Azure File Sync Agent v20 Release – February 2025

Improvements and issues that are fixed 

General Availability: Managed Identities support for Azure File Sync service and servers 

Azure File Sync now supports system-assigned managed identities for authentication, eliminating the need for shared keys and simplifying security management with Microsoft Entra ID. With this release, you can configure managed identities directly from the Azure portal, making deployment easier and more secure.

When managed identities are configured, the system-assigned managed identities will be used for the following scenarios:

• Storage Sync Service authentication to Azure file share

• Registered server authentication to Azure file share

• Registered server authentication to Storage Sync Service

For more information, see: How to use managed identities with Azure File Sync. ​​​​​​​

Note: The portal experience for general availability will gradually roll out to all regions in the coming weeks.

Miscellaneous reliability and telemetry improvements for cloud tiering and sync​​​​​​​

More information about the Azure File Sync Agent v20 release 

• This release is available for Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2025 installations. 

• The agent version for this release is 20.0.0.0. 

• The following updates must be installed on the Windows Server:

  • Windows Server 2016: KB5040562

  • Windows Server 2019: KB5005112 and KB5040430

Note: If the Windows Updates are not installed prior to installing the Azure File Sync agent, the Storage Sync Agent service (FileSyncSvc) will fail to start. To learn more, see the Azure File Sync troubleshooting documentation. 

How to obtain and install the Azure File Sync Agent   

The Azure File Sync agent is available from Microsoft Update, Microsoft Update Catalog, and Microsoft Download Center. 

Notes 

• If the Azure File Sync agent is not currently installed on a server, use the agent installation package on the Microsoft Download Center. The agent installation package on Microsoft Update and Microsoft Update Catalog is intended for agent upgrades only.

• To update existing agent installations, run AfsUpdater.exe (located in the agent installation directory) or download and install the update from Microsoft Update or Microsoft Update Catalog.

Microsoft Update 

To obtain and install from Microsoft Update, follow these steps on a server that has Azure File Sync agent installed: 

1. Click Start, and then click Settings.

2. In Settings, click Update & security.

3. In the Windows Update window, click Check online for updates from Microsoft Update.

4. Verify the Azure File Sync agent update is listed and then click Install now.

Microsoft Update Catalog 

Go to the following website to manually download this update from the Microsoft Update Catalog: 

Azure File Sync Agent v20 release: February 2025 (KB5041884) 

To manually install the update package, extract the cab file and run the following command from an elevated command prompt: 

msiexec.exe /p packagename.msp REINSTALLMODE=OMUS REINSTALL=StorageSyncAgent,StorageSyncAgentAzureFileSync,StorageSyncAgentGuardFilter,StorageSyncAgentUpdater /qb /l*v KB5041884.log 

For example, to install the Azure File Sync agent update for Server 2016, run the following command: 

msiexec.exe /p StorageSyncAgent_WS2016_KB5041884.msp REINSTALLMODE=OMUS REINSTALL=StorageSyncAgent,StorageSyncAgentAzureFileSync,StorageSyncAgentGuardFilter,StorageSyncAgentUpdater /qb /l*v KB5041884.log 

Microsoft Download Center 

Go to the Microsoft Download Center to manually download the agent installation package for new agent installations. 

How to perform a silent installation for a new agent installation 

To perform a silent installation for a new agent installation that uses the default settings, run the following command at an elevated command prompt: 

msiexec /i packagename.msi /qb /l*v AFSv20Installation.log 

For example, to install the Azure File Sync agent for Windows Server 2016, run the following command: 

msiexec /i StorageSyncAgent_WS2016.msi /qb /l*v AFSv20Installation.log 

Notes 

• Use the /qb switch to display restart prompts (if required), agent update, and server registration screens. To suppress the screens and automatically restart the server (if required), use the /qn switch.

• To perform a silent installation with custom settings, see How to install the Azure File Sync agent silently.