Enterprises, large and small, rely on Azure Files for secure, scalable, and cost-efficient file storage. Modern workflows today span devices, platforms, and geographies; seamless, and secure access to shared data across every endpoint is critical to keeping teams productive and collaborative. With the growing demand for access across every device, Azure Files now extends secure access to macOS with Entra ID authentication, supporting design, creative, and AI teams where they work.
Today, we are announcing the Public Preview of MS Entra ID based authentication for Azure Files on macOS. Whether you are running creative production pipelines, design workflows, or AI workloads, macOS users can now access Azure file shares securely, meeting Microsoft Entra ID enterprise governance standards automatically and seamlessly, with no credential prompts, no storage account keys, and no complexity.
Key benefits
- Enhanced Security posture: MacOS users can now sign in to their device and open shared files in Finder with no credential prompts and no storage account keys. Microsoft Entra ID governs access, conditional access policies, MFA requirements, and MS Entra ID governance applies automatically with AES-256 encryption.
- Reduced operational overhead: IT admins no longer need to manage storage account key distribution/rotation. Provisioning and deprovisioning access is handled through standard Entra ID group membership.
- No dependency on Active Directory: Organizations moving away from on-premises infrastructure, including Active Directory, can now give MacOS users full access to Azure file shares using cloud-based identities in MS Entra ID, with no domain controller required. MacOS users get full parity with the traditional Windows SMB share experience.
- Identity Based Access model: User authentication is enforced with Kerberos and share-level access is enforced through Azure RBAC. File and folder permissions are controlled through NTFS ACLs, giving organizations precise, layered control.
- Enabling AI-Driven Workloads: SMB shares on macOS enables AI teams to seamlessly access and share large datasets, fueling faster experimentation and streamlining developer and AI-generated workflows.
Partnership with Apple
Azure Files support for macOS is built in close collaboration with Apple macOS SMB engineering team. The integration works with Apple’s Platform SSO and the Microsoft Enterprise SSO plug-in, via MDM platforms such as Microsoft Intune. This allows macOS devices to authenticate through Microsoft Entra ID with single sign-in. We are committed to continuing this partnership to ensure Mac users in enterprise environments have a first-class experience accessing cloud services.
Powering Diverse Workloads across Design, Developer and Education Enterprises
Secure SMB access for creative workloads
Creative workflows on macOS have historically required workarounds to reach centralized cloud storage, often meaning local copies, consumer file sharing tools, or storage account keys distributed to individuals. Azure Files gives creative teams direct access to shared project libraries and production files from Finder, with no syncing or local copies needed. For IT, setup is simple: assign the right RBAC role on the share, add users to an Entra group, and access is ready. No keys to distribute and no deep storage expertise required.
"Secure access for our macOS users is a gamechanger for our creative teams. The ability to mount directly and access shared files securely — without keys, without workarounds — changes how we work. It’s how modern enterprise file access should feel." -Peter Day, Senior Engineer, The Marketing Store
SMB shares streamline developer and AI-generated build workflows
MacOS developers rely on local tools like Visual Studio Code, GitHub copilot, or fast iteration, but build artifacts, logs, and AI-generated outputs often end up fragmented across machines and pipelines.
With Azure Files, teams can use SMB shares as a centralized workspace for build outputs and shared assets. Mac build systems can write directly to a mounted share, making artifacts immediately accessible across developers, pipelines, and AI agents. DevOps teams gain a secure, identity-based storage layer using RBAC and Microsoft Entra, without managing keys or custom storage solutions.
Enable collaboration across mixed platform environments
Mac users should not be a special case. Azure Files gives MacOS users the same governed, identity-based access to shared storage that Windows users have always had. Access is provisioned through Entra ID, enforced through RBAC, and managed without a separate workflow, separate keys, or separate infrastructure. For large organizations running mixed-OS environments, this means a single, consistent access model tied to the user and not a device – the user can seamlessly access the SMB share across their Windows and Mac devices.
“By supporting Kerberos authentication for Azure Files on Mac devices, Microsoft delivers secure, consistent access for organizations operating mixed-OS environments. It addresses a long-standing enterprise gap by extending centrally governed identity controls to all users, regardless of device—helping organizations simplify access management and maintain trust at scale.” -Preetham G.K., CDL, Accenture
Modernize Infrastructure and secure access for Educational Institutions
Institutions standardizing on macOS have faced a hard tradeoff: maintain costly on-premises infrastructure at every site or accept that MacOS users fall back on personal drives and consumer file sharing. Neither is acceptable at scale. Azure Files removes the tradeoff. Students, faculty, and staff access shared repositories and course materials directly from an SMB share over Finder using their Entra ID credentials. Access management can be controlled through group membership, with no per-site infrastructure and no manual credential management.
Get started with Azure Files Entra Kerberos authentication for macOS
Start leveraging secure, identity-based file access on macOS today at no added cost. Explore our documentation for step-by-step guidance. Whether you are onboarding new Mac users or modernizing an existing deployment, this feature gives your organization a simple path to identity management for Azure Files on macOS. Make your Mac workloads ready for the future!
For any questions, please reach out to the team at azurefiles@microsoft.com.
Microsoft