Unlike pre-built Network-Attached Storage systems, DIY NAS setups offer a lot of customizability in the CPU, RAM, and other hardware powering the storage server. The same holds for the operating system, and there are quite a few distros and OS you can choose from.

While it’s not exactly light on the wallet, Unraid is a decent NAS-centric OS that’s worth the extra dollars. From its simple UI and support for multiple file formats to a huge app suite and the ability to mix-and-match disks of different sizes, there are plenty of reasons to go with this paid operating system. So, we’ve compiled a step-by-step guide to walk you through the entire process of setting up Unraid on your new NAS.

What you’ll need

Like other NAS operating systems, Unraid has fairly minimal requirements. Since all you need is a 64-bit processor and 4GBs of memory, any ol’ PC will suffice for Unraid. That said, Unraid can only be installed on a USB drive running the FAT32 file system. While you can technically run it on a 128GB drive, you’ll want to stick with a 32GB variant for a relatively painless procedure.

Creating the boot drive

As always, you’ll have to write the Unraid image to a USB drive before you can run the OS. The only difference this time is that you don’t need to install Unraid on a hard drive or SSD. Rather, the USB stick will act as the boot drive every time you power on the NAS.

1. Download the USB Flash Creator tool from Unraid's website and install it on your PC.
2. Run the tool as an administrator.
3. Press Choose OS and select the latest version of Unraid.
4. Tap Choose Storage and pick the USB drive you wish to use as the boot disk.
5. Hit the Next button and set the Name and Network mode for your Unraid server before clicking on Continue.
6. Tap Yes on the final confirmation box and wait for the tool to finish writing the Unraid files onto the USB drive.

Alternatively, you can manually download the OS, copy the unzipped files on the USB drive, and run the make_bootable script with admin privileges.

Switching the BIOS settings

Once you’ve created the boot disk, the next course of action is to turn on your NAS and modify certain boot settings inside the BIOS. While the exact steps vary depending on your specific motherboard, here’s an outline of the overall procedure:

1. Mash the Delete/Del key as the NAS boots up.
2. Head to the Boot Settings tab and set your newly configured Unraid Drive as Boot Option #1.
3. (Optional) If you want to run VMs on your Unraid server, be sure to enable the Virtualization/SVM/AMD-V/VT-x setting inside the Tweaker/Advanced Settings tab.
4. Be sure to save the changes before you exit the BIOS.

Configuring the web UI

After the reboot, your NAS will launch Unraid’s command line interface, and that’s where you’ll find the IP address of the system. We’ll use that to access the web UI from another computer on the same network.

1. Enter the IP address of your NAS into the Search Bar of your favorite browser.
2. Set a Password for the Unraid web UI.
3. Assuming you haven’t purchased an Unraid License Key, choose Start Free 30 Day Trial.
4. Sign up on Unraid’s website and click on the Confirm Trial Start button.
5. Log into your Unraid server’s web UI by entering root as the Username followed by the Password you set earlier.

Setting up the Unraid storage server

Now that you’ve gained access to the Unraid dashboard, it’s time to initialize a storage array and connect it to your PC.

1. Click on the Main tab and choose your Parity and Main drives.
2. Tap the Start button to initialize the array.

   If Unraid displays the Unmountable: Unsupported or no file system error, click on the Format button to set a new file system for the faulty drive(s).

3. Switch to the Shares tab and hit the Add Shares button.
4. Give it a Share Name, grant some Minimum free space, and assign the Included Disks from your array before hitting Apply.
5. Scroll down to the SMB Security Settings tab, set the Export option to Yes, and tap the Apply button once again.
6. Navigate to the Users tab and click on the Add User button.
7. Grant a Name and a Password to your new User before pressing Add.
8. Make sure the Share is visible under the User and the User Access option is set to Read/Write.
9. Open the File Explorer on your PC and type the IP Address of your NAS into the Address Bar.
10. Enter the Username and Password corresponding to the User you set up earlier to gain access to the SMB share.

Making the most of your Unraid-powered NAS

With that, you’re free to store all your precious documents on your Unraid server. As I mentioned earlier, Unraid has a huge collection of apps that you can self-host on your NAS, ranging from the uber-popular Jellyfin and Vaultwarden to the more obscure (but just as useful) RomM and Pterodactyl packages. For those interested in experimenting with different distros, you can use the VMs tab to spin up some virtual machines for your favorite operating systems.

Alternatively, if you’re dissatisfied with Unraid’s paid model, you can check out TrueNAS Scale instead. Although it has a steeper learning curve than Unraid, TrueNAS Scale has better performance and superior RAID provisions with the same USB-only requirement for the boot drive. And the best part is that you don’t have to pay a penny to install it on your NAS.