How can I purge soft-deleted data from Azure Files Share

Question

I have a big amount of info in the Soft-Delete storage for Azure Files, how can I purge it so we don't get billed for seven days?

Answer 1

@Huain Gomez Thanks for posting your query on Microsoft Q&A.

As per my understanding, you would like to disable soft delete and rather have the data purged immediately instead of being retained for the 7 days period. Please ensure you have the backups if needed before proceeding.

To permanently delete a file share that’s been soft deleted in Azure Files, follow these steps:

1. Undelete the share: First, undelete the share that you want to permanently delete.
2. Disable soft delete: After undeleting the share, disable soft delete for that share.
3. Delete the share again: Finally, delete the share once more to permanently remove it.

Reference doc: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/files/storage-files-enable-soft-delete?tabs=azure-portal#disable-soft-delete

Additional reading:

1. Manage and restore soft-deleted blobs
2. Enable and manage soft delete for containers
3. Frequently asked questions on soft delete for file share

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