Create an Azure Classic File Share - Azure Files
Summary — Create an Azure classic file share
Purpose
Before creating a classic Azure file share, decide:
Performance: SSD (premium) for low-latency/high performance or HDD (standard) for cost-effective general purpose.
Redundancy: LRS, ZRS, GRS, or GZRS. SSD file shares are available only with LRS and ZRS. See Azure Files redundancy: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/files-redundancy
Applies to
Table of supported combinations of management model, billing model, media tier, redundancy, and SMB/NFS support (see original article for full table).
Prerequisites
Azure subscription (create a trial if needed: https://account.windowsazure.cn/organization).
Install Azure PowerShell if you’ll use PowerShell: https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/azure/install-azure-powershell
Install Azure CLI if you’ll use CLI: https://learn.microsoft.com/cli/azure/install-azure-cli
Create a storage account — overview
Azure classic file shares are created inside storage accounts. Two key storage account properties affect file shares:
kind (FileStorage or StorageV2)
SKU (determines billing model, media tier, redundancy)
Main kind/SKU combinations (summary):
Provisioned v2 (FileStorage) — supports SSD & HDD (PremiumV2_/StandardV2_)
Provisioned v1 (FileStorage) — SSD (Premium_*)
Pay-as-you-go (StorageV2) — HDD (Standard_*)
Recommendation: use provisioned v2 for new deployments. See provisioned v2 availability: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/understanding-billing#provisioned-v2-availability
Portal workflow (storage account)
Basics: required fields include Subscription, Resource group, Storage account name (globally unique, 3–24 lowercase letters/numbers), Region, Primary service (select Azure Files to enable provisioned v2), Performance (Standard or Premium), File share billing (Pay-as-you-go / Provisioned v2 / Provisioned v1), Redundancy, and optional read-access checkbox for geo options.
Advanced: optional security and settings (Require secure transfer, storage account key access, Minimum TLS version, etc.). Many advanced settings shown apply only to Blob storage and not to Azure Files; the article marks which fields are applicable to Azure Files.
Networking: optional at account creation; can be configured later. See networking considerations: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/storage-files-networking-overview
Data protection: soft-delete for file shares (enabled by default) and related retention settings.
Encryption: Microsoft-managed or customer-managed keys; optional infrastructure encryption.
Tags: optional name/value pairs for organization and billing.
Review + create: deploy once required fields are complete.
Create storage account — CLI/PowerShell
The article provides example commands for creating provisioned v2, provisioned v1, and pay-as-you-go storage accounts using:
PowerShell: New-AzStorageAccount (and Get-AzStorageFileServiceUsage)
Azure CLI: az storage account create (and az storage account file-service-usage)
See the original sections for exact command examples and valid SKUs.
Create a classic file share — overview & naming
File share naming rules: lowercase letters, numbers, single hyphens; must begin/end with a lowercase letter or number; no consecutive hyphens. (See original link for full naming rules.)
Creation differs by billing model (provisioned v2, provisioned v1, pay-as-you-go).
Create a provisioned v2 classic file share (portal)
Provisioned v2 requires FileStorage account kind.
Key choices when creating a share:
Name
Provisioned storage (GiB) — billed for provisioned capacity
Provisioned IOPS and throughput — you can accept recommended values or manually specify IOPS and throughput
Backup — enabled by default; can disable or configure vault/policy
Steps (portal) — high level:
Go to your storage account → Data storage → File shares → + File share
Enter Name, Provisioned storage (GiB), and choose recommended or manual Provisioned IOPS/Throughput
Configure Backup (leave enabled by default or disable/create vault/policy)
Review + create
PowerShell and Azure CLI command examples are provided in the article (New-AzRmStorageShare and az storage share-rm create).
Create an SSD provisioned v1 classic file share
Provisioned v1 (FileStorage kind) provisions storage and automatically computes IOPS/throughput based on size. Protocol can be SMB (default) or NFS v4.1.
Portal steps mirror the v2 flow (create share, set name, provisioned storage, select protocol, review + create).
PowerShell/CLI examples provided (New-AzRmStorageShare / az storage share-rm create) — see original for exact commands and valid storage sizes.
Create an HDD pay-as-you-go classic file share
Pay-as-you-go shares have an access tier (TransactionOptimized / Hot / Cool) that affects storage and transaction pricing.
Ensure storage account is StorageV2 kind.
Portal steps: create share, set name and access tier, review + create.
PowerShell/CLI examples provided (New-AzRmStorageShare / az storage share-rm create) — see original for exact commands.
Networking for file shares
SMB: networking configuration not required but recommended to consider.
NFS: network configuration is required. NFSv4.1 uses port 2049 — ensure clients and NSGs allow outbound/inbound as needed.
Two network-level security options:
Private endpoint: gives a private static IP in your virtual network (traffic stays within peered VNets and on-prem).
Service endpoint: restricts access to specific subnets (no extra charge).
The article provides a step-by-step portal walkthrough to create a private endpoint for an NFS share (select share → Network configuration → Setup a private endpoint → create and validate).
Hybrid access (optional)
To access NFS shares from on-premises via Azure networking:
Configure a Point-to-Site (P2S) VPN: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/storage-files-configure-p2s-vpn-linux
Configure a Site-to-Site (S2S) VPN: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/storage-files-configure-s2s-vpn
Configure ExpressRoute: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/expressroute/expressroute-introduction
Next steps (links)
Create a Windows VM: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/virtual-machines/windows/quick-create-portal
Create a Linux VM: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/virtual-machines/linux/quick-create-portal?tabs=ubuntu
Mount SMB on Windows/macOS/Linux: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/storage-how-to-use-files-windows , https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/storage-how-to-use-files-mac , https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/storage-how-to-use-files-linux
Mount NFS on Linux: https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/storage-files-how-to-mount-nfs-shares
Modify file share (size, performance, delete): https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/storage/files/modify-file-share
Additional information
The original article contains full tables, screenshots, and complete PowerShell/CLI examples for each scenario. Last updated on 12/08/2025.
If you want, I can extract the exact PowerShell or Azure CLI command snippets for the specific billing model (provisioned v2, provisioned v1, or pay-as-you-go) you plan to use.
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