How to Reset and Change SA Password in SQL Server?

The SA password is established when we install SQL Server. It is used for the SQL Server Standard and Enterprise Editions. The SA account is a built-in administrator login on SQL Server. It manages any aspect of the SQL Server. It exists in every SQL Server installation, no matter which authentication mode you install. Most of the SQL Developers/DBA would have come across a situation in which they forgot or lost the SA password. In that condition, they had no other way but to reinstall the SQL Server database. As a result, they need to Change SA Password in SQL Server.

SQL Server: SQL Server is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft, also known as RDBMS. Similar to other RDBMS software, SQL Server builds on the top of SQL. It is a standard programming language for interacting with relational databases. SQL Server tied to Transact-SQL or T-SQL. Microsoft’s implementation of SQL adds a set of proprietary programming constructs.

SQL Server has worked exclusively on the Windows environment for more than 20 years. In 2016, Microsoft made it available on Linux. SQL Server 2017 became generally available in October 2016 and ran on both Windows and Linux.

Top 5 Methods to Reset SA Password in SQL Server

Getting locked out of an SQL Server can happen in several ways. Knowing how to recover SQL Server SA password can make life easier. It takes only a few minutes to reset SQL Server SA Password. Further,? we will discuss the different methods to reset SQL SA passwords for SQL databases. Now, go through the steps to take to get your password reset quickly and easily:

Method 01:?An Automated Solution for Recovering SQL Server SA Password

Cigati SQL Server Password Recovery Tool is an effective and trusted tool. It helps you set a new password for the SQL database whose password you have lost. This tool supports all major versions of Microsoft SQL Server including the latest 2019. Moreover, It allows users to change the alternate passwords of SQL Server MDF files. However, you can change passwords from all types of protected or encrypted SQL Server Database. Additionally, It can reset both the User and Administrator password from the SQL master .mdf files. You can reset the SA password without SQL Server installation.

Download Now | Buy Now

Easy Steps to Reset or Change SQL Server SA Password

• First, Download, Install, and run the SQL Password Recovery tool.
• Then, Click on the Browse button to select the MDF file.
• Now, Choose the MDF file from the system.
• Click on the Open button.
• After that, select the Desired User from the list of passwords from which you want to reset the password.
• Now, type the New Password for the selected user account in the Change Password box.
• At the end, click on the Change Password button to change SQL server password.

#Identifying Your Login Name for SQL Server

For complex databases, you may need to identify your login name for SQL Server. Here, we elaborate on different easy manual methods to Change SQL Server SA Password.?

Method 02: Recover Lost SA password Using Management Studio

If you have lost the SA password, you can easily reset it using the management studio. After that, you will regain the key to the SA account in Windows Authentication mode. By using the SQL Server Management Studio software, you can reset the change SA password in SQL server smoothly.

• To perform this method, use Windows Authentication.
• Then, log in to the SQL Server.
• Navigate to Object Explorer to expand the Security folder.
• Now, expand the Logins folder and right-click on the SA account.?
• Then, from the options, click on Properties.
• When the Properties window opens, add a new password and confirm it.?
• Click on OK to set this as your new SA password in SQL Server.

Method 03: Reset SQL Server Login Password Using SQL Script

In case you reset the SQL database password, users can also try using SQL scripts to add a new password to the database.

• First of all, you have to launch SQL Server Management Studio.
• Open a new query in it.
• Enter the scripts mentioned below for execution:

GO
ALTER LOGIN [sa] WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE=[master]
GO
USE [master]
GO
ALTER LOGIN [sa] WITH PASSWORD=N'NewPassword' MUST_CHANGE
GO        

Note: Here, NewPassword will be the password you want to use for your SA account instead of the lost password.

Before making any changes to your SQL Server database, always double-check with your system administrator for the correct login name. Keeping the login information secure. Because it is essential for the safety of your data.

Method 04: Reset Lost SQL Server Using OSQL Utility in Command Prompt

Are you familiar with the OSQL utility? OSQL is a command-line tool for SQL Server available with 2000 and later versions. Follow the steps mentioned below to use the OSQL utility:

• First, launch the administrator mode and open the command prompt.
• Now you need to list the SQL Server instances.

• Command Prompt

C:\> OSQL -L
Servers:
WIN-TVSNFL1C14U\MSSQLSERVER2016
WIN-TVSNFL1C14U\MSSQLSERVER2017        

Note: Please note that the OSQL utility may not receive a response from all the servers promptly. It is just because of the broadcasting nature of networks. In that condition, the list of the servers returned might be different for each invocation. So if the command is not displaying any server, you have to try to execute it again.

• Now you need to type a command specifying an SQL Server instance for which you want to reset the password.
• After typing the command, click on the Enter button.?

Note: Replace **** with the new password.

C:\> osq1 -S "WIN-TVSNFL1C14U\MSSQLSERVER2017" -E -Q "exec sp_password
NULL, ***** ", 'sa' "        

• In case there is a remote Microsoft SQL Server instance being used, you need to use its remote server name or IP address:

C:\> osql -S "SERVERNAME or IP ADDRESS\INSTANCE_NAME" -E-Q "exec
sp_password NULL,' '*****', 'sa'"        

Method 05: Reset Forgotten SA Password Using Plesk Interface

In case you do not know what Plesk is, it is a commercial web hosting platform with a control panel. It helps server admins set up new websites, email accounts, reseller accounts, and DNS entries using a web-based interface. First, you need a Microsoft SQL Server instance should be registered in Plesk. After that, you need to follow the steps shown below:

• First, you should open the Plesk interface.?
• Now, go to Tools & Settings >> Database Servers.
• On the Tools and Settings window for Database Servers>>select the hostname of an SQL Server instance whose password you want to change.
• Click Change Password.
• Enter a new password and confirm it.?
• Click OK to save the changes you made.

After performing this method,? you should remember the new password for future logins. To ensure that your password is secure, use a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. To maintain the password you should change SA Password in SQL Server regularly.

Sum Up:?

Every SQL server administrator must remember to change SA Password in SQL Server

regularly. Above mentioned solutions are secure password managers that can securely store credentials for online and offline uses. It makes it the perfect solution for resetting your SA password without any stress. In this write-up, we have discussed some authentic and tested methods that can help you recover SQL passwords. where some methods are quite tricky and require highly technical proficiency. We explained a few easy manual methods to reset SA passwords in SQL Server. If the manual methods do not work for you or take a lot of time, you should use the professional SQL Password Recovery tool. So, if you are looking for a secure and easy way to reset your SQL Server’s SA password, this should be your go-to solution.?