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Access Your Home NAS or PC from Anywhere with Tailscale

Install Tailscale on your phone and the device that stores your files, then connect to the device's Tailscale IP in Owlfiles.

Your files do not have to stay on your home Wi-Fi. With Tailscale, you can create a private connection between your iPhone or Android device and the NAS or PC at home. Then use Owlfiles to browse, open, download, and upload files just as you would on a local network.

This guide uses the simplest setup: install Tailscale on both devices, enable file sharing on the NAS or PC, and enter its Tailscale IP address in Owlfiles. You do not need to open an SMB port on your router or configure port forwarding.

How it works

Tailscale provides the network connection. SMB provides the shared folder. Owlfiles gives you the file-browsing interface.

Device Install or configure Purpose
iPhone or Android device Tailscale and Owlfiles Connect from outside your home and manage files
Home NAS or PC Tailscale and SMB file sharing Host the shared folder

Tailscale does not create a shared folder by itself. The destination device must still have a file-sharing service running, as explained in Tailscale’s guide to connecting to devices.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

  • Owlfiles installed on your iPhone or Android device.
  • A Tailscale account. Sign in to the same tailnet on your phone and your home NAS or PC.
  • A shared folder on the NAS or PC, using SMB.
  • The username and password required to access that shared folder.
  • The Tailscale IP address of the NAS or PC. It normally looks like 100.x.y.z.

For current installation instructions, see Install Tailscale, Install Tailscale on iOS, or Install Tailscale on Android.

1. Install Tailscale on your phone and home device

Install Tailscale on your iPhone or Android device and allow it to add its VPN configuration. Sign in with the account you use for your tailnet, then make sure Tailscale shows as connected.

Next, install Tailscale on the device that hosts your files:

  • Windows, macOS, or Linux PC: install the Tailscale client and sign in.
  • NAS: install the package or app provided for your NAS platform, then sign in. Tailscale lists official integrations for platforms including Synology, QNAP, TrueNAS SCALE, and Unraid in its NAS guide.

Both devices should appear in the Tailscale admin console under Machines. Keep the NAS or PC powered on and leave Tailscale running when you want to access its files.

2. Share a folder on the NAS or PC

Create or choose the folder you want to access remotely, then enable SMB file sharing for it.

  • On a PC, turn on file sharing and share the folder using the account you want Owlfiles to use.
  • On a NAS, enable its SMB service, create a shared folder, and give a user permission to read or write it.

Use a dedicated account with only the permissions it needs. If possible, test the share while your phone is on the home network before testing it over Tailscale.

3. Find the device’s Tailscale IP address

Open Tailscale on the NAS or PC and copy its IPv4 address, or open the Machines page in the Tailscale admin console. Use the Tailscale address, which usually starts with 100..

For example:

100.101.102.103

Do not use the device’s local address, such as 192.168.1.20, when you are away from home. That address only works inside your home network. Do not use your home’s public IP address either; the point of this setup is to connect through Tailscale.

4. Add the share to Owlfiles

The steps are almost the same on iPhone and Android.

  1. Open Owlfiles and add a connection.
  2. Choose the connection type for your device, such as Windows, Mac, or NAS.
  3. In ‘Host Name/IP’ field, enter the device’s Tailscale IP address, for example 100.101.102.103.
  4. Enter the username and password for the SMB share. These are the NAS or PC file-sharing credentials, not your Tailscale login.
  5. Save the connection.
  6. Open Tailscale app and connected the network.

When Tailscale is connected on your phone, Owlfiles can now use the Tailscale IP to reach the share. You can open files, copy files to your phone, upload new files, and manage the shared folder according to the permissions of the account you entered.

5. Test it from outside your home

To verify that the connection is really using Tailscale:

  1. Leave Tailscale connected on your phone.
  2. Turn off Wi-Fi and use mobile data, or connect to a different Wi-Fi network.
  3. Open the saved connection in Owlfiles.
  4. Browse the shared folder and open a small file.

If the folder opens while your phone is on mobile data, the Tailscale connection is working. That test alone does not tell you whether the path is direct or relayed. Tailscale assigns each device a Tailscale IP address so devices can connect even when they are on different networks; see Connect to devices for more details.

About connection type and speed

Using a Tailscale IP does not guarantee that every packet travels directly from your phone to your home. Tailscale tries to establish a direct peer-to-peer connection first. If the two networks make that impossible, it can use a relay—normally a Tailscale DERP server—so the connection still works.

A relayed connection usually has higher latency and lower throughput than a direct connection. This is especially noticeable when browsing large folders, streaming video, or copying many gigabytes. Tailscale’s connection types documentation explains the difference, and its performance guide recommends direct connections whenever possible.

Even when the connection is direct, the speed is limited by the slowest part of the path:

  • Downloading from home is usually limited by your home’s upload speed.
  • Uploading to home is usually limited by your home’s download speed or your phone’s upload speed.
  • Wi-Fi quality, mobile signal, latency, packet loss, the NAS or PC, and SMB overhead can reduce the result further.
  • Your ISP may use traffic policies, congestion management, or asymmetric plans that make real-world speeds lower than the advertised rate.

The connection type can also change when you move between Wi-Fi and mobile data. If speed matters, check the path with tailscale ping or tailscale status on a device that has the Tailscale command line available. A result marked direct is the preferred path; relay indicates that traffic is going through a relay. Tailscale’s troubleshooting guide shows how to interpret these results.

If it does not connect

Check these items in order:

  • Tailscale is connected on both devices. The phone and the NAS or PC must be signed in to the same tailnet.
  • The NAS or PC is online. A sleeping PC cannot serve its shared folder.
  • The IP address is correct. Copy the current 100.x.y.z address from Tailscale instead of guessing it.
  • SMB sharing is enabled. Tailscale provides the network path, but it does not replace SMB.
  • The firewall allows file sharing. On a PC, allow SMB/file sharing on the appropriate private or trusted network profile.
  • The credentials and share name are correct. Use the account configured for the NAS or PC share.
  • The tailnet policy allows the connection. If you have customized Tailscale access controls, make sure the phone can reach the home device.

A few security tips

Tailscale lets you reach the private device without exposing SMB directly to the public internet. Still, keep the NAS or PC, Tailscale, and Owlfiles updated. Use a strong password for the shared-folder account, grant only the permissions you need, and avoid sharing your tailnet with people who should not access the device.

Once the connection is working, the workflow is simple: connect Tailscale on your phone, open Owlfiles, and use the saved connection. Your home files are available wherever you have an internet connection, while the NAS or PC remains behind your home router.