### Step 1 โ Get the connection string from Azure
The **connection string** is one long password-like line that tells PipesHub how to reach your storage. We just need to copy it.
1. Go to [https://portal.azure.com](https://portal.azure.com) and sign in.
2. In the search bar at the top, type **Storage accounts** and click it.
3. Click the storage account that holds your file share.
4. In the left menu, click **Security + networking โ Access keys**.
5. Under **key1**, click **Show** next to **Connection string**.
6. Click the **copy** icon next to it.
You now have the connection string in your clipboard. Don't close the tab yet โ if something goes wrong you'll want to come back.
The same Access keys page is used for Azure Blob and Azure File Shares. If you already set up Azure Blob on this storage account, you can reuse the same connection string here.
Treat this string like a password. Anyone who gets it can read (and change) your storage. Don't paste it into chat, email, or a public file.
***
### Step 2 โ Open Azure Files in PipesHub
1. In PipesHub, look at the left sidebar.
2. Under **Workspace**, click **Connectors**.
3. In the list, find **Azure Files**.
4. Click **Setup** on its tile.
A panel slides in from the right. This is where you enter your details.
***
### Step 3 โ Paste your connection string
The panel opens on the first tab, **Authenticate Instance**.
1. In **Instance name**, type a short name so you can recognise it later (for example `Azure files` or `Team share`).
2. Scroll to **Connection String**.
3. Paste the string you copied from Azure.
4. Click **Next โ** at the bottom.
The eye icon next to the Connection String field hides and shows the value. Use it if you need to double-check what you pasted.
If you see "authentication failed", the string probably has extra spaces or got cut off. Go back to Azure, click **Copy** on the connection string again, and paste it fresh.
***
### Step 4 โ Choose how often to sync
The panel moves you to the second tab, **Configure Records**.
Under **Sync settings** there are two choices:
* **Sync Strategy** โ leave as **Scheduled** if you want PipesHub to update on its own. Pick **Manual** if you want to press a button every time.
* **Sync Interval** โ how often PipesHub checks Azure for new files. **1 Hour** is a good starting point.
Not sure? Keep **Scheduled** and **1 Hour**. You can change it later.
***
### Step 5 โ (Optional) Narrow down what gets synced
If your file shares have lots of files you don't need, you can tell PipesHub to skip some.
Scroll to **Indexing & sync filters**. Click **+ Add filter** on the right.
A small menu opens with the fields you can filter by:
* **File Share Names** โ pick specific shares
* **File Extensions** โ pick file types (e.g. PDFs only)
* **Modified Date** โ only files changed after / before / between dates
* **Created Date** โ only files created after / before / between dates
You only need filters if one of these is true:
* You want only **certain shares** (not all of them).
* You want only **some file types** (e.g. PDFs, not images).
* You want only **recent files** (say, the last year).
Common examples:
* **PDFs only** โ field: *File Extensions* ยท operator: *In* ยท value: `pdf`
* **Skip images** โ field: *File Extensions* ยท operator: *Not In* ยท value: `jpg, png, gif`
* **Only one share** โ field: *File Share Names* ยท operator: *In* ยท pick the share
If you don't add any filters, PipesHub will sync every file it can read. That's fine for small shares.
When you're done, click **Save Configuration** at the bottom of the panel.
***
### Step 6 โ Turn sync on
You're now on the **Azure Files** instance page. You'll see one row (your new instance).
Right now it says **Sync Paused**. To start syncing:
1. Find the **Sync Enabled** toggle on the right side of the row.
2. Click it.
The status changes to **Syncing** and PipesHub starts reading your files.
***
### Step 7 โ Check progress
Click anywhere on the row to open the **Overview** panel on the right.
Here you can see:
* **Total** โ how many files PipesHub has found.
* **Failed** โ files it couldn't read (usually permission or file-type issues).
* **Processing** โ files it's still reading right now.
* **Not Started** โ files waiting their turn.
* **Sync** / **Full sync** buttons โ press if you want to run a sync right now.
* **Manage Configuration** โ open the setup panel again to change credentials or filters.
You can close the panel and come back any time โ the sync keeps running in the background.
That's it! ๐ Your Azure file shares are now searchable in PipesHub.
