Back Up iPhone Photos to a NAS with SMB

Prepare the SMB share

• Use a NAS, Windows share, or another compatible SMB service on the same local network.
• Create or choose a folder for Watermelon Backup and make sure the account can read and write it.
• Prepare the server address, share name, optional path, username, password, and optional domain or workgroup.
• Watermelon Backup supports SMB 2 and SMB 3. SMB1 is not supported.

Add the SMB Node

• In Watermelon Backup, choose Discover Local SMB or Add Manually.
• Enter the host, port, username, password, and optional domain or workgroup.
• List shares with the current credentials, choose a share, then choose the target folder.
• Save the Node and select it on Home.
• Wait for the Node to connect and for the remote index to finish syncing.

Run the backup

• Grant Photos access if the app asks for it.
• Check the local-side months you want to back up.
• Tap Execute and confirm the Backup count.
• Use Pause, Resume, or Stop from the bottom panel if needed.

Limits and security

Because of the current SMB implementation, macOS built-in SMB file sharing is not supported as a Mac backup path. For a Mac, use Watermelon Link instead.

Use a dedicated account with access only to the backup share when possible. Credentials are stored in iOS Keychain on the device.