> ## 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.

# Managing environment variables

> Create, edit, and store tenant-level environment variables in ABBYY Vantage. Variables are encrypted secrets accessed from Custom and Output activities.

Environment variables let you define tenant-level values — such as API keys or endpoints — that your skills can use at runtime. They're stored encrypted and passed to third-party services from scripts in **Custom** activities and the **Output** activity (External Export).

<Note>
  Vantage currently supports only variables of type **secret**. Secrets are stored encrypted in a dedicated Azure Key Vault.
</Note>

To manage environment variables, click **Configuration** in the left pane and open the **Environment Variables** tab. You can view existing variables, edit them, or create new ones.

Each variable name must be unique within a tenant. Names can be up to 255 characters; values can be up to 16,000 characters.

## Creating a new variable

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the create dialog">
    On the **Environment Variables** tab, click **Create Variable**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the variable details">
    Specify a name, a value, and (optionally) a description.

    <Note>
      Once a secret is created, its value is only accessible from a script. You can update the value later on the **Environment Variables** tab, but you cannot read it back from the UI.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Editing an existing variable

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select the variable">
    On the **Environment Variables** tab, click the variable you want to edit.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the edit dialog">
    Click **Edit Variable**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update the details">
    Update the name, description, and value as needed.

    <Note>
      You cannot leave the value field blank — a value must be specified each time you edit a variable.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Related topics

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Tenant settings" icon="sliders" href="/vantage/documentation/tenant-admin/tenant-management/tenant-settings">
    Overview of tenant-level configuration
  </Card>

  <Card title="Managing Vantage API clients" icon="plug" href="/vantage/documentation/tenant-admin/tenant-management/manage-api-clients">
    Provision and manage API clients for your tenant
  </Card>
</CardGroup>