Access NAS, media servers, or file shares remotely

Accessing your home NAS, media library, or file share from outside your network normally means opening firewall ports or running a traditional VPN. Tailscale creates an encrypted, peer-to-peer connection between your devices so you can reach those services from anywhere, without exposing them to the internet.

Install the Tailscale client on your server

Install the Tailscale client on the device that hosts your files or media to connect it to your Tailscale network (known as a tailnet). If you don't already have a tailnet, one will be created automatically when you authenticate.

Install the Tailscale client on your devices

Download and install the Tailscale client on every device you'll be connecting from, then sign in with the same account.

Access your files and services

The device you're connecting from must have Tailscale installed and signed in to the same tailnet as your server. Use the server's Tailscale hostname if MagicDNS is enabled, or find its Tailscale IP address on the Machines page of the admin console.

Further exploration

• Enable MagicDNS to use friendly hostnames instead of IP addresses across your tailnet.
• Use Taildrive to access shared folders directly across your tailnet without configuring SMB.
• Try Taildrop to send files peer-to-peer between any tailnet devices.
• Use Tailscale Serve to expose a local service to other devices on your tailnet.
• Invite users to join your tailnet and access your shared files and media.
• Use the tailnet policy file to restrict which tailnet devices and users can reach your server.