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Change SQL Server Password

Change MS SQL Server Password Anytime You Need

May. 10, 2013 03:51 pm / Posted by Michael Eric to Files & Database
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Question: I installed SQL Server 2005 sometime ago and forgot SQL Server Password I set during setup. How can I change SQL server password and connect to SQL server now?

Questions like this can be seen frequently on the Q&A websites. If you have encountered the same situation, I guess you tried every possible way to unlock SQL server password and finally either you were lucky enough to find SQL Server password or you failed so you had to reinstall MS SQL. Forgetting SQL server password and reinstalling MS SQL server is really an annoying thing that you don't want to experience once again. So to avoid this terrible situation turning up for a second time, I collect some related questions concerning SQL Server Password and I'll list them in the following in the form of Q&A.

Question 1: What is SQL server and what is SQL Server Password?

Answer: SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standardized query language for accessing and manipulating information from a database. SQL Server may refer to any database server that implements the Structured Query Language or refer in particular to Microsoft SQL Server, a relational database server from Microsoft. It's used to manage and store information. SQL Server Password is created to protect your data stored in SQL server. If you haven't done anything to your password, then the SQL server password is blank (NULL), which is called default SQL Server password. For security, you should make your password strong and complicated. Once you forgot the SQL Server Password, don't be panic; find it using SQL Server Password Unlocker.

Question2: How to create a SQL Server Password?

Answer: Here are the basic steps to SQL Server password encryption:

1. Open the "Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio" program from the "Start" menu bar in Windows, then click on the "SQL Serve" instance.
2. Right-click the "Security folder", point to "New", and then click "Login".
3. Enter a name for the new login in the Login name box.
4. Select "SQL Server Authentication" and enter a password for the login.
5. Select a password policy options that should be applied to the new login. Click the "OK" to complete.

Question 3: How to reset SQL Server Password?

Answer: Generally, there are two types of methods to find SQL Server Password, they are: using Windows Authentication and the Query Windows in Management Studio to change SQL Server Password and using third party software to help you reset MS SQL Server Password.

Note: Type One method is complicated and difficult, so if you are a computer novice, you can directly turn to here: Type Two: Change SQL Password with Third Party Software.

Type One: Change Microsoft SQL Server Password in Management Studio

1
Method 1: Reset SQL Server Password by Windows Authentication

In this case, you have to open SQL Server Management Studio by navigating to Start>>All programs>>Microsoft SQL Server >>SQL Server Management Studio Express. Then follow the steps below:

1. Login into SQL server using Windows Authentication.
2. Once open, in the Object Explorer view, open Security folder, open Logins folder. Right Click on sa account and go to Properties.
3. Type a new SQL sa password, and confirm it. Click OK to finish.

Restart SQL Server and all its services, you can log into SQL Server by SA login with new SQL SA password.

2
Method 2: Change SQL Server Password with the Query Windows in Management Studio

Step 1. Open SQL Server Management Studio
Step 2. Open a new query
Step 3. Type the follow commands and excute:
GO
ALTER LOGIN [sa] WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE=[master]
GO
USE [master]
GO
ALTER LOGIN [sa] WITH PASSWORD=N'NewPassword' MUST_CHANGE
GO

In "New Password' area, you need put your new SQL Server Password.

Then the new SQL server password is created.

Type Two: Change SQL Password with Third Party Software

If you are a green hand in computer, the above two methods would be too difficult. Then you can use third party software to do the annoying thing for you. SQL Server Password Unlocker is one of the good SQL password reset tools which can help you reset SQL Server password in a few seconds. It is smart, easy and safe. You even don't have to install SQL at all to performance SQL password recovery.

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Here are the basic steps to reset SQL Server password.

1
Step 1: Import master.mdf File

Download SQL Server Password Unlocker and install it on your PC. After launching it, in the interface, click "open" to load mater.mdf file on your computer to this program.

The default master.mdf file location is as follow:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVER08\MSSQL\DATA

SQL server password SA default

2
Step 2: Select SQL Account

Select an account you want to recover password for, and then click "Change Password" to change the password.

SQL Server Password reset single user mode

3
Step 3: change SQL Server password

Write a new password for SQL Server and click "Ok" to finish the process.

SQL Server password default

Now, you can restart your SQL Server and use the new SQL Server Password to enter.

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