Setting Up Your First Shares on Unraid

What a "Share" Really Is

A share is simply a folder on your Unraid server that is offered up to your home network, so other computers can open it as if it were their own folder.

Think of your server as a big filing cabinet. Each share is a drawer with a label on it - one for photos, one for documents, one for backups. When you open a share from your PC, you are reaching into that drawer over your home Wi-Fi or network cable.

• One home for your files - no more hunting across three laptops and a couple of USB sticks.
• Reach them anywhere at home - the same files open on the living-room PC and the kitchen Mac.
• Room to grow - the server holds far more than a single computer ever could.

Creating Your First Share

Making a share takes about a minute. You do it from the Unraid web page in your browser - the same page you use to manage the server.

That is it - your first share exists. It shows up in the list on the Shares tab, and in a moment we will open it from your computer. You can always come back and change its settings later.

• Open a browser and go to your server's web page (its name or address on your network).
• Look for the Shares tab along the top and click it.
• Click Add Share (the button may say Add Share or show a plus).
• Type a name in the name box, such as Documents.
• Leave the other settings at their defaults for now.
• Click Add or Apply to save it.

Naming Your Shares Clearly

The name you give a share is what you will see on every computer for years. Pick plain, obvious names now and you will thank yourself later.

• Keep names short, plain, and lowercase-friendly - one word is ideal.
• Avoid spaces and odd symbols; they can trip up older programs. A simple name like Media travels everywhere without fuss.

Where Your Files Actually Live

When you save a file to a share, it lands on the physical drives inside your server. Unraid has two places it can put a file: the array and the cache.

A common setup is this: a new file lands on the fast cache first, so the copy finishes quickly. Then, on a schedule, a helper called the "Mover" quietly shifts it over to the array for safekeeping. You do not have to do anything - it happens on its own.

The Per-Share Cache Setting, Simply

Each share has one setting that decides how it uses that fast cache drive. You will see a few choices - here is what they mean without the jargon.

If you are not sure, the middle option - cache first, then move to the array - is a fine default for a Media or Documents share. It gives you fast copies and long-term safety in the array.

• Use cache: no - files go straight to the array. Simple and safe; a touch slower to copy in.
• Cache first, then move - files land on the fast drive, then the Mover shifts them to the array later. Great for everyday shares.
• Cache only - files stay on the fast drive and are not moved. Handy for things that need to be quick, but usually not parity-protected.

Private vs. Public Shares, Simply

Every share has a setting for who is allowed to open it. This is the most important setting for keeping your files yours, so let us make it plain.

In the share's settings you will see an option for how it is exported and whether it is public or secure. For anything personal, choose the secure or private option and give a user permission - the next pages show how.

Connecting From a Windows PC

Opening your share on Windows takes about ten seconds once you know the trick. You type your server's name into File Explorer with two backslashes in front of it.

If typing the name does not work, you can use the server's numbers-and-dots address instead - for example two backslashes then 192.168.1.50. You can find that address on the Unraid web page.

• Open File Explorer (the yellow folder on your taskbar).
• Click into the address bar at the top.
• Type two backslashes followed by your server's name, for example \\Tower or \\Server.
• Press Enter.
• You will see your shares listed as folders - double-click one to open it.
• If asked, sign in with the user name and password you set on the server.

Connecting From a Mac

On a Mac you use Finder's built-in "Connect to Server" tool. It asks for an address, you type a short line, and your shares appear.

If the name does not connect, use the numbers-and-dots address instead, like smb://192.168.1.50. You will find that address on the Unraid web page.

• Click the desktop, then in the top menu choose Go, then Connect to Server.
• In the box, type smb:// followed by your server's name, for example smb://Tower.
• Click Connect.
• If asked, choose Registered User and enter your user name and password (or Guest for a public share).
• Pick the share you want from the list and click OK.
• The share opens in a Finder window, and appears under Locations on the left.

Mapping a Drive So It's Always There

Typing the server name every time gets old. "Mapping" a share gives it a permanent letter or spot on your computer, so it is right there whenever you open your files.

• Open File Explorer and browse to your server (two backslashes then its name).
• Right-click the share you want and choose Map network drive.
• Pick a drive letter, tick Reconnect at sign-in, and click Finish.

Users and Passwords Basics

A private share needs to know who is allowed in. You do that by creating users on the server - each with a name and a password - then giving them access to a share.

You can make one shared family login, or separate logins per person. For most homes, one or two users is plenty. The built-in "root" login runs the server itself - use everyday users for reaching files.

