Your Nucleus supports an internal 2.5" HDD or SSD, turning it into a self-contained music server. For a completely silent system, we recommend an SSD. RoonOS uses the entire drive for music, and you can create subfolders on it later over the network. This guide covers installing the drive, formatting it, copying your music, and confirming that Roon is watching it.

Important Considerations

Please don't pre-format the drive or load music onto it before you install it. The drive must be formatted in the Nucleus Web Administration Interface, and formatting erases everything on it.

• The steps differ by model. Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan running RoonOS 3.0 use the redesigned Web Administration Interface, with new File Sharing options. Nucleus and Nucleus+, and any Nucleus One or Nucleus Titan not yet on RoonOS 3.0, use the original. If you're not sure which you have, please see Which version of the Web UI do I have?
• Your music is safe during a reset. Resetting your Nucleus from the Web Administration Interface doesn't erase music on internal storage.

Prerequisites

• A supported 2.5" HDD or SSD:
  • Nucleus Rev A: drive height of 7mm or 9mm.
  • Nucleus Rev B: drive height up to 15mm.
  • Nucleus+ Rev A: drive height of 7mm or 9mm.
  • Nucleus+ Rev B: drive height up to 15mm.
  • Nucleus One: SATA drive, up to 4TB.
  • Nucleus Titan: SATA SSD, drive height up to 15mm, up to 8TB.
• The mounting hardware listed in your model's installation guide (see Step 1).
• A Mac or Windows computer on the same network as your Nucleus, for copying music to the drive.

Step 1: Install the Drive

Please follow the installation guide for your model to open your Nucleus and install the drive:

• Nucleus and Nucleus+
• Nucleus One
• Nucleus Titan

Step 2: Format the Drive in the Nucleus Web Administration Interface

Once the drive is installed, RoonOS must format it before you can use it.

Formatting permanently erases everything on the drive, and it can't be undone.

Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan

1. Open the Nucleus Web Administration Interface.
2. Click the Storage tab.
3. Find Internal Music Storage. The drive you installed is listed here.
4. Click Format.
5. In the Format Internal Storage? window, click Format again to confirm. A progress bar shows while the drive formats. This can take several minutes, depending on the drive's size and speed. Roon is unavailable during this time.
6. When a Success message appears, click OK. The card shows Ready, along with the drive's capacity, model, and a usage bar.

If Internal Music Storage doesn't appear on the Storage tab, your drive hasn't been detected. Please power down your Nucleus and re-check the drive's internal connections.

Nucleus and Nucleus+

These steps also apply to Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan that aren't on RoonOS 3.0 yet.

1. Open the Nucleus Web Administration Interface.
2. Find the Internal Music Storage section. The drive you installed is listed here.
3. Click Format. This can take several minutes, depending on the drive's size and speed. Roon is unavailable during this time.
4. When formatting finishes, the page refreshes and shows the drive's capacity, confirming it's Ready.

If the Internal Music Storage section is missing, your drive hasn't been detected. Please power down your Nucleus and re-check the drive's internal connections.

On every model, it's normal for the available capacity to be slightly less than the drive's advertised size.

Step 3: Copy Music to the Drive

There are two ways to copy music to your Nucleus internal drive. Copying over the network is best for large libraries. Dragging files into the Roon app is handy for adding a few albums at a time.

Method 1: Copy Music Over the Network (Recommended)

This method is best for transferring your main music library.

1. On your computer, open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS).
2. Connect to the network share using the address for your model, listed below.
3. Copy your music files and folders into the window that opens.

Network share addresses for Windows

In File Explorer, type the address into the address bar:

• Nucleus One: \\NUCLEUSONE\Data\Storage\InternalStorage
• Nucleus Titan: \\NUCLEUSTITAN\Data\Storage\InternalStorage
• Nucleus: \\NUCLEUS\Data\Storage\InternalStorage
• Nucleus+: \\NUCLEUSPLUS\Data\Storage\InternalStorage
• ROCK: \\ROCK\Data\Storage\InternalStorage

Network share addresses for Mac

In Finder, press Command + K, enter the address, and click Connect:

• Nucleus One: smb://NUCLEUSONE/Data/Storage/InternalStorage
• Nucleus Titan: smb://NUCLEUSTITAN/Data/Storage/InternalStorage
• Nucleus: smb://NUCLEUS/Data/Storage/InternalStorage
• Nucleus+: smb://NUCLEUSPLUS/Data/Storage/InternalStorage
• ROCK: smb://ROCK/Data/Storage/InternalStorage

If the name doesn't work on your network, please use your Nucleus's IP address instead, for example \\<ip-address>\Data\Storage\InternalStorage.

Signing in to the share

Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan: Guest access is on by default, so anyone on your network can open the share. If you're asked to sign in, please enter guest as both the username and password. On a Mac, select Registered User first. For step-by-step instructions, please see Reconnecting the Data Folder.

