A Beginner’s Guide to Installing Azure CLI on Windows (with and without administrative privilege)
If you’re new to Azure and looking to manage your resources from the command line, this guide will walk you through the process of installing Azure CLI on your Windows machine. In this article, we will cover:
- What is Azure CLI and why you should use it
- Step-by-step guide to install Azure CLI on Windows
- Verify Azure CLI installation and configuration
By the end of this guide, you will have a fully functional Azure CLI installation on your Windows machine, ready to manage your Azure resources and services with ease. Let’s get started!
What is Azure CLI
Azure CLI is a command-line interface for managing Azure resources and services. It provides a cross-platform experience for managing Azure resources, making it an essential tool for developers and administrators.
One of the key benefits of using Azure CLI is its integration with other Azure services and tools, such as Azure PowerShell and Azure Cloud Shell. It also supports automation and scripting through the use of Azure Resource Manager templates, enabling you to deploy and manage Azure resources at scale
It’s important to note that Azure CLI is a prerequisite for using Terraform with Azure resources. Without Azure CLI, Terraform won’t be able to authenticate and interact with Azure services. Therefore, it’s necessary to have Azure CLI installed on your system if you plan to use Terraform for managing Azure resources.
Step-by-step guide to install Azure CLI on Windows with administrative privilege
The easiest way is to install Azure CLI via MSI Installer:
- Download the Azure CLI MSI and save it in a folder.
2. Next, run through the MSI installation wizard accepting all defaults.
At the end of the installation, click on ‘finish’.
Install Azure CLI on Windows without administrative privilege
You can use the ZIP package to install the Azure CLI on Windows when you don’t have administrative privilege.
Open a windows Powershell window, go to <unzipped folder path>\bin\
run “az.cmd” command
Verify Azure CLI installation and configuration
Once you’ve installed the Azure CLI, be sure to confirm it’s working. To do so, open Windows PowerShell and check the version using the --version parameter.
az --versionBefore installation :
After installation :
Uninstall Azure CLI
If you decide to uninstall the Azure CLI, on Windows 10 for example go to Start > Settings > System > Apps & Features
Once on this screen type Azure CLI into the program search bar. The program to uninstall is listed as Microsoft CLI 2.50. Select this application, then click the Uninstall button.
