Unlocking Azure Blob Storage Access- A Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Explorer Users

How to Access Azure Blob Storage from Windows Explorer

Accessing Azure Blob Storage from Windows Explorer can greatly simplify the process of managing and uploading files to your Azure storage accounts. Blob storage is a service that allows you to store large amounts of unstructured data, such as text or binary data, in the cloud. By connecting your Windows Explorer to Azure Blob Storage, you can easily navigate, upload, and download files directly from your computer. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to access Azure Blob Storage from Windows Explorer.

Before you begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• AzCopy, which is a command-line utility for copying data to and from Azure Blob Storage.
• AzCopy PowerShell module, which provides PowerShell cmdlets for managing Azure Blob Storage.
• Azure Storage account with Blob storage enabled.
• Access keys for your Azure Storage account.

Step 1: Install AzCopy

First, download and install AzCopy from the official Microsoft website. AzCopy is a versatile tool that allows you to transfer data to and from Azure Blob Storage, File Storage, and Table Storage.

Step 2: Set up Azure Storage account

Log in to the Azure portal and navigate to your Azure Storage account. In the account settings, copy the account name and access keys. You will need these details to configure AzCopy.

Step 3: Configure AzCopy

Open a command prompt and run the following command to configure AzCopy with your Azure Storage account details:

azcopy config set source.key <your-account-name> <your-access-key>

Replace <your-account-name> with your Azure Storage account name and <your-access-key> with your access key.

Step 4: Access Azure Blob Storage from Windows Explorer

Now that AzCopy is configured, you can access Azure Blob Storage from Windows Explorer. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the location where you want to create a new folder for your Azure Blob Storage files.
2. Right-click on the folder and select “Map network drive.”
3. In the “Map Network Drive” dialog box, enter the following path:
4. Replace <your-account-name> with your Azure Storage account name and <your-container-name> with the name of the container you want to access.

\\<your-account-name>.blob.core.windows.net\<your-container-name>

Click “Finish” to map the network drive. You should now see a new network drive in Windows Explorer that corresponds to your Azure Blob Storage container.

Step 5: Upload and download files

With your Azure Blob Storage container mapped as a network drive, you can now upload and download files using Windows Explorer. Simply drag and drop files into the mapped drive to upload them to Azure Blob Storage, or drag and drop files from the mapped drive to your computer to download them.

Conclusion

Accessing Azure Blob Storage from Windows Explorer simplifies the process of managing and transferring files to and from your Azure storage accounts. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily connect your Windows Explorer to Azure Blob Storage and take advantage of its powerful features.