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To give Active Directory (AD) users private, home-like folders on TrueNAS, configure an SMB Private Dataset Share. TrueNAS recommends this approach; the older Use as Home Share workflow is removed in TrueNAS 25.10 and later. The private SMB folder is separate from a user account’s ZFS home-directory setting, which does not need to be configured for this share.
Choose the right approach for your TrueNAS version
TrueNAS documents Private Dataset Share as the current way to provide personal SMB folders. When a user first authenticates, TrueNAS creates a private subdirectory named for that user. The share and dataset permissions control access to it. See the current Private Dataset Share documentation.
| Approach | Availability | Folder and permissions | For an existing setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Dataset Share | Recommended in current TrueNAS documentation. | Creates a username-named private folder on first authentication. Configure filesystem and SMB share ACLs separately. | Use the instructions for your installed release and verify both ACL layers. |
| Legacy Use as Home Share | Documented in older SCALE 22.12/23.10 guidance; removed from the workflow in 25.10 and later. Existing upgraded shares may retain compatibility behavior. | Uses older, version-specific setup steps; do not assume its UI or permissions map directly to the current pattern. | Follow migration guidance for the installed release and check permissions rather than blindly copying old UI steps. Current TrueNAS guidance. |
Before you create the share
- Create a storage pool and choose a parent dataset for the personal folders. Do not share the pool or dataset root: TrueNAS explicitly warns, “Do not share the root directory!”
- Confirm that TrueNAS is joined to AD and the directory-service connection is healthy. TrueNAS warns that a broken AD connection can prevent binding and keep SMB from starting.
- Make sure the intended identities can use SMB. Joining AD makes directory users available to TrueNAS, but SMB users need SMB access/authentication. The root account cannot access SMB shares.
- Use documentation for your installed TrueNAS release. UI navigation and labels vary by version.
TrueNAS outlines the general sequence as identity setup, share and dataset creation, permissions, then starting the service and mounting the share from a client. Read the SCALE 25.04 SMB overview.
Set up a Private Dataset Share for AD users
- Check AD health. In the TrueNAS directory-services settings, confirm that the AD domain connection is established before configuring the share. Resolve bind or connection problems first; they can prevent SMB from starting.
- Create the private share under a parent dataset. In the share setup workflow for your release, select the Private Dataset Share purpose and create it under the intended parent path. Do not select or expose the root directory.
- Choose the matching home ACL preset. Select a preset appropriate to the dataset’s ACL type. The versioned TrueNAS instructions name
NFSv4_HOMEfor NFSv4 ACLs. Do not apply that preset without checking the dataset’s ACL type and administrative needs; TrueNAS also documents AD Domain Admins as a possible owning group where appropriate. See the SCALE 25.04 private-share steps. - Configure the dataset filesystem ACL. Grant the intended AD user or users access to the dataset and provide administrator access according to your administrative model. This ACL governs filesystem access to the dataset.
- Configure the SMB share ACL separately. Grant the intended identities access through the share, adding administrative access as needed. A change to the SMB share ACL does not change the dataset filesystem ACL, and vice versa. TrueNAS explains the distinction between share and filesystem ACLs.
- Start or restart SMB, then test as an AD user. Connect from a client such as Windows File Explorer using the intended AD identity and verify that the user can create and access files in their private folder.
Understand the two ACL layers
Successful access depends on both permission layers. The dataset’s filesystem ACL controls access to stored data; the SMB share ACL controls access through the network share, including connections from File Explorer. Configure the intended users and administrators at both layers rather than assuming one editor controls both.
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- Users can see a sibling folder name but cannot open it: TrueNAS notes that File Explorer may display nested datasets even when access is blocked. Visibility of a name does not by itself mean the user can read that folder.
- Users need access through nested datasets: Parent dataset traversal permissions may be needed for some restricted-group or read-only arrangements. TrueNAS’s SMB ACL guidance describes when Traverse permission matters.
- Administrative access: Select an appropriate owner and administrator group for your environment. The documented Domain Admins option is not a universal requirement.
Private SMB folders are not account home directories
The Private Dataset Share creates a username-named network folder when the AD user first authenticates. A TrueNAS user’s Home Directory setting is a separate ZFS/filesystem path and is not required for this SMB feature. Changing that field does not replace the share or its ACL configuration. TrueNAS documents /var/empty as the default when a full home directory is not configured. See TrueNAS user-management documentation.
Troubleshoot common setup failures
SMB will not start
Check the AD connection and binding first. TrueNAS warns that a broken AD connection can prevent binding and stop the SMB service from starting. Once directory-service health is restored, start SMB and retry the client connection.
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A user cannot open their private folder
Check both the dataset filesystem ACL and the SMB share ACL for the intended AD identity. Confirm the user has SMB access/authentication and is connecting with the expected domain account; the root account is not a valid SMB share user.
Account home-directory creation errors
This is distinct from a Private Dataset Share. If you are troubleshooting TrueNAS account home-directory behavior, the user guide describes a change beginning with 24.04 involving pam_mkhomdir and warns that failed home-directory creation can affect pam_open_session(). Consult the user-management guidance for the installed release rather than changing the account’s home path as a substitute for SMB ACL work. TrueNAS user-management guidance.
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