Install Azure CLI on Windows: A Step-by-Step Guide

To install Azure CLI on Windows, you'll need to download the installer from the official Azure website.

You can find the installer by navigating to the Azure CLI download page and selecting the version that matches your Windows operating system.

The installer is available in both 64-bit and 32-bit versions, so make sure to choose the correct one for your system.

Once you've downloaded the installer, you can proceed with the installation process.

To install Azure CLI on Windows, you have three options: using a standard Windows MSI installer, PowerShell, or upgrading an existing version. The MSI installer is the most straightforward method, and you can find the current release on Microsoft's website.

You can also use PowerShell to download and install the latest version of Azure CLI. To do this, run the following commands from a PowerShell console started as an administrator:

Alternatively, if you already have Azure CLI v2.2 or greater installed, you can upgrade to the latest version using the az upgrade command. This command was introduced in version 2.11 and will upgrade Azure CLI with a single command.

If you need to upgrade from a version older than v2.2, you'll need to use the MSI installer or PowerShell method.

To configure Azure CLI on your Windows system, you'll need to sign in with your Azure account credentials. This is done by running the command `az login` in the command line.

The Azure CLI will then open a browser window where you can enter your Azure credentials to authenticate. You can also use the `az login --use-device-code` option to receive a device code that you can use to authenticate.

Once you've signed in, your Azure CLI is ready to use. You can verify this by running the command `az account show`, which will display information about your Azure account.

To sign in to Azure, you need to use the Azure CLI. Run the az login command to get started. This will open your default browser to an Azure sign-in page where you can enter your credentials or select an already signed-in account.

If your browser doesn't open automatically, you can use an authorization code to sign in. Add the --use-device-code parameter to the az login command and navigate to the URL https://microsoft.com/devicelogin to enter the authorization code.

Once Azure verifies the authorization code, you can enter your user name and password. After logging in, you'll receive a list of subscriptions associated with your Azure account. The subscription information with isDefault: true is the currently activated subscription after logging in.

To select another subscription, use the az account set command with the subscription ID of the desired account.

To select a subscription in Azure CLI, you need to view the list of subscriptions you have access to. Azure CLI displays a list of subscriptions you have access to when you sign in to your Azure tenant.

The default subscription is used when you start creating resources if you don't make any changes. You can view the default subscription using the az account show command.

You can view all subscriptions later in your session using the az account list command. This command displays information about each subscription, including the unique ID and name.

Here are some key things to note about subscriptions:

If you need to switch subscriptions before creating new resources, you can use the az account set command. This command allows you to set the subscription to the one you want to work with, using either the subscription ID or display name.

Enable tab completion in the Azure CLI to speed up input entry and provide hints for command names, command group names, parameters, and certain parameter values. Tab completion is enabled by default in Azure Cloud Shell and most Linux distributions.

To enable tab completion in PowerShell, you need to create or edit the profile stored in the variable $PROFILE. This can be done by running notepad $PROFILE in PowerShell.

Add the following code to your PowerShell profile:

```python

Register-ArgumentCompleter -Native -CommandName az -ScriptBlock {

param($commandName, $wordToComplete, $cursorPosition)

# code to enable tab completion

}

```

This code enables tab completion for the Azure CLI in PowerShell.

To display all available options in the menu, add the following line to your PowerShell profile: Set-PSReadlineKeyHandler -Key Tab -Function MenuComplete.

Updating the Azure CLI is a straightforward process, especially with the latest versions. You can update the Azure CLI using the in-tool command, which is available starting from version 2.11.0.

This command updates all installed extensions by default, so you don't need to worry about updating them separately. For more options, check the command reference page.

If you're using an older version, you can update by reinstalling as described in the installation process. This will ensure you have the latest version of the Azure CLI.

You can also update the Azure CLI by deleting the old installation folder and extracting the new version to the same location, if you're using the ZIP distribution.

To update the Azure CLI, use the following methods:

You can now run the Azure CLI with the az command from either Windows Command Prompt or PowerShell. This opens up a world of possibilities for managing your Azure resources.

To get started, you can try our onboarding tutorial that teaches you the following skills while working with Azure Storage: Find and change your default subscription.Create an Azure resource containing a random ID in the name.Set environment variables.Learn syntax differences between Bash, PowerShell, and Cmd.Debug Azure CLI reference commands.Get properties from a local JSON file.Delete multiple resources using a script.

Keep in mind that Azure CLI examples are typically written for the Bash shell, but most one-line examples will run on any platform.

To run the Azure CLI, you can use the az command from either Windows Command Prompt or PowerShell. This allows you to access a wide range of Azure commands and features directly from your terminal.

If you're unable to install the Azure CLI on your machine, you can run it as a Docker container. This provides a flexible and isolated environment for using the CLI.

To run the Azure CLI as a Docker container, you'll need to have Docker installed on your system. If you don't already have it, you can follow the instructions to install Docker on Windows or Linux.

Once Docker is installed, you can verify its installation by running a command in your terminal. This will check if Docker is working correctly and give you a sense of what to expect.

To install the CLI using Docker, you'll need to run a specific command. This command will download the Azure CLI Docker image and allow you to start using it right away.

Here are the steps to run the Azure CLI as a Docker container:

To learn the basics of Azure CLI, start with our onboarding tutorial. This tutorial teaches you essential skills while working with Azure Storage, such as finding and changing your default subscription.

The tutorial covers creating an Azure resource with a random ID in the name, which is a great way to practice using the Azure CLI. You'll also learn how to set environment variables, which is a crucial step in any development project.

Azure CLI examples are often written for the Bash shell, but most one-line examples will run on any platform. However, longer examples may need to be modified to work in other shells, including PowerShell.

The tutorial also covers debugging Azure CLI reference commands and getting properties from a local JSON file. This is useful for learning how to troubleshoot issues and retrieve configuration values for different environments, such as development, stage, and production.

Here are the essential skills you'll learn in the onboarding tutorial:

If you encounter issues with Winget and PowerShell, it's essential to resolve them before proceeding with the Azure CLI installation. Winget is a package manager for Windows, and PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management framework.

First, try updating PowerShell by running the command `winget upgrade PowerShell`. This will ensure you have the latest version of PowerShell installed.

If you're still experiencing issues, check the Winget error logs by running `winget show PowerShell` and looking for any error messages. This will help you identify the root cause of the problem.

To troubleshoot Winget issues, you can also try resetting the Winget cache by running `winget reset`. This will remove any corrupted cache files and may resolve the issue.

If you're unable to resolve the issue with Winget, consider using the PowerShell Package Manager (PowerShellGet) instead. This package manager allows you to install and manage packages using PowerShell.

By resolving any Winget and PowerShell issues, you'll be able to successfully install the Azure CLI on your Windows system.