Storage · Windows app · Version 0.3 (beta)
Your cloud storage in File Explorer, without filling your disk
AKC BlobDrive shows an Azure Blob container or an R2 or S3 bucket as a folder on your PC, like OneDrive. Everything is listed, files download when you open them, and you choose how much to keep on this PC.
Version 0.3, still in beta, for Windows 10 and 11. Updates install themselves. Talk to Andy about using it in your organisation.
How it works
From container to folder in three steps
The first time it runs, AKC BlobDrive walks you through adding a drive. Add more from the main window any time.
- 1
Name and storage
Give the drive a name and choose Azure Blob, Cloudflare R2, Amazon S3 or another S3-compatible store.
- 2
Connect
Azure: paste the container URL and sign in with your work account, or use a SAS token. R2 and S3: endpoint, bucket and access key. Tested before you go on.
- 3
On this PC
Where the folder appears, and how much to keep on this PC: 10 GB, 50 GB, 100 GB or whatever suits the disk.
- 4
Use it
The folder is in File Explorer with everything listed. Open a file and it downloads; save one and it uploads.
What you get
OneDrive-style Files On-Demand, for your own storage
Keep a big library in cheap object storage and still browse it like any other folder.
Everything listed, little stored
Every file in the container or bucket shows in File Explorer straight away, using Windows' own Files On-Demand, as OneDrive does. Only the files you open take up space.
A cache size you choose
Set how much to keep on this PC. Above that, the files you haven't opened for longest go back to cloud-only. Right-click a folder, Always keep on this device, to keep it.
More than Azure
Azure Blob Storage, Cloudflare R2, Amazon S3, and S3-compatible stores such as Backblaze B2, Wasabi and MinIO. One storage type per drive, as many drives as you like.
Your work sign-in
For Azure, Windows signs you in with your work account, so company rules such as a compliant device are met. Your account needs the Storage Blob Data Contributor role. Or use a SAS token.
Safe by default
New and changed files upload; deleting a file on your PC never deletes it in the cloud. SAS tokens and secret keys are encrypted for your Windows account and never written to a log.
Runs like a sync client
Lives in the notification area and starts with Windows, with each drive's status, Sync now, Pause and Free up space. Installs for your user only, no administrator rights, and updates itself from downloads.andykemp.com.
Get started
Download and install
Download AKC-BlobDrive-Setup.exe from downloads.andykemp.com and run it. It installs for your user only, with no administrator rights, then opens the welcome window and walks you through adding your first drive.
- Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or Windows 11, x64
- Azure: the container URL and the Storage Blob Data Contributor role, or a SAS token
- Cloudflare R2 or S3: the endpoint, bucket and an access key with read and write
Questions
Frequently asked
Who is it for?
Anyone with more in object storage than fits on their PC. It was built for a RAW photo library that outgrew OneDrive for Business: tens of thousands of large files in Azure Blob Storage, all browsable, with only the ones being edited kept locally.
Why is it still beta?
Version 0.3 is the first public build. It stays labelled beta while it's proven on more PCs and storage accounts and the installer gets code signing. A Mac version is on the way. Each update installs itself.
What does it cost to run?
The app is free. Your storage provider charges as usual. Cloudflare R2 doesn't charge for downloads; Azure and AWS do, so a sensible cache size matters more there.
Does it delete anything in the cloud?
No. This version never sends a delete to the cloud. Remove a drive or uninstall the app and the files you'd downloaded stay on your PC as ordinary files; the cloud copy isn't touched.
Can our organisation turn the self-update off?
Yes. Set ManagedUpdates = 1 (a DWORD) under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Andy Kemp Consulting\BlobDrive and it never checks for or installs updates, so you can deploy new versions yourselves.
Is it free?
Yes. Download the installer and run it: no sign-up and no administrator rights.
Related tools
Use it with
- Win11 Image PrepA Windows app that builds Windows 11 install media with your driver packs already in it: only the editions you deploy, built-in apps removed, unattended or Autopilot setup, and a bootable USB at the end. Try the live demo.
- AKC AppDeployA Windows app that packages a Win32 app and publishes it for Intune in one flow: the .intunewin built for you, silent switches worked out, a local test run for the uninstall and detection, the Company Portal listing and logo filled in, upload and assign, then supersede it with the next version, with a least-privilege sign-in. Version 1 (beta). Try the live demo.