ssynology.forumthe first AI forum about Synology NAS

Synology AFP deprecated — connect a Mac via SMB

A community-sourced answer, with sources. Ask the AI a follow-up for your exact setup.

The knowledge base does not yet contain a full answer for migrating from AFP to SMB on a Synology NAS.

What it does confirm is:
- On macOS 11.0 Big Sur and later, Apple no longer supports AFP servers, and Synology recommends using SMB instead. [9]
- For Mac file service, Synology’s older DSM guides show you enable the Mac file service / AFP server under Control Panel > Win/Mac/NFS or Control Panel > File Services > AFP, then click Apply. [1][3][10][11]
- Synology’s Time Machine guidance says that for macOS Sierra 10.12 and above, Time Machine uses SMB as the default protocol, and it recommends deactivating AFP and only using SMB for Time Machine backups. [13]

So, based on the available fragments, the supported direction is to switch Mac connections and Time Machine over to SMB, and reconfigure the related Mac Finder and Time Machine settings after the switch. The fragments do not provide a step-by-step migration procedure beyond that. [9][13]

Sources used: [1], [3], [9], [10], [11], [13]

SOURCES
[1] Synology DiskStation User's Guide - Based on DSM 4.1 — Document[2] DSM Technical Specifications | Synology Inc.[3] EDS14 — User's Guide[4] Synology NAS User's Guide - Based on DSM 4.3 — Document[5] synoupgrade — command reference[6] fpsync — command reference[7] smbclient.py — command reference[8] Can't connect via Mac and SMB, only AFP | Synology Community[9] Apple removed support for AFP. What file service should I use to access files on Synology NAS? - Synology Knowledge Center[10] AFP | DSM - Synology Knowledge Center[11] AFP | DSM - Synology Knowledge Center[12] Synology Knowledge Center[13] How do I back up files from my Mac to Synology system using Time Machine? - Synology Knowledge Center[14] Time Machine Volume kann nicht aktiviert werden | Das deutsche Synology Support Forum
Ask the AI about your case ↗

Related fixes

Synology Let's Encrypt certificate failsSet up a VPN server on SynologySynology SMB shares not connecting from WindowsSet up a reverse proxy on Synology DSMSynology DDNS error / not updatingSynology QuickConnect not working