Hands-on guide on using Azure Storage Explorer in Azure Storage

Azure Storage Explorer is a free, standalone tool from Microsoft that allows you to easily manage and interact with Azure Storage resources such as Blob Storage, Queue Storage, File Storage, and Table Storage.

With Azure Storage Explorer, you can upload, download, and manage data within your Azure Storage Account.

Key Features of Azure Storage Explorer

• Manage blobs, files, queues, and tables in your storage account.

• Upload and download files and data.

• View and edit data in tables and queues.

• Generate SAS tokens to securely access resources.

• Manage Azure Storage account access keys and connection strings.

Let's walk through how to upload, download, and manage data with Azure Storage Explorer:

Step 1: Install Azure Storage Explorer

1. Download Azure Storage Explorer from the .

2. Follow the installation instructions based on your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).

3. Launch the application once installed.

Step 2: Connect to Your Azure Storage Account

Before you can manage your storage data, you need to connect Azure Storage Explorer to your Azure Storage account.

1. Open Azure Storage Explorer.

2. In the Connect to Azure Storage dialog, you have several options:

   • Azure Account: Use your Azure Active Directory (AAD) credentials (recommended for organizational access).

   • Connection String: Use the connection string of your storage account.

   • Storage Account Name and Key: Provide your storage account name and key.

   • Shared Access Signature (SAS): Use a SAS token for access to specific resources.

Select your preferred method and sign in.

Example for Azure Account:

• Click Sign in to Azure.

• Select your subscription and storage account.

3. Once connected, you will see your Azure storage resources on the left panel in the Explorer view.

Step 3: Upload Data to Azure Storage

You can upload data (files or folders) to Blob or File Storage from your local system.

Upload to Blob Storage

1. In Azure Storage Explorer, navigate to your Blob Storage account.

2. Expand your storage account, and then click on Blob Containers.

3. Select the blob container where you want to upload the data (e.g., documents).

4. Right-click the container and select Upload > Upload Files or Upload Folder.

5. In the file dialog, select the files or folders you want to upload from your local system.

6. Click Upload. The files will begin uploading to Azure.

Upload to Azure File Storage

1. Navigate to your File Shares under the selected storage account.

2. Choose the file share you want to upload data to.

3. Right-click the share and select Upload > Upload Files or Upload Folder.

4. Select the files/folder from your local machine.

5. Click Upload to start the process.

Step 4: Download Data from Azure Storage

You can download data from Blob or File Storage to your local system.

Download from Blob Storage

1. Navigate to your Blob Storage account and expand the container containing the data you want to download.

2. Right-click the blob (file) you want to download and select Download.

3. Choose the location on your local system where you want to save the file and click Save.

Download from File Storage

1. Navigate to your File Shares and select the file share you want to access.

2. Browse to the file or folder you want to download.

3. Right-click the file/folder and select Download.

4. Choose where to save the data locally.

Step 5: Manage Data in Azure Storage Explorer

Azure Storage Explorer offers several ways to manage your data in Azure Storage, such as viewing, deleting, renaming, and editing data.

Managing Blobs

View Blobs

You can double-click a blob to open and view its contents, depending on the file type (e.g., images, PDFs).

Rename a Blob

Right-click the blob and select Rename.

Delete a Blob

Right-click the blob and select Delete to remove it from the container.

Generate SAS Tokens

Right-click a blob and select Get Shared Access Signature to create a SAS token for sharing the blob securely.

Managing File Shares

View Files

Browse through your file shares to view files and folders.

Rename or Delete Files

Right-click on a file or folder and select Rename or Delete to manage files within your file shares.

Upload and Download Files

As mentioned before, you can upload and download files to/from your file share.

Managing Queues

View Queue Messages

Navigate to Queues under your storage account.

You can view the messages in your queue and also delete or peek at messages.

Add Messages

Right-click a queue and select Add Message to enqueue a new message.

Managing Tables

View Table Data

Under Tables, you can browse and view the table entities.

Edit Table Data

You can update, insert, and delete table entities directly from Azure Storage Explorer.

Create Tables

Right-click Tables and select Create Table to create a new table.

Step 6: Generate Shared Access Signatures (SAS)

You can generate SAS tokens to grant limited access to Azure Storage resources without sharing your account keys.

1. In Azure Storage Explorer, right-click the resource (e.g., Blob container, file share).

2. Select Get Shared Access Signature.

3. In the SAS Generation window, specify:

   • Permissions (e.g., Read, Write, Delete).

   • Start Time and Expiry Time (for limited access).

   • Allowed IP Addresses (optional).

   • Allowed Protocols (choose HTTPS for secure access).

4. Click Create.

5. Copy the SAS URL/token, and share it with others to grant them access.

Step 7: Monitor Activity

Azure Storage Explorer provides logs and activity monitoring to view the status of uploads, downloads, and other operations.

1. Click on View > Activity Log to open the activity window.

2. The log shows ongoing operations, successful uploads/downloads, and any errors.

Summary

Azure Storage Explorer makes it easy to manage your Azure Storage resources with a user-friendly interface. You can:

• Upload and download files between your local machine and Azure Storage (Blob, File Shares, etc.).

• Manage data by viewing, renaming, deleting, and editing resources.

• Generate SAS tokens for secure, delegated access.

• Use advanced features like activity logs and connection management to interact with your Azure resources.

By following these steps, you can efficiently manage your Azure Storage data through a GUI tool that simplifies complex tasks.