container template, and VZDump backup file and leave VM disk images on faster local SSD storage. NAS drives are typically spinning HDDs and network latency adds up during random I/O — fine for backups and ISOs, noticeable for a database VM’s primary disk. If you want to store VM disks on the NAS too, that works, but keep expectations in line with what a gigabit network can deliver.

If you are running Home Assistant in a Proxmox VM (see our guide on Installing Home Assistant in a Proxmox VM), pointing your VZDump backups at the NAS share is an excellent way to keep HA snapshots safe off the Proxmox host itself — and complements the HA-side backup workflow covered in Backing up and restoring Home Assistant configuration.

Step 6: Verify the mount and test a write

In the Proxmox Shell, run:

pvesm status

You will see all configured storage pools and their status. Your new NFS storage should show as active. To confirm you can actually write to it, run:

ls /mnt/pve/nas-proxmox/

Replace nas-proxmox with whatever ID you chose. If the Content settings included ISO image, you should see a template/ subfolder that Proxmox created automatically. Try uploading a small ISO through the Proxmox web UI (select your new storage in the left tree → ISO Images → Upload) to confirm end-to-end write access works before you rely on this for backups.

Part B: Sharing a NAS drive over SMB/CIFS (alternative path)

Follow this section instead of Part A if your NAS does not support NFS well, or if the same share needs to be accessed from Windows or macOS machines. The Proxmox-side steps are nearly identical.

Step 7: Create a shared folder and enable SMB on your NAS

The folder-creation process is the same as Step 1 above. Once the folder exists:

• Synology DSM: Control Panel → File Services → SMB → tick Enable SMB service → Apply. Then in Control Panel → Shared Folder, select your folder, click Edit → Permissions, and give your admin account read/write access.
• QNAP QTS: Control Panel → Network & File Services → Win/Mac/NFS/WebDAV → Microsoft Networking (SMB) → Enable file services for Microsoft Networking → Apply. Assign read/write permission to your admin account on the folder.
• TrueNAS SCALE: Shares → Windows (SMB) Shares → Add. Point it at your dataset. Edit the ACL to grant your SMB user full access.
• Unraid: The User Shares page has an SMB toggle per share. Set it to Yes and assign a security mode.

Create a dedicated NAS user account for Proxmox rather than using your personal admin account. That way, if you ever need to rotate credentials, you change them in one place.

Step 8: Verify SMB connectivity from the Proxmox Shell

In the Proxmox Shell, scan the NAS to confirm Proxmox can see its shares:

pvesm scan cifs 192.168.1.X --username youruser

Proxmox will prompt for the password and then print a list of SMB shares the NAS is broadcasting. Make a note of the exact share name — it is case-sensitive.

Step 9: Add the SMB/CIFS share in the Proxmox Datacenter storage menu

1. Click Datacenter in the left tree.
2. Click the Storage tab.
3. Click Add → SMB/CIFS.
4. Fill in the form:
   • ID: A short label, for example nas-smb. No spaces.
   • Server: Your NAS IP address.
   • Username and Password: The credentials for the NAS account you set up in Step 7.
   • Share: Click the dropdown — if your credentials are correct, Proxmox will scan the NAS and populate the list automatically. Pick your share.
   • SMB Version: Leave this on the default. Proxmox negotiates the best supported version automatically; only override it if you know your NAS is limited to an older dialect.
   • Content: Tick the same content types as described in Step 5. VZDump backup file and ISO image are the most common choices for SMB-based NAS storage.
5. Click Add.

Step 10: Verify the SMB mount

Run the following in the Proxmox Shell to confirm the share mounted correctly:

mount | grep cifs

You should see an entry for your NAS IP and share name. Then run pvesm status and confirm the storage shows as active. Upload a test ISO through the Proxmox GUI to verify end-to-end write access, exactly as described at the end of Step 6.

Using your NAS storage with LXC containers

Adding NAS storage at the Datacenter level makes it available for backups and ISO libraries, but if you want an LXC container to read and write files directly on the NAS share — for example a Jellyfin or a Samba container — you need an extra step: a bind mount. This is covered in detail in our dedicated guide: Accessing a network drive from an LXC (read and write). If you are running Home Assistant OS in a VM rather than a container, the NAS share is most useful as a backup destination rather than a direct mount.

