Azure Files Connection

When adding an Azure Files action, select an existing connection or create a new one.

Flow supports two connection methods:

• Connection String and Share Name
• SAS URI for Share

Connection details

An Azure Files connection includes the following fields:

Field	Description
Name	A custom label for this connection. This name will appear when selecting the connection in a Flow action.
Connection Type	Choose how you want to authenticate with Azure Files. Two options are available: • Connection String and Share Name – Uses a full Azure Storage connection string and the name of a specific file share. • SAS URI for Share – Uses a full SAS URI pointing directly to a specific file share.
Default Directory (optional)	Allows you to restrict the scope of the connection to a specific root directory. This directory must already exist in the share. Actions using this connection will be limited to this directory and its subfolders.

Connection String and Share Name

Use this option to connect using the Azure Storage account connection string and specify a file share name.

Field	Description
Connection String	The full connection string for the Azure Storage account. You can find this in the Azure Portal under Storage Account → Access Keys.
Share Name	The name of the Azure File Share you want to access (e.g., project-documents). Must already exist under the storage account.

Note

If you use an account key in the connection string, you're granting access to all file shares in the storage account. For improved security, consider using a SAS token in the connection string instead.

Get the Connection String

1. Go to the Azure Portal.
2. Navigate to Storage accounts.
3. Select your storage account.
4. In the left menu, under Security + networking, click Access keys.
5. You'll see two connection strings (Key1 and Key2) – either one works.
6. Copy the value under Connection string.

Example:

DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=mystorageaccount;AccountKey=abcd1234...;EndpointSuffix=core.windows.net

Get the Share Name

1. In the same storage account, go to File shares (under Data storage).
2. Choose or create a file share (e.g., project-files).
3. The name you see here is the Share Name.

Example (using account key)

DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=mystorageaccount;AccountKey=abcd1234...;EndpointSuffix=core.windows.net

Example (recommended – using SAS token)

DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=mystorageaccount;SharedAccessSignature=sv=2022-11-02&ss=f&srt=sco&sp=rwdlac&se=2025-08-01T00:00:00Z&st=2025-07-21T00:00:00Z&spr=https&sig=xyz...;EndpointSuffix=core.windows.net

SAS URI for Share

Use this method to connect using a full SAS URI for a specific Azure File Share. This is the most secure and scoped method.

Field	Description
SAS URI	A valid SAS URI pointing to the Azure File Share. This URI includes permissions, expiration date, and access token. You can generate this in the Azure Portal under Storage Account → File Shares → [Your Share] → Generate SAS.

Generate a SAS URI for a specific file share

1. Go to Storage accounts in the Azure Portal.
2. Select your storage account.
3. In the left panel, go to File shares.
4. Click the share you want to connect to.
5. On the top menu, click Generate SAS.
6. Choose the permissions (Read, Write, Delete, List, etc.).
7. Set the start and expiry date/time.
8. Click Generate SAS token and URL.
9. Copy the SAS URL at the bottom – this is your SAS URI.

Example:

https://mystorageaccount.file.core.windows.net/myshare?sv=2022-11-02&ss=f&srt=sco&sp=rwdl&se=2025-08-01T00:00:00Z&st=2025-07-21T00:00:00Z&spr=https&sig=xyz...

Example:

https://mystorageaccount.file.core.windows.net/myshare?sas_token=sv=2022-11-02&ss=f&...

Mounting an Azure File Share Locally

You can also map an Azure File Share to a local drive letter on your Windows machine. This can be useful for troubleshooting, local access, or manual file management.

For step-by-step instructions, including how to use UNC paths, refer to the official guide:
Mount Azure Files on Windows