On RoonOS 3.0, if Username and password is turned on, please sign in as roon. The password is roon unless you've set your own. Turning on Username and password closes Guest to new connections. Devices already connected stay connected, but a device that can only connect as Guest loses access the next time it reconnects.

If an older device can't connect at all, the Allow older devices (SMB 1) option may help. It's off by default because SMB 1 is less secure.

You'll find these options under Network & Access > File Sharing in the Web Administration Interface. You can change them from your local network until your Nucleus is signed in to Tailscale. After that, please use the HTTPS Tailscale page shown in the Changing these settings box. Signing in to Tailscale, or switching Tailscale accounts, removes a share password that was set from your local network, and the share goes back to guest access. For details, please see File Sharing. Accessing the share over Tailscale isn't supported yet.

On Windows, please disconnect any mapped drive to your Nucleus before you connect again as Guest, with a different username, or with a new password. Windows only allows one username per server at a time, so an old connection can cause error 1219.

Nucleus and Nucleus+: if you're asked for a username and password, please enter Guest for both.

Using a USB drive with your Nucleus One or Nucleus Titan on RoonOS 3.0? If it shows Read only, please see USB Drives for how to use Check & repair.

If Windows can't connect to the share

This is expected behavior: newer versions of Windows block guest access to network shares by default. You may see an error like the one below.

Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan on RoonOS 3.0 (recommended): turn on Username and password under Network & Access > File Sharing, then connect as roon. The password is roon unless you've set your own. This leaves your Windows security settings unchanged. Devices already using guest access stay connected, but guest-only devices lose access the next time they reconnect.

Nucleus and Nucleus+, earlier RoonOS versions, or if you'd rather keep guest access: you can change your Windows settings to allow guest access instead. These settings apply to every network share your PC connects to, not just your Nucleus. Please follow the steps for your edition of Windows below.

Windows Pro and Enterprise

First, turn off the SMB signing requirement:

1. Open the Start menu, type gpedit, and open Edit group policy (the Local Group Policy Editor).
2. In the left panel, go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.
3. Double-click Microsoft network client: Digitally sign communications (always).
4. Select Disabled, then click OK.

Then, allow guest logons:

1. In the Local Group Policy Editor, go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Lanman Workstation.
2. Double-click Enable insecure guest logons.
3. Select Enabled, then click OK.

Windows Home

The Local Group Policy Editor isn't available in Windows Home, so you'll use PowerShell instead.

1. Open the Start menu, type powershell, right-click Windows PowerShell, and choose Run as administrator. Accept the prompt.
2. To turn off the SMB signing requirement, run this command:

   Set-SmbClientConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false

3. When prompted, type Y and press Enter.
4. To allow guest logons, run this command:

   Set-SmbClientConfiguration -EnableInsecureGuestLogons $true

5. When prompted, type Y and press Enter.

Method 2: Drag and Drop into the Roon App

To quickly add a few albums or tracks, you can drag files straight into the Roon app on a Mac or Windows computer.

1. Open Roon on your Mac or Windows computer.
2. Open Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows) and find the music you want to add.
3. Drag the files or folders onto the Roon window.

Roon copies the files to your Nucleus internal storage and imports them into your library.

Step 4: Confirm the Drive in Roon

Whichever method you use, you can check that Roon is watching the drive.

1. Open Roon on any device (PC, Mac, tablet, or phone).
2. Go to Settings > Storage.
3. Confirm that your internal drive is listed as a watched folder. Roon names it after your model, for example Nucleus One Internal Storage or Nucleus Titan Internal Storage.

Roon watches this drive and automatically imports any music you copy to it over the network.

Optional: Making Access Permanent

To avoid typing the network address every time, you can create a permanent link to your Nucleus storage on your computer.

Windows: Map a Network Drive

This assigns a drive letter (such as R:) to your Nucleus storage, so it appears like a local drive in This PC.

1. Open File Explorer and click This PC in the left sidebar.
2. Click the three dots (See more) in the command bar at the top, then select Map network drive.
3. Choose an available drive letter, for example R:.
4. In the Folder field, enter the network address for your model, for example \\NUCLEUSONE\Data\Storage\InternalStorage.
5. Check Reconnect at sign-in so the connection stays in place.
6. If your Nucleus One or Nucleus Titan uses Username and password, also check Connect using different credentials.
7. Click Finish. If you checked Connect using different credentials, sign in as roon. The password is roon unless you've set your own.

Your Nucleus storage now appears as a drive in This PC.

macOS: Add the Share as a Login Item

This connects to the share every time you log in to your Mac, and adds it to your desktop and the Finder sidebar.

1. Open Finder and press Command + K.
2. Enter the network address for your model, for example smb://NUCLEUSONE/Data/Storage/InternalStorage, and click Connect.
3. Open System Settings and go to General > Login Items.
4. Click the + button below the list.
5. Select the connected Nucleus share from the Locations sidebar or your desktop, then click Add.

The share now connects automatically each time you start your Mac.

Still can't see the internal drive or connect to the share after these steps? Please get in touch with our Technical Support team here.