Synchronize Windows Fileshare On-premise to Azure Files

Question

Synchronize Windows Fileshare On-premise to Azure Files

Andhika Saputra 40

Hello,
I'm currently trying to synchronize my on-premises Windows fileshare with Azure Files. I've tried Azure File Sync before, but unfortunately, it's not available in the Indonesia Central region. Are there any alternative tools for synchronizing on-premises fileshares with Azure Files? Could you please provide details on alternative solutions compared to Azure File Sync?

Thanks.

kagiyama yutaka 1,170 Reputation points

2026-03-12T12:26:58.85+00:00

I think the safest fix is mapping Azure Files over SMB and letting a tiny robocopy /MIR run at night, it keeps ur ACL and tree clean and just peek at the share‑perms after mapping that small step stops the deny‑loop most ppl hit next.

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kagiyama yutaka 1,170 Reputation points

2026-03-12T12:26:58.85+00:00

I think the safest fix is mapping Azure Files over SMB and letting a tiny robocopy /MIR run at night, it keeps ur ACL and tree clean and just peek at the share‑perms after mapping that small step stops the deny‑loop most ppl hit next.

Answer 1

Hi Andhika Saputra,

Thanks for reaching out in Microsoft Q&A forum,

Are there any alternative tools for synchronizing on-premises fileshares with Azure Files? Could you please provide details on alternative solutions compared to Azure File Sync?

Robocopy stands out as the most straightforward Azure-native option for mirroring on-premises Windows shares to Azure Files over SMB. Schedule it via Task Scheduler or Azure Automation Runbooks for regular one-way syncs.

Approach:

Use this battle-tested Robocopy command for efficient mirroring:

robocopy \\onprem\share \\azurestorage.file.core.windows.net\share /MIR /Z /R:3 /W:5 /MT:32 /LOG+:C:\logs\sync.log

/MIR mirrors source (copies new/changed files, deletes extras in dest)
/Z enables restartable mode for network hiccups
/MT:32 uses 32 threads for speed
Logs output for troubleshooting

Monitor jobs via Azure Monitor or Log Analytics for bandwidth, errors, and completion.

Other Azure-Native Paths

AzCopy for seeding: Great for initial bulk uploads to Azure Files (azcopy copy from local SMB mount), then switch to Robocopy for deltas.
Data Box Offline: Ships massive datasets to Azure datacenter, followed by Robocopy increments.
Azure NetApp Files: If available in nearby regions, use its snapshot-based mirroring for SMB shares with better performance.

Reference:

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

Please do not forget to and “up-vote” wherever the information provided helps you, this can be beneficial to other community members.

Venkatesan S 4,660 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-12T18:15:22.6833333+00:00

Hi Andhika Saputra,

Just checking in to see if you had a chance to see the previous response posted by me.
Please do not forget to and “up-vote” wherever the information provided helps you, this can be beneficial to other community members.

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

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Synchronize Windows Fileshare On-premise to Azure Files

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