How to back up iPhone photos to a QNAP NAS

By Isaac Griffiths, developer of SMBDrop · 11 October 2026

A QNAP NAS gives you several ways to get photos off an iPhone. QNAP's own apps (Qfile Pro, QuMagie and Qsync Pro) each do a slightly different job, and then there's plain SMB: the same file sharing your QNAP already offers to Windows and Mac, which lets an iPhone write ordinary files into an ordinary shared folder.

This guide sets up the SMB route on QTS 5 (QuTS hero is the same), tests it with the free Files app, then covers QNAP's apps honestly, including when they're the better pick.

Disclosure: I make SMBDrop, which is one of the ways to send photos in step 6. Steps 1 to 5 don't depend on it; they're the same for any SMB app.

Step 1: Check SMB is turned on in QTS

Sign in to QTS and open Control Panel → Network & File Services → Win/Mac/NFS/WebDAV.
On the Microsoft Networking tab, make sure file service for Microsoft networking is enabled. It usually is.
Open Advanced Options and check the SMB versions. Since QTS 5.0.1 the lowest version defaults to SMB 2, which is what you want: iPhones use SMB 2 and 3, and QNAP advises against turning SMB 1 back on.
Apply if you changed anything.

Step 2: Create a shared folder

Go to Control Panel → Privilege → Shared Folders → Create → Shared Folder.
Give it a name such as iPhone or PhotoArchive and pick a volume.
Leave the folder visible (not hidden) so it can be listed by name later.
Turning on the Network Recycle Bin for the folder is a cheap safety net. If your volume supports snapshots, schedule them for this folder too: a snapshot protects against accidental deletion and ransomware in a way a single copy can't.

Step 3: Create a user just for the iPhone

Your admin account would work, but a dedicated user is safer. If the phone is lost, you change one password, and the account can only reach one folder.

Go to Control Panel → Privilege → Users → Create → Create a User.
Call it something like iphone and give it a strong password. Don't add it to the administrators group.
In the shared folder permissions, give it Read/Write on the folder from step 2 and Deny (or no access) everywhere else.
In the application privileges, make sure Microsoft Networking (SMB) is allowed for this user.

Step 4: Find the NAS's IP address

In QTS, open Control Panel → Network & Virtual Switch and note the IPv4 address of the active adapter, for example 192.168.1.50. Qfinder Pro on a computer or your router's device list shows it too. Give the NAS a DHCP reservation in your router so the address doesn't change and break your saved connections.

Step 5: Test with the Files app

On the iPhone, open Files → Browse → ⋯ → Connect to Server.
Enter smb://192.168.1.50, choose Registered User, and sign in as iphone.
Open the iPhone folder and save a test file into it.

If the test file appears on the NAS, QTS is set up correctly. For the odd document you could stop here. For photos, the Files app goes through Save to Files, can hand you a converted file if the share sheet's format option is wrong, and usually keeps only the still from a Live Photo. Details are in what Connect to Server can and can't do.

Step 6: Send original photos with SMBDrop

In SMBDrop, open Settings and add a share. Enter the NAS's IP address, then the iphone username and password. The port is 445 unless you've changed it; custom ports work.
Tap Find Shares. Once you're signed in, it lists the shared folders that account can reach. Pick iPhone, and optionally a subfolder.
Run Test Connection and save.
Pick photos and videos (drag across the grid to select a range) and tap Send.

What lands on the QNAP is the original files: HEIC stays HEIC, videos aren't re-encoded, metadata stays in the file, and a Live Photo arrives as both the still and the video. You can leave the app while it sends, and anything interrupted waits in a retry queue. From other apps, Share → SMBDrop sends a file to the same folder.

QNAP's own apps: Qfile Pro, QuMagie and Qsync Pro

QNAP's apps are free and, if you only ever use QNAP, they're well worth a look. They sign in to your NAS rather than to a plain share, and each has a different focus.

Qfile Pro: automatic uploads with useful format controls

Qfile Pro is QNAP's file manager for iPhone, and its Auto Upload feature is the closest thing to a set-and-forget photo backup in QNAP's line-up. According to QNAP's documentation, you can:

choose a destination folder on the NAS, and upload everything, only items from a date onwards, or scan the folder and upload what's missing;
upload HEIC photos as the original HEIC, converted to JPEG, or both;
upload Live Photos as the photo only, or the photo and video;
skip or rename files whose names clash;
allow background transfers, which are triggered by location changes (so it needs location access), and limit automatic transfers to when the phone is charging.

If you set it to HEIC and "photo and video", you get close to originals. Check what arrives, as you should with any backup tool.

QuMagie: a photo library on your NAS

QuMagie is QNAP's photo management app, with a timeline, albums and AI grouping, and its mobile app can back up your camera roll into the QuMagie library. Pick it if you want to browse and share photos from the NAS like a cloud photo service.

Qsync Pro: folder sync

Qsync Pro is QNAP's sync client. On iPhone it can upload photos to the NAS and pair folders between the phone and the NAS, with options to sync only on Wi-Fi or while charging. It's aimed at keeping folders in step across devices rather than at archiving a camera roll.

Which should you use?

Choose Qfile Pro's Auto Upload if you want backups to start on their own, you're happy for it to use location access, and your NAS will always be a QNAP.
Choose QuMagie if what you really want is a photo timeline and face search on the NAS.
Choose plain SMB (the Files app, or an app like SMBDrop) if you want untouched originals in a folder you chose, with a setup that works the same on any server. If you ever move from QNAP to something else, nothing changes on the phone.

They don't conflict. Plenty of people let QuMagie or Qfile Pro run for everyday browsing and keep an SMB copy of the originals in a snapshotted folder as the archive.

Troubleshooting

"Connection failed" or timeouts

Check the iPhone is on the same network as the NAS (not a guest network) and that the app has Local Network permission in iOS Settings. If you've turned on the QTS firewall or Network Access Protection, make sure SMB is allowed from your local network and that the iPhone's address hasn't been blocked after a few wrong passwords.

Signed in, but the folder isn't listed

The user has no permission on that folder, or the folder is hidden. Fix it under Control Panel → Privilege.

"Permission denied" when sending

The user has Read Only on the folder. Change it to Read/Write.

It works at home but not away

SMB is meant for your local network, and you shouldn't expose it to the internet. To send from elsewhere, use a VPN such as Tailscale, which QNAP offers in App Center. See sending to your NAS over Tailscale.

FAQ

Do I need myQNAPcloud to back up an iPhone to a QNAP over SMB?

No. On your home network the iPhone connects straight to the NAS's IP address over SMB. myQNAPcloud is QNAP's remote access service for its own apps; for SMB away from home, use a VPN such as Tailscale instead.

Does Qfile Pro keep original HEIC photos and Live Photos?

It can. QNAP documents options to upload HEIC as the original, as JPEG or both, and to upload Live Photos as the photo only or the photo and video. Choose HEIC and photo and video if you want originals.

Which SMB version should a QNAP use for an iPhone?

SMB 2 as the minimum and SMB 3 as the maximum. That's the default on QTS 5.0.1 and later, and SMB 1 should stay off.

Can I use Qfile Pro and an SMB app at the same time?

Yes. They're independent. Point them at different folders so you don't end up with two copies of everything in the same place.

More guides

Try SMBDrop

Send original photos, videos and files from your iPhone straight to your own SMB share. One purchase, no account, no subscription.

£2.99 once · no subscription · iOS 17+