A blob container is not a file share
The single most useful thing to know before you start: Azure Blob Storage and Azure Files are different services, and only one of them speaks a protocol Windows can mount natively.
Azure Files exposes SMB, which is why net use \\account.file.core.windows.net\share works and why Microsoft's documentation warns you to keep TCP port 445 open for it. Blob containers are addressed over REST on port 443, and there is no SMB endpoint to point a drive letter at. Every "map your blob container" tutorial that starts with net use is describing Azure Files and using the wrong noun.
Microsoft does document two ways to mount a container, but both come with conditions that rule out the typical Windows desktop.
| Route | Client OS | Protocol | Prerequisites | What you end up with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Azure Files with net use | Windows, macOS, Linux | SMB, port 445 | An Azure file share, not a blob container | A real drive letter |
| BlobFuse2 | Linux only | REST via libfuse | fuse3, a config file, a cache directory | A POSIX-ish mount point |
| NFS 3.0 on Blob | Linux, inside a virtual network | NFS, ports 111 and 2048 | New account, hierarchical namespace and NFS v3 enabled at creation | A mount point, VNet only |
| Azure Storage Explorer | Windows, macOS, Linux | REST | None | A browser window, no mount |
| Local WebDAV bridge, such as AnyStorage | Windows, macOS, Linux | REST, re-published on loopback | None | A drive letter or Finder volume |
Why BlobFuse2 does not help on Windows
BlobFuse is Microsoft's open-source virtual filesystem driver for Blob Storage, and its documentation is explicit about the platform: it uses the libfuse library to talk to the Linux FUSE kernel module and implements filesystem operations on top of the Azure Storage REST APIs. It mounts a container on Linux. There is no Windows build, and the design does not translate, because the equivalent on Windows would mean installing a filesystem driver such as WinFsp.
Why NFS 3.0 is stricter than it looks
The NFS 3.0 path is real but narrow. Microsoft's own how-to walks you through mounting a container from a Linux VM or an on-premises Linux system, and the prerequisites are the interesting part:
- The storage account has to sit inside a virtual network; clients in that network, or on-premises networks connected to it, can mount containers.
- Hierarchical namespace and NFS v3 have to be enabled, and the article states you cannot enable NFS 3.0 on existing accounts, only new ones.
- The protocol uses ports 111 and 2048, which have to be open outbound from the client and inbound on any network security group in the way.
- A new container's default mode is
0750, so non-root users have no access until root changes it.
sh
mkdir -p /nfsdata
mount -t aznfs -o sec=sys,vers=3,nolock,proto=tcp \
mystorageacct.blob.core.windows.net:/mystorageacct/mycontainer /nfsdataUseful in Azure. Not a route to a drive letter on the Windows laptop you are reading this on.
What Storage Explorer does and does not do
Azure Storage Explorer is a good, free browser for blobs, queues, tables and file shares. It is not a mount. Nothing outside it can open a blob by path, so Premiere, Excel, a shell script and a backup tool are all still locked out. That distinction is worth being precise about, because "desktop client" and "mounted drive" get used interchangeably and only one of them satisfies an application that wants a filesystem path.
Getting a drive letter on Windows or a volume on macOS
AnyStorage connects to Azure Blob Storage with a storage account name and an access key, keeps those credentials encrypted on the local machine, and then publishes every connection you have open through a WebDAV server on your own machine. Services in the sidebar, the WebDAV tab, Start, and the endpoint is http://127.0.0.1:3211, with HTTP Basic auth always on: default username anystorage plus a 24-character password generated on first use.
On Windows, map it once:
cmd
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WebClient\Parameters" /v BasicAuthLevel /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
net stop WebClient
net start WebClient
net use Z: http://127.0.0.1:3211/ /user:anystorage * /persistent:yesBasicAuthLevel has to be 2 because Windows refuses Basic credentials over plain HTTP by default and the endpoint is HTTP on loopback. If the mapping is refused with System error 67 has occurred or Error code: 0x80070043, start with the WebClient service, which Microsoft deprecated in November 2023 and no longer starts by default; net use error 67 has the full list of causes.
On macOS, press Cmd+K in Finder, enter the same URL and credentials, and the volume appears under /Volumes. No macFUSE, no kernel extension, because this is a network mount rather than a filesystem driver. AnyStorage needs macOS 11 or newer, Windows 10 or newer, or Ubuntu 20.04 or newer; release 0.2.24 shipped on 23 September 2026 and installs on a Mac with brew install --cask kilerd/tap/anystorage.
Under that one drive letter, the blob container sits beside whatever else you have connected: S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, MinIO, Google Cloud Storage, Alibaba Cloud OSS, Tencent Cloud COS, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, WebDAV, FTP, SFTP and local folders. Two limits worth knowing in advance: the mount is read-only on the free tier, where read-write is a Pro feature, and the free tier covers two storage connections. Large uploads are better done in the app itself, which talks to the Azure REST API directly and is not subject to the Windows WebDAV client's 50 MB per-file default.
Can I map a blob container with net use?
No. net use needs SMB or WebDAV, and a blob container offers neither. Azure Files is the SMB service; if your data is genuinely in blobs, you need a bridge or one of the Linux mount paths.
Is there a BlobFuse for Windows?
No. BlobFuse2 is built on libfuse and the Linux FUSE kernel module. On Windows the analogous approach requires a third-party filesystem driver such as WinFsp, which a WebDAV mount avoids entirely.
Can I enable NFS 3.0 on the storage account I already have?
No. Microsoft's article states you must create a new account for it, with hierarchical namespace and NFS v3 enabled, and that existing accounts cannot be upgraded. Budget for a migration if that is the route you want.
Does mounting count against my Azure egress?
Reading through any mount is a REST GET against the blob endpoint, so standard data transfer and transaction charges apply exactly as they would from any other client. A mount changes the interface, not the billing model.
Next steps
- The S3 equivalent, including R2 and MinIO endpoints: mount S3 as a network drive
- If your data is in Cloudflare R2: mount Cloudflare R2 as a local drive
- When the Windows mapping will not connect: Windows cannot connect to WebDAV