Azure Explorer for Visual Studio

Your Azure resources, right inside Visual Studio. No Portal tab-switching. No context loss. Just code and cloud, together.

Download from the Visual Studio Marketplace or get the latest CI build.

Requires Visual Studio 2026 or later on Windows 10+

Azure Explorer tool window

Miss the old Cloud Explorer?

When Microsoft removed Cloud Explorer from Visual Studio, many developers lost a crucial workflow. Azure Explorer brings it back — rebuilt from the ground up with modern authentication, better performance, and features Cloud Explorer never had.

What Can You Do?

🚀 Deploy & Debug Faster - Stream live logs, browse deployed files, drag-and-drop upload — without leaving your code

🔍 Find Anything Instantly - Search across all subscriptions with tag:Environment=Production syntax

🔐 Manage Secrets Securely - View, edit, and copy Key Vault secrets without touching the Azure Portal

💻 Connect to VMs - One-click RDP/SSH connections to your Virtual Machines

📦 Browse Storage - Navigate blob containers, upload files, copy connection strings

Supported Resources

Resource Type	Key Actions
Resource Groups	Create, Delete (if empty), Open in Portal
App Services & Function Apps	Browse, Start/Stop/Restart, Stream Logs, File Browser, Drag & Drop Upload
Virtual Machines	Start/Stop/Restart, Connect via RDP/SSH, Copy IP Address
Storage Accounts	Create, Delete, Copy Connection String, Browse Blobs/Queues/Tables, Upload/Download
Key Vaults	Create, Delete, Manage Secrets/Keys/Certificates
SQL Servers & Databases	Copy Connection String, Browse Databases
Front Door	Browse Endpoints

More resource types coming soon!

📖 Full Documentation - Detailed guides, troubleshooting, and tips.

Get Started in 30 Seconds

Install from the Visual Studio Marketplace
Open via View → Azure Explorer
Sign in with your Azure account (uses Windows native authentication)
Explore — your subscriptions appear automatically

Welcome screen

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Enter`	Open selected resource in Azure Portal
`F5`	Refresh current view
`Enter`	Expand/collapse or execute default action
`Delete`	Delete selected item (with confirmation)

FAQ

Q: Which Azure accounts are supported?
A: Personal Microsoft accounts, work/school (Entra ID), and accounts with multiple tenants. Uses Windows native authentication (WAM) for secure, seamless sign-in.

Q: Why don't I see all my subscriptions?
A: Check if you're signed into the correct account. You can also hide/show subscriptions via right-click. See Authentication docs for details.

Q: Is my data secure?
A: Azure Explorer never stores credentials. It uses your existing Visual Studio/Windows Azure credentials with Microsoft's authentication libraries. All API calls go directly to Azure.

Q: Can I use this with Azure Government or other sovereign clouds?
A: Not currently, but it's on the roadmap. Open an issue if this is important to you.

📖 See FAQ and Troubleshooting for more.

Works Great With

These extensions complement Azure Explorer for a complete Azure development experience:

SQL Server Data Tools — Database development and deployment
Cloud Sync — Sync VS settings across machines

Contributing

This is a passion project, and contributions are welcome!

🐛 Found a bug? Open an issue
💡 Have an idea? Start a discussion
🔧 Want to contribute? Pull requests are always welcome

If Azure Explorer saves you time, consider:

⭐ Rating it on the Marketplace
💖 Sponsoring on GitHub

License

Apache 2.0

Azure Explorer

Mads Kristensen