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Synology Community
community.synology.com › enu › forum › 1 › post › 131975
Time Machine out of space - confused about Time Machine size and Synology quota | Synology Community
I have a successful setup of a ... ONLY time machine backups for different macs, and the quota is set to 1400GB which is enough for all of them. In Finder -> Go -> Network the mac can see the shared folder on the NAS as a volume and its capacity is the same as the quota. My NAS shares that ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/synology › time machine user quota for few macs
r/synology on Reddit: Time Machine User Quota for few Macs
July 25, 2022 -

I am thinking of buying Synology NAS for Mac Time Machine backups.

I read that I can create one Time Machine folder accessed by few Mac TM users and set Quota for each user.

Will this solution give me clear visibility which backups belong to each Mac? I.e if I would like to delete backup files only for one of the Macs to start backups from beginning?

Also if one of the users will reach Quota limit will Time Machine be automatically deleting old backups just for this user to get available space?

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I create a separate volume for each TM backup and assign it a size limit rather than a user quota. It’s easier to see at a glance how the space is being used.
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Read Synology's Time Machine instructions all the way through, including the notes at the end. This is the correct way to do it. You should create a Time Machine folder with a user and a user quota for each Mac because your plan to have multiple Macs warring for the same backup space is just asking for trouble. You're not going to be saving any disk space by doing this since the quota for each Mac still needs to be 2 to 3 times as much as its data.
Discussions
How to get to the User Quota Setting page in DSM
I have just bought a DS220J NAS ... from Mac to Synology NAS with Time Machine. I have got as far as section 1.2.4 to create user, join group and assign read/write permission to Time Machine User, but when I try to do the next step of specifying a usage quota I can't get to ... More on synoforum.com
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16
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November 19, 2020
Time Machine tries to exceed quota
Be aware that in addition to Synology's Time Machine guide , they also have a page specifically about quotas for Time Machine . As always for Synology info pages, the notes at the bottom of the page often contain some of the most important information! More on reddit.com
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February 6, 2025
Setting up Time Machine. What is the difference between shared folder quota and user quota?
I tend to skip user quota and go only with folder quotas. It makes things simpler. Essentially you set a limit on a file share (4 T), and it doesn't matter what user or process puts data there, if the next user would try to go above that quota, the SMB engine will tell them there isn't enough space. If you have multiple backups and are concerned about one backup taking up too much space, make a 2nd share. It's literally just a folder with some metadata. The amount of extra space on your syno is negligible. More on reddit.com
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February 5, 2022
User Quotas or Folder Quotas for Time Machine? | Synology Community
Hi! Come and join us at Synology Community. A place to answer all your Synology questions. Ask a question or start a discussion now. More on community.synology.com
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September 13, 2016
Videos
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How to Set Time Machine Backup Quota on macOS - YouTube
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Time Machine Backup auf Synology NAS einrichten | Einfaches macOS ...
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How to Backup MacOS to Synology NAS using Time Machine (easy) - ...
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How To Backup Your MAC Using Time Machine To Your NAS - YouTube
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Jordan Crawford
jc.kiwi › synology-time-machine
My rules for using Time Machine on Synology – Jordan Crawford
September 16, 2023 - A quota enforces an upper limit for the shared folder or user so when Time Machine approaches the quota it’ll wipe old backups to keep itself in check.
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Synology Knowledge Center
kb.synology.com › en-br › DSM › tutorial › How_can_I_limit_space_taken_up_by_Time_Machine_backup
How can I limit the amount of space taken up by Time Machine backup data? - Synology Knowledge Center
October 13, 2022 - Synology Knowledge Center offers comprehensive support, providing answers to frequently asked questions, troubleshooting steps, software tutorials, and all the technical documentation you may need.
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Lifehacker
lifehacker.com › home
Set a Quota on Your Synology NAS to Keep Space from Filling Up | Lifehacker
June 9, 2025 - Give read/write access to the folder you plan to use for Time Machine backups. Tick the box to enable a quota for the user, then choose the quota.
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SynoForum
synoforum.com › forums › installation, configuration, migration, expansion
How to get to the User Quota Setting page in DSM | SynoForum.com - The Unofficial Synology Forum
November 19, 2020 - DSM quotas are in base 2 (1KB = 1024B) but your Mac's disk is reported by Finder in base 10 (1KB = 1000B). ... Sorry, but I am finding this so confusing. I followed the link kindly provided by WST16 and it worked.
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Jbowen
blog.jbowen.dev › 2020 › 05 › remote-time-machine-for-multiple-macs
Remote Time Machine for Multiple Macs · jbowen.dev
May 8, 2020 - Synology DSM supports both directory ... to setup a quota on a shared folder dedicated for Time Machine backups. This quota provides an upper limit to the amount of storage the directory can use....
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/synology › time machine tries to exceed quota
r/synology on Reddit: Time Machine tries to exceed quota
February 6, 2025 -

