1. Get an Azure subscription

Everything in Foundry bills to, and lives inside, an Azure subscription. A brand-new tenant has zero. So step one is to create one.

In plain English

A subscription is just the account that everything sits in and bills to. No subscription, no resources — you can’t even start. This is the one step where you’ll need a card (Microsoft verifies you’re real and gives you free credit; you’re not charged unless you go past it).

Follow along

1. Open the Subscriptions blade in the Azure portal. A fresh tenant shows “0 of 0” — the blocker.

   

   The Subscriptions blade with no subscription — nothing can be built yet.

2. Start an Azure free account (the signup at signup.azure.com). Step 1 is the agreement — tick “I represent that I am the individual…” (the Microsoft Customer Agreement) and click Next.

   

   Signup step 1 — accept the Microsoft Customer Agreement (boxed).

3. Fill in the profile (country United Kingdom, name, email). Then complete phone → SMS verify → card. Microsoft gives free credit; the card is only for identity + overage.

   

   Signup step 2 — the profile form.

What you end up with

A live subscription (mine was named “Azure subscription 1”). It starts as a free-credit “Azure Plan” with a spending limit — remember that, because it’s why the model-deploy step later hits a wall.

Next: create the Foundry resource →