Synology backtracks: Seagate and WD drives finally work again on 2025 NAS systems
Any hope to restore brand popularity?
Synology has confirmed it will restore full support for Seagate and Western Digital hard drives in its latest NAS models. The change arrives with the upcoming DiskStation Manager (DSM) 7.3 update, following months of user criticism over the company’s earlier restrictions.
In April, Synology limited its 2025 “Plus” series devices — including the DS925+, DS1825+, DS1525+, and DS425+, to Synology-branded drives only. Users were unable to install DSM or create storage pools with third-party media, effectively locking out Seagate and WD disks. The move was meant to improve reliability, but it sparked heavy backlash across forums and media outlets.
With DSM 7.3, Synology is reversing course. Once the update rolls out, users will again be able to install, manage, and rebuild storage pools using third-party drives without the constant “unverified drive” warnings seen before. The system will support full RAID management, hot spares, and disk checks, returning the experience to how it worked before 2025.
Source: NAS Compares
There are still limits. M.2 NVMe SSDs will continue to require official validation for use as cache or in storage pools. Enterprise and rackmount systems such as the RS, FS, and SA lines also remain restricted to approved drives only. It may only be a matter of time before Synology changes its mind again.
Synology says it is now working with multiple storage vendors to expand its list of verified drives, calling the change part of a plan to “expand storage flexibility.” Sounds like corporate jargon for ‘we messed up’. For now, DSM 7.3 marks Synology’s step back toward openness, though for many long-time users, the damage to trust may take longer to repair.
Luckily for NAS users, there’s plenty of choice, from the newly released UniFi NAS series to fully custom TrueNAS mini-PC setups powered by 8-core Ryzen CPUs like the one below. I’m currently looking for a new NAS myself, and with companies like Synology making such strange decisions, I’m leaning toward a custom solution that gives me full control.
Source: NAS Compares