> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abbyy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set up a file storage

> Set up a FlexiCapture file storage for images and metadata, with placement guidance to keep Application Server performance high and data easy to back up.

The file storage is where ABBYY FlexiCapture stores images and metadata. The speed of communication between the Application Server and the file storage strongly affects the performance of the whole FlexiCapture system.

## Where to place the file storage

For the best performance:

* Place the file storage on the same computer as the Application Server.
* Do not place it on a slow hard drive, or on a different hard drive from the IIS temporary folders. Either choice significantly decreases performance.
* Alternatively, use a high-performance external storage device.

Add the file storage to the exceptions list in any antivirus software and in the Windows Search indexer.

<Warning>
  If you do not create a file storage while creating the database, you cannot create one later while ABBYY FlexiCapture is running. Likewise, a file storage created together with the database cannot be disabled while ABBYY FlexiCapture is running.
</Warning>

## Run without a file storage

If no file storage is available, FlexiCapture stores all project files in the database. For a small number of documents, this does not harm performance or security, and it makes your data easier to back up. For large numbers of documents, the database grows very quickly and performance drops, so run FlexiCapture without a file storage only in low-volume or demo projects.