SQL Server: Change a password in SQL Server Question: How do I change the password for a user/login in SQL Server? Answer: In SQL Server, the password is associated with the SQL Server Login. The Login is then mapped to the database user. So to change a password in SQL Server, you need to execute the ALTER LOGIN statement. SQL Server Password Changer is packed in a plain-looking interface represented by one window. To get started, you can use the integrated file explorer to locate and open a master database file.

1. Sql Server Retrieve Password
2. Sql Server Change User Password
3. Reset Sql Password For User
4. How To Reset Sql Password

• Mar 28, 2014 This Blog will dicuss some methods that will help you change the forgotten password for your SQL Server 2000/2005/2008/2012/2014 database. Microsoft® SQL Server™ is a crucial database management and analysis application used for enhancing the performance of e-commerce, data warehousing, organizational solutions and much more.
• Sep 20, 2019 To gain access to the SQL Server instance back or recover SA password, please follow the below steps. Start SQL Server in single user mode. We need to start SQL Server in single user mode by adding the parameter -m or –f in the startup parameters. Open SQL Server configuration manager and select the service of SQL Server instance.
• SQL Server Password Changer is a handy password recovery tool to change or reset your lost SA or other user passwords for Microsoft SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. Quickly decrypt the SQL Server database file (master.mdf) and display all user accounts, enable you to reset any user or administrative password.

Problem

In this article we will look at the procedure to Reset SA Password In SQL Server, if the SA password was forgotten or there are no users with administrative rights to MS SQL 2016. We will show how to retrieve the password of the SA account, and, if necessary, provide the necessary Windows account with MSSQL administrator rights.

Solution

Situations when an SA user is lost / forgotten on MS SQL DBMS happen quite often. As a rule, the option of reinstalling SQL and reconnecting the database is not considered, since in this time, the configuration parameters stored in the system master database will be lost.

SQL Server provides much more convenient access recovery functionality. The fact is that members of the local group of administrators of the system on which SQL Server is installed have full authority on a DBMS running in single-user mode.

By running SQL Server in single user mode, you can change the password of the SA account or grant the administrative rights to the desired Windows account.

Note: Recall that starting with SQL Server 2016, the local group of administrators of the system on which SQL Server is installed is not added by default to the sysadmin role on the SQL server.

The procedure for starting SQL Server 2016 in single-user mode and restoring access is as follows (the main condition is that you must have administrator rights on the system on which MSSQL is installed)

Full Guide to Reset SA Password In SQL Server 2016

Step 1: Open Run window by pressing Windows key along with R key. Afterward, you need to write CMD on the text box.

Step 2: To stop SQL instance from running, type net stop MSSQLSERVER command and hit the Enter key

Step 3: Stop service of the necessary SQL Server instance (in our case the name of the instance MSSQL is SQLEXPRESS ) by typing net stop MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS and press the Enter Key.

Step 4: Open the registry editor (regedit.exe) and go to the parameters section to start the SQL service: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMControlSet001Services MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS

Step 5: Changing the value ImagePath , adding as an argument sqlservr.exe key « -m ». In our example, we got the following value: “C:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL ServerMSSQL13.SQLEXPRESSMSSQLBinnsqlservr.exe” -m -s SQLEXPRESS

Step 6: We start the SQL Server service: net start MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS

Step 7: SQL is now running in single user mode and allows any member of the local computer administrators group to connect to an instance of SQL Server with sysadmin privileges.

Step 8: Using SQL Server Management Studio, change the SA password or provide the sysadmin role to the required Windows account.

Tip: You can perform this operation from the sqlcmd command line: EXEC sp_addsrvrolemember ‘DOMAINUsername’, ‘sysadmin’;

It remains only to stop the SQL service, change the ImagePart key value to the original one, removing the “-m” attribute ( “C: Program Files Microsoft SQL Server MSSQL13.SQLEXPRESS MSSQL Binn sqlservr.exe” -sSQLEXPRESS” ) and start SQL Server in normal mode.

Alternate Method to Reset SA Password In SQL Server Within Clicks

Sql Server Retrieve Password

In case, if you unable to change SA password in SQL Server with above solution, then do not worry about it. We have another robust solution named as SysTools SQL Password Recovery , which helps you in changing the SA password using Master.mdf file in few simple clicks.

For this, you need to stop your SQL server services.

Step 1: Open Services and right click on SQL Server then Click on Stop SQL server services

Step 2: Go to the default location of master.mdf file and make a backup copy of both (master.mdf & mastlog.ldf) in another location of your system.

Step 3: Now Download SysTools SQL password recovery and launch in your machine.

Step 4: Click on Browse button to load the master.mdf from default location into the software.

Step 5: After successfully loading the master.mdf, software will scan the file and display the list of Username created on the Server.

Step 6: Click on the User Name for which you want to reset the password and click on Reset Password button
software will again warn you to take backup of master.mdf and mastlog.ldf (Make sure you have taken a backup of both these files). Now, set a new password for your SA & User Login and click on OK

when the password is changed successfully, A message will pop-up. Click OK. Once you have done with the procedure, Go to Services, Right click on SQL server and click on Start to restart the SQL Server Services.
When the process to reset SA password in SQL Server is done, launch SQL Server Management Studio and log in via new password to verify it.

That’s all about how to reset SA Password in Microsoft SQL Server without any fail.

Undoubtedly, SQL Server database file becomes safe while it is protected with strong SA password. However, if lost SA password, even SQL Server owner could not access SQL database file. Is there any way to decrypt the encrypted database in SQL Server Express?

Besides connecting to SQL Server using Windows authentication, I think the most effective and safe way should be SQL Password Genius. The SQL password recovery tool could easily decrypt SQL database file, master.mdf file, by resetting SA password offline.

Steps to decrypt SQL database file with SQL Password Genius

Prepare SQL Password Genius full version. And we should know where SQL Server database file is, especially master.mdf file. It is general located in this folder: C:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL ServerMSSQL.1MSSQLData

And what should be paid attention to is that, stop SQL Server Service before decrypting SQL Server database with SQL Password Genius. And remember to restart SQL Server Service after SQL database file decryption, if you want to open decrypted database file in SQL Server Express.

Step 1: Install SQL Password Genius full version on your computer with registration code.

Step 2: Import encrypted SQL database file into SQL Password Genius.

SQL Password Genius could reset or change user password for SQL Server master.mdf file. So click Open File button to browse encrypted master database file in computer, then add it to software. Instantly, you could see all users for database file listed in box.

Sql Server Change User Password

Step 3: Decrypt SQL Server database file.

Decrypt SQL Server database just needs to reset user password for opening database file. So select SA account and click Reset button under user list.

A new window pops up. Type new password for this user account and click OK. And then new password would show in user list. That means SQL server database password has been changed.

Now close SQL Password Genius and start SQL Server Service, and you could open encrypted SQL Server database file with new password.

Besides the effective way above, you could also try these following ways if as long as SQL Server satisfies the corresponding conditions:

Option 1: Decrypt SQL Server database file using Windows Authentication mode

Reset Sql Password For User

This way asks that you have admin privileges in Windows computer to control SQL Server database. Because Windows Authentication logon mode needs Windows local administrator. Login into SQL Server with Windows Authentication mode and change SA password in SQL Server Management Studio.

Option 2: Decrypt SQL database file with command

If you know well Command Prompt, this way can be your second or third choice to decrypt SQL database file when you have administrator privileges. It would be no question that if decrypt database file with SQL Password Genius, so it should be SQL users' first choice.

How To Reset Sql Password

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