How to Delete Files from NAS Drive: Easy and Effective Methods to Free Space

About NAS Drive

NAS drives are an incredible resource for personal and professional file storage, but they can quickly become cluttered with unnecessary files. Learning how to delete files from NAS drive is essential for maintaining optimal performance and freeing up valuable storage space. Whether you’re facing common issues like a “delete folder greyed out” error or files not freeing up space, this guide will help you navigate these challenges with ease.

Why Delete Files from NAS Drive?

But why is this such an important topic? Deleting files from your NAS drive isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. Missteps could lead to lost data, storage inefficiencies, or even file corruption. Here are seven detailed reasons why users need to know how to delete files from NAS drive:

• Maximizing Storage Capacity: NAS drives are often shared by multiple users or hold vast amounts of data. Removing unwanted files ensures there’s enough room for new and essential content.
• Improving Drive Performance: Cluttered storage slows down the drive, making it harder to access or manage files. A well-maintained drive runs smoother and more efficiently.
• Resolving Synology Delete Folder Greyed Out Issues: This frustrating error prevents users from deleting unnecessary folders, leading to a cluttered drive. Knowing how to troubleshoot this can save time and headaches.
• Addressing Files Not Freeing Up Space: Sometimes deleted files don’t actually release the expected storage. This is often due to recycle bin settings or system processes holding onto space.
• Simplifying Backup Management: Backups can take longer and occupy more space when unnecessary files are included. Deleting unneeded data keeps backups lean and efficient.
• Enhancing Security: Old or forgotten files could contain sensitive information. Permanently deleting such files reduces the risk of unauthorized access.
• Organizing Shared Drives: In a shared environment, cleaning up the NAS ensures all users have a streamlined experience, with easy access to the files they need.

How to Delete Files from NAS Drive in 3 Ways

There are different ways to delete files from NAS Drive, check them one by one and find the best way to delete files from NAS Drive.

Way 1. Delete Unnecessary Files from NAS Drive

1. Please log in to your NAS Drive.

2. Choose which files or directories to remove. To make several selections, press and hold the "Shift" or "Ctrl" keys.

3. From the Action menu, pick Delete to delete files from NAS Drive directly.

Tip: Or you can choose Delete with a right-click on a file or folder. In the pop-up confirmation window, select Delete.

Way 2. Delete Files from NAS Drive Trash Bin

For users want to delete files from NAS drive and free up space effectively, start by addressing the NAS recycle bin. Many NAS devices, by default, move deleted files into a “trash” folder rather than erasing them permanently.

1. Log in to your NAS control panel and locate the “Recycle Bin” or “Trash” folder.

2. Review the files within to ensure nothing vital is there.

3. Select “Empty Recycle Bin” to permanently delete the files and free up space.

4. To prevent future space wastage, disable the recycle bin for shared folders via the NAS settings.

Tip: Always review the contents of the recycle bin before emptying it. Accidental deletions can sometimes end up here.

If you did not empty recycle bin, you might find that Synology NAS deleted files not freeing up space, just follow the above steps to delete.

Way 3. Permanently Delete Files from NAS Drive

If you’re trying to figure out how to permanently delete files from Synology NAS, addressing snapshots and versioning features is a must. Synology NAS drives often retain older file versions for recovery purposes, which can consume storage even after files are deleted.

1. Open the Synology DSM (DiskStation Manager) interface.

2. Navigate to the “Snapshot” or “Versioning” settings under shared folders.

3. Review and delete any outdated snapshots that are no longer needed.

4. Disable versioning or reduce its retention policy to minimize storage consumption.

Tip: Snapshots are useful for recovering accidentally deleted data. Make sure you only delete snapshots that are genuinely unnecessary.

Troubleshoot NAS Files Deletion Problems

Now let's tackle common issues while deleting files from NAS Drive.

2 Solutions to Synology Delete Folder Greyed Out

Solution 1. Check Folder Permissions

When files refuse to be deleted or folders appear greyed out, addressing permission conflicts is key. Many NAS drives, especially Synology models, allow administrators to set restrictions on certain folders. This can prevent deletion even if you’re the rightful owner. Begin by checking folder permissions:

• Log in to the NAS control panel with administrative rights.
• Navigate to the "Shared Folder" or "File Station" section, depending on your NAS interface.
• Locate the problematic folder and right-click to access "Properties" or "Permissions."
• Ensure your user account or group has “full access” or at least “delete” permissions.
• Apply the changes, then attempt to delete the folder again.

Solution 2. Check Folder is Open or Locked

If permissions aren’t the issue, check if the folder is open or locked by an active process. Closing these processes often resolves the problem.

Backup NAS Drive Files Before Deleting

To protect files in your NAS Drive, it's highly recommended to back up your files in advance. If something happens to your files, you can restore them quickly to minimize or prevent the data loss. Fortunately, here comes the all-in-one web-based multiple cloud storage manager - MultCloud to help.

• MultCloud is dedicated to migrating files between clouds without downloading and re-uploading.
• You can use different ways to backup NAS files to different locations, like cloud-to-cloud backup, sync, transfer, share, copy to, etc.
• Useful settings you can configure, like filter, schedule, email notification, and many more.

So, how to backup NAS Drive files easily with MultCloud? Just check the below steps to backup Synology NAS to Dropbox for reference:

1. Create a free account and log in. As an alternative, you may log in directly using your Facebook or Google account.

2. Select the Add Cloud tab, then click the NAS symbol to allow access to MultCloud by following the instructions it displays. Then, add Dropbox in the same manner.

3. Next, select Cloud Backup from the menu on the left. Next, choose Synology NAS as the source directory and Dropbox as the target directory. Finally, press the "Backup Now" button.

The End

For those encountering issues on how to delete files from network drive environments, the solutions often overlap with the steps above. Ensuring proper permissions, emptying recycle bins, and checking for active processes are universal methods. By following these practices, you’ll have a cleaner, more efficient NAS drive in no time.