howto-attach-disk-windows-linux.md

For more information about disks in Azure virtual machines, see About Virtual Machine Disks in Azure.

##How to: Attach an empty disk Attaching an empty disk is the simpler way to add a data disk, because Azure creates the .vhd file for you and stores it in the storage account.

1. Click Virtual Machines, and then select the appropriate virtual machine.

2. On the command bar, click Attach, and then select Attach Empty Disk.

   

   The Attach Empty Disk dialog box appears.

   

3. In File Name, either accept the automatically generated name or type a descriptive name. The data disk that is created from the .vhd file will always use the automatically generated name.

4. In Size, enter the size of the data disk.

5. Click the check mark to attach the empty data disk.

   You will now see the data disk listed on the dashboard of the virtual machine.

   

##How to: Attach an existing disk

Attaching an existing disk requires that you have a .vhd available in a storage account. Use the Add-AzureVhd cmdlet to upload the .vhd file to the storage account. After you've created and uploaded the .vhd file, you can attach it to a virtual machine.

1. Click Virtual Machines, and then select the appropriate virtual machine.

2. On the command bar, click Attach, and then select Attach Disk.

   

   The Attach Disk dialog box appears.

   

3. Select the data disk that you want to attach to the virtual machine.

4. Click the check mark to attach the data disk to the virtual machine.

   You will now see the data disk listed on the dashboard of the virtual machine.

   

[WACOM.NOTE] After you add a data disk, you'll need to log on to the virtual machine and initialize the disk so the virtual machine can use the disk for storage.