Create a resource group in the Azure portal, then create a storage account inside it and choose settings that fit your workload. You can also create the resource group while creating the account. Creating a storage account does not create a Blob container; you need a container before uploading blobs.
Before you start
- Sign in to the Azure portal with an account that can create resources in the subscription you intend to use.
- Decide which subscription and Azure region to use. Check that the region supports your intended account type and redundancy option.
- Choose settings based on how often data will be accessed, the performance it needs, and the availability or recovery requirements. These choices can affect cost.
Every Azure Resource Manager storage account belongs to a resource group. You can create the group first or select the option to create one from the storage-account form. The group’s region identifies where its metadata is stored; it is separate from the storage account’s own region. Microsoft generally recommends locating the group where most of its resources will be, subject to compliance requirements. See Microsoft’s Azure portal resource deployment guidance.
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Create a resource group
- Sign in to the Azure portal and open Resource groups.
- Select Create.
- Select the subscription, enter a resource-group name, and choose a region for the group’s metadata.
- Select Review + create, check the values, and select Create.
- When creation completes, open the group from the notification or refresh the resource-group list.
For the region decision, account for where most of the group’s resources will be and any applicable compliance requirements. The storage account’s region is selected separately.
Create the storage account
- In the portal search box, search for Storage accounts, open the service, and select Create.
- On Basics, select the subscription and the resource group you created. If you skipped the earlier steps, use the form’s option to create a new group.
- Enter a globally unique account name. Microsoft’s documented rule is 3–24 characters, using lowercase letters and numbers only.
- Choose the storage account’s region. Confirm that it supports the account type and redundancy you want; region and configuration can affect billing.
- Set the preferred storage type to Blob storage or Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 if that suits your intended use. This preference guides the creation experience; it does not restrict the other storage services available in the account.
- Choose performance and redundancy, then set the Blob access tier if the form presents it. The tier field’s tab location can vary between portal versions, so look for the visible access-tier setting rather than relying on a particular tab name.
- Review the remaining tabs for settings your workload requires. Select Review + create. The portal validates the configuration and identifies changes needed if validation fails.
- After validation passes, select Create.
Microsoft’s storage-account portal quickstart documents the creation options and account-name constraint. For the portal’s review and validation step, see Create an Azure Storage Account.
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Choose performance, redundancy, and access tier
These settings should follow the workload rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation. Confirm availability in your selected region and check current pricing for the configuration before creating the account.
| Choice | When it may fit | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Standard general-purpose v2 | Microsoft recommends it for most scenarios. | It is the broad default; select redundancy and access tier to match the workload. |
| Premium | Scenarios requiring low latency. | Requires an available premium account type, and supported types vary by region. |
| Hot access tier | Data accessed frequently. | Choose based on expected access patterns and costs. |
| Cool access tier | Data accessed infrequently. | Choose based on expected access patterns and costs. |
For Standard general-purpose v2, the quickstart lists locally redundant storage (LRS), geo-redundant storage (GRS), read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS), zone-redundant storage (ZRS), geo-zone-redundant storage (GZRS), and read-access geo-zone-redundant storage (RA-GZRS). Availability depends on region and account type. GRS and GZRS replicate to a different region; read access to the secondary is an additional option. Choose only after considering recovery and availability needs. Microsoft’s quickstart and Blob access-tier guidance describe these options and the Hot and Cool tiers.
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Create a container before uploading blobs
A storage account can contain blobs, files, queues, and tables. Blob objects are organized into containers, so creating the account alone does not provide a container to upload into. After the account is deployed, open it in the portal, create a container, and then upload the blob to that container. Microsoft’s storage access tutorial includes container creation as a separate step before upload.
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If creation does not proceed
- The name is unavailable or invalid: choose another globally unique name and check that it uses only lowercase letters and numbers and is 3–24 characters long.
- The configuration fails validation: read the portal’s validation message, correct the identified setting, and select Review + create again.
- Your preferred account type or redundancy is missing: check support for the chosen region and configuration; availability is not universal.
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