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title Connect to SQL Server When System Administrators Are Locked Out | Microsoft Docs
ms.custom
ms.date 03/14/2017
ms.prod sql
ms.prod_service high-availability
ms.reviewer
ms.technology configuration
ms.topic conceptual
helpviewer_keywords
sa account
connecting when locked out [SQL Server]
locked out [SQL Server]
ms.assetid c0c0082e-b867-480f-a54b-79f2a94ceb67
author MikeRayMSFT
ms.author mikeray

Connect to SQL Server When System Administrators Are Locked Out

[!INCLUDEappliesto-ss-xxxx-xxxx-xxx-md] This topic describes how you can regain access to the [!INCLUDEssDEnoversion] as a system administrator. A system administrator can lose access to an instance of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] because of one of the following reasons:

  • All logins that are members of the sysadmin fixed server role have been removed by mistake.

  • All Windows Groups that are members of the sysadmin fixed server role have been removed by mistake.

  • The logins that are members of the sysadmin fixed server role are for individuals who have left the company or who are not available.

  • The sa account is disabled or no one knows the password.

One way in which you can regain access is to reinstall [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] and attach all the databases to the new instance. This solution is time-consuming; and, to recover the logins, it might require restoring the master database from a backup. If the backup of the master database is older, it might not have all the information. If the backup of the master database is more recent, it might have the same logins as the previous instance; therefore, administrators will still be locked out.

Resolution

Start the instance of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] in single-user mode by using either the -m or -f options. Any member of the computer's local Administrators group can then connect to the instance of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] as a member of the sysadmin fixed server role.

Note

When you start an instance of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] in single-user mode, first stop the [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] Agent service. Otherwise, [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] Agent might connect first and prevent you from connecting as a second user.

When you use the -m option with sqlcmd or [!INCLUDEssManStudioFull], you can limit the connections to a specified client application. For example, -m"sqlcmd" limits connections to a single connection and that connection must identify itself as the sqlcmd client program. Use this option when you are starting [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] in single-user mode and an unknown client application is taking the only available connection. To connect through the Query Editor in [!INCLUDEssManStudio], use -m"Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio - Query".

Important

Do not use this option as a security feature. The client application provides the client application name, and can provide a false name as part of the connection string.

For step-by-step instructions about how to start [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] in single-user mode, see Configure Server Startup Options (SQL Server Configuration Manager).

Step-By-Step Instructions

The following instructions describe the process for connecting to [!INCLUDEssCurrent] running on Windows 8 or higher. Slight adjustments for earlier versions of SQL Server or Windows are provided. These instructions must be performed while logged in to Windows as a member of the local administrators group, and they assume that [!INCLUDEssManStudioFull] is installed on the computer.

  1. From the Start page, start [!INCLUDEssManStudioFull]. On the View menu, select Registered Servers. (If your server is not already registered, right-click Local Server Groups, point to Tasks, and then click Register Local Servers.)

  2. In the Registered Servers area, right-click your server, and then click SQL Server Configuration Manager. This should ask for permission to run as administrator, and then open the Configuration Manager program.

  3. Close [!INCLUDEssManStudio].

  4. In [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] Configuration Manager, in the left pane, select SQL Server Services. In the right-pane, find your instance of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion]. (The default instance of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] includes (MSSQLSERVER) after the computer name. Named instances appear in upper case with the same name that they have in Registered Servers.) Right-click the instance of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion], and then click Properties.

  5. On the Startup Parameters tab, in the Specify a startup parameter box, type -m and then click Add. (That's a dash then lower case letter m.)

    [!NOTE]
    For some earlier versions of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] there is no Startup Parameters tab. In that case, on the Advanced tab, double-click Startup Parameters. The parameters open up in a very small window. Be careful not to change any of the existing parameters. At the very end, add a new parameter ;-m and then click OK. (That's a semi-colon then a dash then lower case letter m.)

  6. Click OK, and after the message to restart, right-click your server name, and then click Restart.

  7. After [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] has restarted your server will be in single-user mode. Make sure that [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] Agent is not running. If started, it will take your only connection.

  8. On the Windows 8 start screen, right-click the icon for [!INCLUDEssManStudio]. At the bottom of the screen, select Run as administrator. (This will pass your administrator credentials to SSMS.)

    [!NOTE]
    For earlier versions of Windows, the Run as administrator option appears as a sub-menu.

    In some configurations, SSMS will attempt to make several connections. Multiple connections will fail because [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] is in single-user mode. You can select one of the following actions to perform. Do one of the following.

    1. Connect with Object Explorer using Windows Authentication (which includes your Administrator credentials). Expand Security, expand Logins, and double-click your own login. On the Server Roles page, select sysadmin, and then click OK.

    2. Instead of connecting with Object Explorer, connect with a Query Window using Windows Authentication (which includes your Administrator credentials). (You can only connect this way if you did not connect with Object Explorer.) Execute code such as the following to add a new Windows Authentication login that is a member of the sysadmin fixed server role. The following example adds a domain user named CONTOSO\PatK.

      CREATE LOGIN [CONTOSO\PatK] FROM WINDOWS;  
ALTER SERVER ROLE sysadmin ADD MEMBER [CONTOSO\PatK];

    3. If your [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] is running in mixed authentication mode, connect with a Query Window using Windows Authentication (which includes your Administrator credentials). Execute code such as the following to create a new [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] Authentication login that is a member of the sysadmin fixed server role.

      CREATE LOGIN TempLogin WITH PASSWORD = '************';  
ALTER SERVER ROLE sysadmin ADD MEMBER TempLogin;

      [!WARNING]
      Replace ************ with a strong password.

    4. If your [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] is running in mixed authentication mode and you want to reset the password of the sa account, connect with a Query Window using Windows Authentication (which includes your Administrator credentials). Change the password of the sa account with the following syntax.

      ALTER LOGIN sa WITH PASSWORD = '************';

      [!WARNING]
      Replace ************ with a strong password.

  9. The following steps now change [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] back to multi-user mode. Close SSMS.

  10. In [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] Configuration Manager, in the left pane, select SQL Server Services. In the right-pane, right-click the instance of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion], and then click Properties.

  11. On the Startup Parameters tab, in the Existing parameters box, select -m and then click Remove.

    [!NOTE]
    For some earlier versions of [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] there is no Startup Parameters tab. In that case, on the Advanced tab, double-click Startup Parameters. The parameters open up in a very small window. Remove the ;-m which you added earlier, and then click OK.

  12. Right-click your server name, and then click Restart.

Now you should be able to connect normally with one of the accounts which is now a member of the sysadmin fixed server role.

See Also

Start SQL Server in Single-User Mode
Database Engine Service Startup Options