I am facing the issue that Time Machine tries to exceed the set quota. Although it's already 3x higher than the actual disk size, it still overflows. This never happened when I used a USB drive instead of the Synology NAS. What can I do to workaround this and keep TM using the assigned quota?

Top answer
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Be aware that in addition to Synology's Time Machine guide , they also have a page specifically about quotas for Time Machine . As always for Synology info pages, the notes at the bottom of the page often contain some of the most important information!
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Ok, I think I found a solution to this. You need to set a quota using tmutil: https://www.reddit.com/r/synology/comments/1g839qv/comment/lsws8jx/
Find elsewhere
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Image Alchemist
imagealchemist.net › time-machine-backup-to-synology-nas
Time Machine Backup To Synology NAS • Image Alchemist
December 13, 2021 - Thank you! My 7.2 TB synology DS412+ was nearly our of space because my time machine backup had not quota limit set to it… I had to delete the shared folder and start over with your settings. It now appears to be working beautifully and I now have lots of storage available!
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/synology › setting up time machine. what is the difference between shared folder quota and user quota?
r/synology on Reddit: Setting up Time Machine. What is the difference between shared folder quota and user quota?
February 5, 2022 -

I set up the new Time Machine Shared Folder quota size, and then I created a new User for use with Time Machine backups. I have the opportunity to then set a user quota for this shared folder. Which quota do I need to set to make sure that my preferred quota cap retains my Time Machine backups within my preferred size (4TB).

I set the quota for the Time Machine shared folder to 4GB but I’m afraid to mess with my user quota because a user quota sounds like a maximum over the lifetime of uploads/backups. Online materials I have read to do specify the type of quota that I need to set with DSM7 and I am concerned about proceeding and not being able to change a crucial setup choice.

