J.D. Hodges

Resolving External USB HDD Mount Issues on Synology NAS (exFAT)

If you’ve recently connected an external USB HDD to your Synology NAS and encountered an error message like “System failed to mount external device [USB Disk 1] partition [1]”, you’re not alone. This issue often arises when the external device is formatted in the exFAT filesystem, which requires additional support on Synology systems. In this post, I’ll guide you through identifying the issue and implementing a simple solution using the exFAT Access package.

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The Problem

When you plug in an exFAT-formatted USB drive to your Synology NAS, the system may fail to mount it. You’ll see an error message similar to this in the system logs (see screenshot below):

This can occur because your Synology NAS devices may not natively support exFAT without the additional exFAT Access package.

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The Solution

The exFAT Access package adds compatibility for the exFAT filesystem, enabling the NAS to read and write data to exFAT-formatted devices. Here’s how to install it:

1. Open Synology Package Center
   Navigate to the Package Center from your Synology dashboard.
2. Search for “exFAT”
   Use the search bar in the Package Center to find “exFAT Access” (screenshot below)
   
3. Install the Package
   Select the exFAT Access package and click “Install.” Depending on your Synology model and license, the package may require a one-time purchase.
4. Reconnect Your USB Drive
   After the package is installed, disconnect and reconnect your exFAT-formatted USB drive. The NAS should now successfully mount the device, and you’ll see it appear as a shared folder.

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Verifying the Mount

To confirm that the drive has mounted correctly, go to Control Panel > Shared Folder. You should now be able to create/share/view your USB drive, as shown in the screenshot below:

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Final Thoughts

While it can be frustrating to encounter such errors, Synology provides a straightforward solution. The exFAT Access package is a valuable tool for users dealing with modern storage devices formatted in exFAT. Once installed, it ensures seamless integration and avoids the need to reformat your drive into other filesystems like NTFS or FAT32.

Do you have any questions or other NAS tips? Feel free to share in the comments!