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Advanced Users

Cloud File Storage

You can store files in the cloud rather than locally. Want to take advantage of this feature? You'll need an Azure account. Here's what to do!

Azure

  • In Azure, configure a Storage Account with an Account kind of Storage V2. Check out Microsoft's storage account overview for more information.
  • Your Storage Account must have Allow Blob anonymous access set to Enabled.

    Example showing Storage Account Configuration with the option Allow Blob anonymous access set as Enabled

  • Within your Storage Account, configure a Container with your name and a Public access level of Container.

    Example showing the New container screen with the Public access level selected as Container

  • Configure your Shared Access Signature (SAS) with the following values.
    • Signing method: Account Key
    • Signing key: Key 1
    • Permissions: Select all the options
    • Start: Your configuration date and time
    • Expiry: Choose a date in the distant future (for example, five years from the configuration date)
    • Allowed protocols: HTTPS only

    Example showing the Shared access signature screen with the information filled out and the Generate SAS token and URL button highlighted

  • Click Generate SAS token and URL, then click the icon to copy the generated value for Blob service SAS URL.

Domain

In MinistryPlatform, add a new Domain/Account record with the following values:
  • For File Provider, select Microsoft Azure BLOB Storage.
  • For File Provider Settings, paste the Blob service SAS URL that you copied from Azure.

Migration

After configuring your Domain, you can use a utility to migrate current local files.

Note: The utility requires access to a server, so we recommend this storage option for self-hosted customers. In addition to server access, migration requires some configuration. Follow the steps below to complete your own migration, or engage Professional Services to do the migration for you. Note that migration is a one-off effort, and coaches are not available for consult.

Ready to go it alone? Find this utility and related files under the_Tools folder:

Example showing the _Tools folder in Windows with the following highlighted: nextgen.ministryplatform.net.lastfile, Platform.Tools.MoveFiles, Platform.Tools.MoveFiles.exe, and Platform.Tools.MoveFiles.pdb

Before executing the utility, four key values are set in the Platform.Tools.MoveFiles.ex CONFIG file.

  • DomainHostName: Source value from Domain "External Server Name".
  • FileStorage: Set during deployment. If needed, reference Web.CONFIG.
  • Encryption: Set during deployment. If needed, reference Web.CONFIG.
  • BlobContainerUri: Source value from Domain "File Provider Settings". This is the Azure Container's Blob service SAS URL you previously copied.
Note: Inside the CONFIG file, all ampersands (&) in the BlobContainerUri must change from & to & for the utility to run successfully. If you skip this step, the utility does not run and you'll get an error message.

To save changes to a CONFIG file, you may need to launch an application (such as Notepad) as an Administrator. To do this, right-click the application during launch.

Example showing the Windows Search feature with the Notepad icon right-clicked and option for Run as administrator highlighted

To run the utility, right-click the Application and choose Run as Administrator.

Example showing the _Tools folder in Windows with the file Platform.Tools.MoveFiles right-clicked and option for Run as administrator highlighted

Important: If you do not take this step, any stops during migration are not saved. Duplicate files won't appear, but the migration starts over from the beginning.

After the migration is complete, clear the application cache from the About dialog box. This helps with any previews that cached to the old location.

Pro Tips

  • You can stop migration at any point using Ctrl+Z or Command+Z. The last processed file saves and the utility resumes from this point the next time it is launched.
  • Any files added during migration (or at any point after you configure the Domain for Azure) immediately display in Azure.
  • Depending on your church's unique storage needs, migration may take several days. You may want to inform your staff that they can't preview files until a file migrates over.
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Last updated: November 14, 2025