Can I use my own drives in a UGREEN NAS?

Yes: bringing your own drives is exactly what UGREEN's NASync line is designed for. There is no lock-in: install standard SATA drives and go.

Bringing existing drives

If you are moving from another NAS or have spare drives, you can install them in a UGREEN NAS, though note that creating a new pool typically erases the drives: UGREEN's system does not import a Synology or QNAP array format. Back up anything on those drives first, then let the NAS initialise them into a fresh pool.

Choosing drives

• Use CMR NAS or enterprise drives: IronWolf, WD Red Plus/Pro, Toshiba N300, Exos, Ultrastar.
• Match capacities within a RAID array for efficiency (UGREEN uses standard RAID levels).
• Avoid SMR drives in RAID; they stall rebuilds.

Verify and go

Check your capacity on UGREEN's compatibility list, install the drives, and create your pool. The table lists in-stock CMR drives by price per terabyte if you are buying fresh.