• On the Unraid web page, find the Users tab.
• Click Add User and give the person a simple user name, like bill or family.
• Set a strong password and note it somewhere safe.
• Open your private share's settings and give that user permission (read-only or read/write).
• Now, when you connect from a PC or Mac, sign in with that user name and password.

Example: A Media Share

A Media share is where your movies, TV, music, and home videos live. It is usually large, and often shared more openly at home so any TV or streaming app can reach it.

Inside the Media share, folders like Movies, TV, Music, and Home Videos keep everything tidy. Streaming apps such as Plex or Jellyfin can then point at this one share and find it all.

• Name: Media - short and clear.
• Cache: cache first, then move to the array, so big copies finish fast.
• Access: often read/write for you, read-only for everyday family use.

Example: A Documents Share

A Documents share holds your personal and household files - letters, scans, tax paperwork, spreadsheets. This one should be private.

Because these files are personal, this is exactly where you want a password. Set the share to secure, give your user read/write access, and keep it out of any public setting.

• Name: Documents.
• Access: private / secure - only your users, with a password.
• Cache: cache first, then move to the array for safekeeping.

Example: A Backups Share

A Backups share is where your computers send their backup copies - Windows File History, Mac Time Machine, or phone photo backups. It gathers all your safety copies in one place.

Point each computer's backup tool at this share. Now if a laptop dies, its files are safe on the server. Just remember this next part - it matters.

• Name: Backups.
• Access: private / secure - each device signs in with a user.
• Cache: going straight to the array is fine, so backups are protected right away.

Copying Your Files In

With a share open on your computer, moving files in works exactly like moving files between folders. Drag and drop, or copy and paste.

For a big first move - thousands of photos, say - a wired network cable is much faster and steadier than Wi-Fi. And do the move in batches so you can tell it is working.

• Open the share on your PC or Mac so you can see inside it.
• Open the folder on your computer that holds the files you want to move.
• Select the files, then drag them onto the share window - or copy and paste.
• Wait for the copy to finish before unplugging any drives or closing the lid.
• Open a couple of the copied files to confirm they arrived safely.

Seeing How Full a Share Is

It helps to know how much room you have left. Unraid shows you at a glance, both per share and for the whole server.

From your computer, a share also shows its free space like any drive when you open its properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac). Keep an eye on it so you are not caught short mid-copy.

• The Shares tab lists each share and how much space it is using.
• The Main tab shows each physical drive and how full it is.
• The dashboard gives you a quick overall picture of free space.

Deleting a Share Safely

Sometimes you make a share you no longer want. Removing it is easy - but there is one thing to understand first so you do not lose files by surprise.

Deleting a share entry removes the label and the sharing. What happens to the files inside depends on how you do it - some options remove the folder and its contents too. So always look before you leap.

• First, open the share and make sure it is empty, or copy anything you want to keep somewhere safe.
• On the Shares tab, open the share you want to remove.
• Look for the Delete option in its settings.
• Confirm, and read the on-screen note about whether the contents go too.

SMB - Why It's the Everyday Way

When your PC or Mac opens a share, they are speaking a shared language called SMB. It is the standard way Windows, Macs, and servers pass files back and forth on a home network.

You do not have to configure anything special - Unraid turns SMB on for shares by default, and both Windows and macOS speak it out of the box. That is why the same share opens on every computer in the house.

• SMB is the reason two backslashes on Windows and smb:// on a Mac both reach the same share.
• It handles user names and passwords, so your private shares stay private.
• It is the everyday choice for home file sharing - simple, common, and well supported.

Handy Tips for Shares

A few small habits keep your shares tidy, fast, and easy to live with for years.

• Plan a handful of top-level shares - Media, Documents, Photos, Backups - rather than dozens of tiny ones.
• Use folders inside a share to organize, instead of making a new share for every little thing.
• Keep private things private - set a user and password on anything personal.
• Prefer a wired connection for the big first copy; Wi-Fi is fine for everyday use afterward.
• Write down your share plan - names, who can reach them, and what goes where.

What's in the 27-page PDF

• What a share is, in plain words
• Creating and naming your first shares
• Where your files actually live inside the server
• Private vs. public, and users and passwords
• Reaching your shares from Windows and from a Mac
• Example shares for Media, Documents, and Backups

Why I wrote this

I write these as printable handouts because a guide you can keep in a drawer beats a web page you have to find again. No jargon, no judgment, no rushing. If you'd rather have someone sit beside you and go through it together, that's a flat $99 first visit with the 30-day follow-up included — serving Portage County from Atwater, Ohio. — Bill