Thanks 🙏

Top answer
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I tend to skip user quota and go only with folder quotas. It makes things simpler. Essentially you set a limit on a file share (4 T), and it doesn't matter what user or process puts data there, if the next user would try to go above that quota, the SMB engine will tell them there isn't enough space. If you have multiple backups and are concerned about one backup taking up too much space, make a 2nd share. It's literally just a folder with some metadata. The amount of extra space on your syno is negligible.
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Synology recommends creating a user just for Time Machine backup and using a user quota for that user in their very detailed guide to Time Machine on Synology. In the notes of that article, they comment: "We recommend you to set a quota to prevent Time Machine from occupying your entire storage space. The quota should be at least two to three times the size of your Mac's drive, or two to three times the amount of data to be backed up."
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NAS Compares
nascompares.com › guide-to-synology-nas-with-time-machine
Guide to Synology NAS with Time Machine – NAS Compares
However, we don’t want the backup to use up your space, so we’ll specify a usage quota. On the User quota setting page, enter a value you prefer in the Quota field and select a Unit from the drop-down menu.
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Synology Community
community.synology.com › enu › forum › 17 › post › 98775
User Quotas or Folder Quotas for Time Machine? | Synology Community
September 13, 2016 - New to Synology NAS. Recently go the DS416play running DSM 6.0. I have 4x4TB HDDs all in a single volume running BTRFS on SHR. I am trying to set up time machine backup for my iMac. Reading the instructions for setting up Time Machine recommends using User Quotas to make Time Machine figure out the size of the "disk".
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Martinbjeldbak
martinbjeldbak.com › time-machine-synology-nas
Time Machine backups to Synology NAS
NOTE: Ensure you disable Recycle Bin and disable folder encryption, as Time Machine itself will encrypt the backups, as we’ll see below · Enable any advanced settings you need. You can enable a quota here at the folder level, but I will do it on the user level.
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Jean Galea
jeangalea.com › time-machine-synology-diskstation
How to do Time Machine Backups with a Synology Diskstation NAS | Jean Galea
April 15, 2026 - Check the box to give the user Read/Write access to your Time Machine Backups share (or whatever you named it). Click [ Next ]. Set the quota to about 3 times the size of the drive you’re going to back up.
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Synology Community
community.synology.com › enu › forum › 1 › post › 146512
MacOS Time Machine: quote reached, non-TimeMachine volumes showing, best practices | Synology Community
August 18, 2021 - Personally, I have each of our Macs use the same account for Time Machine as for file system access, and give each user their own quota on the TM share.
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SFlanders
sflanders.net › home › synology: configuring time machine and quotas
Synology: Configuring Time Machine and Quotas - SFlanders
November 23, 2015 - First, folders do not support quotas. When you first realize this you might be tempted to create dedicated volumes for each Time Machine backup, but then you run into the second problem being Synology only support a single Time Machine shared folder in Mac File Service.
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Medium
choy.medium.com › backing-up-macos-with-time-machine-to-a-synology-nas-5445a6d65a15
Backing up macOS with Time Machine to a Synology NAS | by David F. Choy | Medium
August 8, 2017 - Set a user-specific quota for the backup folder (Control Panel > User > Select/Edit > Quota) These two options are illustrated below. ... Having a dedicated backup user sounds like a good idea for separating services by user, but in practice, ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/synology › best way to limit a time machine’s size?
r/synology on Reddit: Best Way to Limit a Time Machine’s Size?
October 4, 2020 -

What is the best way to limit how much space is consumed by a time machine’s backups? Setting the size for the shared folder? Or the space the time machine user may consume?

I have it set for the shared folder itself so the time machine app will be able to sense when it is running out of space.

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This is the way.
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You might be tempted to build in enough for the whole team, but whenever I'm building time machines I find it's helpful to leave out unnecessary passenger seats. In all my years of time traveling I have never met someone who was both interested in joining me and of the required constitution to not ralph all over the dashboard once the engines were fully engaged. These days, two seats is adequate, since I am usually either traveling alone or with the only other one ever able to keep up with me--my grandson, Mortimer.
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Synology Knowledge Center
kb.synology.com › en-ca › search
Synology Knowledge Center
Sep 26, 2023 - If the shared folder is approaching its quota, increase the quota or remove some data from the shared folder. double-click on the user and go to Quota .... ... Oct 14, 2022 - for the Time Machine folder in the User Quota field ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/synology › change quota for time machine folder
r/synology on Reddit: Change quota for Time Machine folder
February 23, 2021 -

Searching hasn't given me the answer I'm looking for. When I first set up my DS920+ I had a limited amount of storage to work with, but now I've been able to drastically increase my storage amount. I had to set a quota for my Time Machine folder, but now I would like to change that. Can I just change the number in the quota box for the folder or uncheck it, or do I need to completely disconnect Time Machine and redo the folder before reconnecting Time Machine? Currently running DSM 6.2.3-25426 Update 2.

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I did this recently -- you should just be able to update the quota. The next time TM runs you can check if the correct quota is reflected. If TM spins or seems to be stuck, you can reconnect the TM share and it should update itself correctly (use these steps if needed).

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I would not set quota to time machine in the first place.

However yes, you can change that any time.

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