Clarification on Azure Blob Storage Vaulted Backup policies, archive tier, frequency, and billing model

Question

Clarification on Azure Blob Storage Vaulted Backup policies, archive tier, frequency, and billing model

Era 20

I need some clarification on Azure Backup for Blob Storage (vaulted backup).

1.) I have a single storage account with two different blob containers. Is it possible to protect each container with a different backup policy (e.g., different schedules and retention), or is the policy always applied at the storage account level?

2.) For vaulted backup of blob storage, is the Archive tier supported for the backup data stored in the Backup Vault, or is the backup data currently stored only in the standard tier?

3.) Please confirm whether the following understanding of vaulted backup behavior is correct:

The first backup performs a full backup.
Subsequent scheduled backups are incremental only, capturing changes to blobs since the last backup.
Azure Backup for Blob Storage follows an incremental-forever model.
Each backup creates a recovery point that represents a complete view of the data at that point in time, without requiring replay of previous backups during restore.
Billing is based on the initial full backup size, with subsequent charges only for incremental data changes and retained recovery points.

4.) It seems that vaulted backup currently supports only daily or weekly backup schedules, and not monthly or yearly. For a 10-year maximum retention of audit data, what is the recommended approach or mechanism?

Thanks.

Era 20 Reputation points

2026-01-06T10:43:33.05+00:00

Hi Suchitra,

Thanks for the prompt response.

Can I assign two different Azure Backup policies to the same storage account?

For example, if a storage account has two containers (A and B), is it possible to apply one backup policy that includes container A and excludes B, and another policy that includes container B and excludes A, so that each container follows a different schedule or retention?
Suchitra Suregaunkar 14,430 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-06T10:55:39.15+00:00
Hello Era Azure Backup for Blob Storage currently allows a storage account to be protected with only one backup policy. During protection, containers can be included or excluded, but there is no documented or supported capability to associate multiple backup policies with the same storage account.

Even though Microsoft documentation does not explicitly state, “multiple backup policies are not supported per storage account,” the service design and configuration model do not provide a way to attach more than one policy. There is no supported mechanism to apply different schedules or retention settings to different containers within the same storage account.

Because of this design, it is not possible to apply:

Policy 1 to container A

Policy 2 to container B within the same storage account.

If different containers require different backup schedules or retention policies, Microsoft’s supported approach is to place those containers in separate storage accounts, each protected by its own backup policy.

At this time, Microsoft has not published a document that explicitly states this limitation, but it is consistent with the current Azure Backup configuration and supported feature set.

Hope it helps your question.

Thanks,
Suchitra.
Era 20 Reputation points

2026-01-12T05:58:10.38+00:00

Hi Sushitra, Thanks again.

Although you noted that "Azure Backup for Blob Storage does not support the Archive tier," which aligns with the documentation as well, but the cost calculator shows a confusing message for blob workloads under Retain yearly backups for:

"If backups are retained for 2 years or more, the calculator will assume the Archive tier has been activated for cost-effective storage."

Answer accepted by question author

Suchitra Suregaunkar 14,430 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Era

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Q&A platform.

Azure Backup policies for Blob Storage are applied at the storage account level, not per container. While you can include or exclude specific containers during protection, all protected containers follow the same backup schedule and retention policy. Azure Backup does not currently support assigning different policies to individual containers within the same storage account.

Archive tier support Azure Backup for Blob Storage does not support the Archive tier. Archive tier is supported only for specific workloads such as Azure VMs, SQL Server in Azure VMs, and SAP HANA in Azure VMs. Blob Storage is not listed as a supported workload for Archive tier.

Vaulted backup behavior:

The first backup creates the initial recovery point.
Subsequent backups capture only changes since the previous backup (incremental‑forever model).
Each scheduled backup creates a recovery point that can be restored independently, without replaying earlier backups.

Billing model clarification: Azure Backup charges are based on the protected data size and the amount of backup data stored in the Backup vault, which grows based on retained recovery points.

Reference: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/backup/

Long‑term retention : Vaulted backup for Blob Storage currently supports daily or weekly schedules only. However, long‑term retention (up to multiple years) can be achieved by configuring retention settings on these scheduled backups. Monthly or yearly schedules are not currently supported for Blob Storage.

If you have any other queries, please do let us know.

Thanks,
Suchitra.

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Era 20 Reputation points

2026-01-06T10:43:33.05+00:00

Hi Suchitra,

Thanks for the prompt response.

Can I assign two different Azure Backup policies to the same storage account?

For example, if a storage account has two containers (A and B), is it possible to apply one backup policy that includes container A and excludes B, and another policy that includes container B and excludes A, so that each container follows a different schedule or retention?
Suchitra Suregaunkar 14,430 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-06T10:55:39.15+00:00

Hello Era Azure Backup for Blob Storage currently allows a storage account to be protected with only one backup policy. During protection, containers can be included or excluded, but there is no documented or supported capability to associate multiple backup policies with the same storage account.

Even though Microsoft documentation does not explicitly state, “multiple backup policies are not supported per storage account,” the service design and configuration model do not provide a way to attach more than one policy. There is no supported mechanism to apply different schedules or retention settings to different containers within the same storage account.

Because of this design, it is not possible to apply:

Policy 1 to container A

Policy 2 to container B within the same storage account.

If different containers require different backup schedules or retention policies, Microsoft’s supported approach is to place those containers in separate storage accounts, each protected by its own backup policy.

At this time, Microsoft has not published a document that explicitly states this limitation, but it is consistent with the current Azure Backup configuration and supported feature set.

Hope it helps your question.

Thanks,
Suchitra.
Era 20 Reputation points

2026-01-12T05:58:10.38+00:00

Hi Sushitra, Thanks again.

Although you noted that "Azure Backup for Blob Storage does not support the Archive tier," which aligns with the documentation as well, but the cost calculator shows a confusing message for blob workloads under Retain yearly backups for:

"If backups are retained for 2 years or more, the calculator will assume the Archive tier has been activated for cost-effective storage."

Answer 1

In Azure Blob Storage, backup policies are applied at the storage account level, meaning you cannot protect each container with a different backup policy. Instead, the same backup policy will apply to all containers within the storage account.

Regarding the vaulted backup of blob storage, the backup data is currently stored only in the standard tier, and the Archive tier is not supported for the backup data stored in the Backup Vault.

Your understanding of the vaulted backup behavior is mostly correct:

The first backup does perform a full backup.
Subsequent scheduled backups are incremental, capturing only the changes to blobs since the last backup.
Azure Backup for Blob Storage indeed follows an incremental-forever model, where each backup creates a recovery point that represents a complete view of the data at that point in time.
Billing is based on the size of the initial full backup, with additional charges for incremental data changes and retained recovery points.

As for the backup schedules, it is correct that vaulted backup currently supports only daily or weekly backup schedules. For a 10-year maximum retention of data, you would typically configure your backup policy to retain recovery points as per the defined schedule and retention settings, allowing you to keep the data for the maximum duration allowed.

References:

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Clarification on Azure Blob Storage Vaulted Backup policies, archive tier, frequency, and billing model

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