Azure Storage Explorer

This document provides a comprehensive guide to using Azure Storage Explorer, a free, standalone application from Microsoft that enables you to manage your Azure cloud storage resources from your desktop.

What is Azure Storage Explorer?

Azure Storage Explorer is a cross-platform application that makes it easy to work with Azure Storage resources on Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can connect to your Azure subscriptions and manage your storage accounts, or connect to other Azure storage services by using shared access signature (SAS) URIs or connection strings.

Key Features

Manage Blobs, Files, Queues, and Tables: Provides a unified interface for all Azure Storage services.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Connect to Various Accounts: Connect to Azure, Azure Government, Azure Stack, and other storage services.
Data Upload/Download: Easily upload and download data to and from your storage.
Blob Operations: Manage containers, blobs, and their properties.
Queue and Table Management: Create, query, and manage messages and entities.
SAS and Connection String Support: Connect to storage accounts without needing full Azure credentials.
Local Emulator Support: Integrate with Azure Storage Emulator for local development.

Getting Started with Azure Storage Explorer

1. Download and Install

You can download the latest version of Azure Storage Explorer from the official Azure Storage Explorer website.

Follow the installation instructions for your operating system. The installation is straightforward.

2. Connecting to Azure Storage

Once installed, launch Azure Storage Explorer. You'll be prompted to sign in or connect to your storage.

Signing in with your Azure Account

Click on "Add an account".
Select "Subscription".
Choose "Sign in" and follow the prompts to authenticate with your Microsoft account associated with your Azure subscription.
After successful authentication, you'll see your Azure subscriptions listed. Expand the subscription containing your storage accounts.

Connecting with SAS or Connection String

Click on "Add an account".
Select "Storage account or service".
Choose "Shared access signature URL" or "Connection string".
Paste the SAS URI or connection string and provide a display name.
Click "Next" and then "Connect".

Note: Using a connection string or SAS URI grants access to specific storage account resources and is often preferred for programmatic access or when delegating access to specific operations.

3. Managing Blob Containers and Blobs

Navigate to your storage account in the left-hand pane. Expand "Blob Containers" to see all your containers.

Creating a New Container

Right-click on "Blob Containers" and select "Create Blob Container".
Enter a name for your container and press Enter.

Uploading Blobs

Double-click on a container to open it.
Click the "Upload" button in the toolbar.
Select "Upload Files..." or "Upload Folder...".
Choose the files or folders you want to upload.

Downloading Blobs

Select the blob(s) you want to download.
Click the "Download" button in the toolbar.
Choose a destination folder on your local machine.

Deleting Blobs and Containers

Select the blob(s) or container(s) you wish to delete.
Click the "Delete" button.
Confirm the deletion when prompted.

4. Working with Other Storage Services

Azure Storage Explorer supports managing Azure Files (shares, directories, files), Azure Queues (queues, messages), and Azure Tables (tables, entities) in a similar, intuitive manner.

Tip: Explore the context menus (right-click) for each resource to discover the full range of available operations, such as copying, moving, renaming, and setting access policies.

Advanced Features

Querying Tables: Write OData queries to retrieve specific entities from Azure Table Storage.
Managing Queue Messages: Add, peek, dequeue, and clear messages from Azure Queues.
File Synchronization: Utilize the sync capabilities to keep local folders synchronized with blob or file storage.
Generating SAS: Generate SAS URIs for blobs, containers, or entire storage accounts with custom expiry times and permissions.

Azure Storage Explorer is an indispensable tool for developers, administrators, and anyone who needs to interact with Azure Storage. Its user-friendly interface and robust feature set streamline common storage management tasks.