If you are moving up from a Windows machine that was sharing a drive, the process on the NAS side is essentially the same as what is described in our set up a Windows drive for sharing to Proxmox guide — the Proxmox GUI steps for adding the storage are identical regardless of whether the server is a NAS or a Windows PC.

Scheduling automated backups to your NAS

Once the storage is active, wiring up automated VM backups takes under two minutes:

1. Click Datacenter in the left tree.
2. Click the Backup tab.
3. Click Add.
4. Set Storage to your new NAS storage ID.
5. Under Selection mode, choose All, or tick the VMs and containers you want backed up. Without a selection the job has nothing to back up.
6. Set a Schedule — daily at 02:00 is a sensible default.
7. Set Mode to Snapshot for the least disruptive backup method — VMs keep running while they are backed up.
8. Set a Retention policy under the Retention tab — keeping the last 7 daily backups is a good starting point.
9. Click Create.

Proxmox will now run VZDump backups on schedule and deposit the archive files in the dump/ subfolder on your NAS share. You can also trigger a manual backup at any time from the VM’s Backup tab.

Choosing and buying your NAS

If you are still in the market for a NAS unit itself, Synology and QNAP are the two brands most commonly recommended in homelab communities for their mature software and reliable NFS/SMB implementations. Synology’s DiskStation line runs DSM, which is one of the most polished NAS operating systems available; QNAP’s QTS is equally capable. Both are widely available across all three major Amazon marketplaces.

Check price — Synology NAS (diskless): Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon IE

Check price — QNAP NAS (diskless): Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon IE

Whichever brand you choose, fill it with NAS-rated CMR hard drives. The WD Red Plus and Seagate IronWolf are both CMR, both rated for 24/7 use, and both sit in the budget-to-mid-range tier. The WD Red (without the Plus) uses SMR recording and is not recommended for NAS use where Proxmox will be writing regularly. The IronWolf Pro and WD Red Pro are the step up — 7,200 RPM, higher workload ratings, and longer warranties — and suit setups where the NAS is under heavier sustained load.

Check price — WD Red Plus NAS hard drive: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon IE

Check price — Seagate IronWolf NAS hard drive: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon IE

A NAS that goes down during a power cut can corrupt the filesystem on its drives. If your homelab is your Home Assistant hub and your VM backup target, a small UPS protecting both the NAS and the Proxmox box pays for itself quickly. See our Picking the best UPS for your homelab guide for recommendations.

Frequently asked questions

Does NFS or SMB work better for storing VM disk images on a NAS?

NFS is the better choice for VM disk images when Proxmox is the only client. It has less protocol overhead than SMB and handles the root-owned disk files Proxmox writes without extra user mapping. SMB works for VM disks too, but it is better suited to backup archives and ISO storage, or to situations where Windows and macOS clients also need access to the same share. If your NAS supports both, use NFS for Proxmox and SMB for your desktop clients.

Proxmox says permission denied when writing to the NFS share — what is wrong?

Almost certainly root_squash. Most NAS devices enable this by default on NFS exports; it remaps any request arriving as root to an anonymous unprivileged user. Proxmox writes disk images and backup files as root, so root_squash blocks those writes silently. Go back to your NAS’s NFS permission settings for this export and set the squash option to No mapping (Synology), no_root_squash (TrueNAS, Linux), or the equivalent in your NAS’s UI. Save, then try again from Proxmox.

Can I use the same NAS share for both Proxmox storage and my Home Assistant backups?

Yes, but use two separate subfolders or two separate shares to keep things tidy. On the Proxmox side, set up the NAS share as described in this guide and enable VZDump backup file as a content type — Proxmox will write its archives into a dump/ subfolder and leave everything else alone. On the Home Assistant side, map the NAS share as a network storage location in HA’s backup settings (or via an SMB/NFS mount inside the HA OS). The two systems write to different paths and will not conflict, so a single NAS share can serve both without issue.