SQL Server Configuration Manager (Complete Guide)
The SQL Server Configuration Manager is a Microsoft Windows application used to manage the configuration of SQL Server.
The Configuration Manager can be used to configure SQL Server instances, both on the local computer and on remote computers.
It can also be used to manage the security of SQL Server instances and to manage the various components that make up the SQL Server.
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How To Use SQL Server Configuration Manager To Manage Your SQL Server Instance
The SQL Server Configuration Manager is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that provides a central location for configuring the various components of the SQL Server. You can use it to configure your server settings, add or remove features, manage security, and more. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to use the SQL Server Configuration Manager to manage your SQL Server instance.
The SQL Server Configuration Manager is divided into five main areas:
1. Server Configuration: This area contains the following sub-areas:
- SQL Server Services: Here you can start, stop, pause, or resume the services that are associated with your SQL Server instance. You can also configure the startup type and log-on account for each service.
- SQL Server Network Configuration: This area allows you to configure your network settings for your SQL Server instance. You can specify which network adapters should be used for communication with clients and other servers, set up aliases and TCP/IP ports, and more.
- SQL Native Client Configuration: This area lets you control how the SQL Native Client communicates with your server. You can specify which authentication methods should be used, configure proxy settings, and more.
2. Feature Management:
In this area, you can enable or disable features for your SQL Server instance. You can also uninstall features from here.
How To: Open SQL Server Configuration Manager
This article describes how to open the SQL Server Configuration Manager. SQL Server Configuration Manager is used to start, pause, resume, or stop the services, to view service properties, or to change service properties.
Step-by-step guide
Follow the steps given below to access the SQL Server Configuration Manager
Press the Win ‘Windows’ key and ‘R’ together.
Windows key is the key between the Control and Alt key on the left hand side of the keyboard with a 
sign on it.
The SQL Server Configuration Manager opens up in a new window.
Getting error while opening configuration manager? Visit the Microsoft article for Error "Cannot connect to WMI provider"
Alternatively follow the given path —
All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2008r2 > Configuration Tools > SQL Server Configuration Manager
Note: Currently GINESYS runs on SQL Server 2008 or above.
Since SQL Server Configuration Manager is a snap-in for the Microsoft Management Console program and not a stand-alone program, SQL Server Configuration Manager does not appear as an application in newer versions of Windows. Please follow the table below for latest Server and Windows versions.
Where is the SQL Configuration Manager in SQL Server Management Studio 18?
I am setting up a new computer, a Surface Laptop 3. I have installed SQL Server Management Studio 18.4, downloading it from here.
I am just trying to install client tools and not the server software.
In past versions I believe this install has given me a file at C:\Windows\SysWOW64SQLServerManager*.msc where the asterisk is a number, depending upon which version I installed. More info about this file in this question.
However, that file was not installed on the machine and I cannot find any way to open the configuration manager. I attempted to copy the file, ‘SQLServerManager14.msc’ over from another machine, but that got an error trying to open «MMC could not create the snap-in».
This might be because I have version 14, but the current version I need is 15, but that is just speculation.
If I download the full developer edition of SQL Server and try to install only the client tools, I get redirected to the download above.
Internet searching on this one seems to send me in a loop with lots of outdated info, and most people think the above link should also install the control panel plugin.
How to use SQL Server Configuration Manager
SQL Server configuration manager is a tool provided by Microsoft SQL Server. When we install SQL Server, it is installed automatically. It is used for the following purposes.
- Manage SQL Server services
- To manage SQL Server network configuration (32 bit and 64 bit)
- To manage the SQL Server native client configuration
- Create alias and manage client protocols
The SQL Server configuration manager is a Microsoft console management snap-in and is in the start menu. You can find it once the installation of the SQL Server is completed. To open the configuration manager, Microsoft management console uses the “SQLServerManager<version>.msc” file. For example, if you have installed SQL Server 2019 on the server, then you can open it by running “SQLServerManager15.msc” command.
How to open the SQL Server Configuration Manager in SQL Server 2017
To open configuration manager in SQL Server 2017, press the Windows and R key together. In Run, type “SQLServerManager14.msc” command. The SQL Server configuration manager will open. Following is the list of commands that can be used to open the SQL Server configuration manager using “Run” or command prompt for different versions of SQL Server.
| SQL Server version | Command |
| SQL Server 2019 | SQLServerManager15.msc |
| SQL Server 2017 | SQLServerManager14.msc |
| SQL Server 2016 | SQLServerManager13.msc |
| SQL Server 2014 | SQLServerManager12.msc |
| SQL Server 2012 | SQLServerManager11.msc |
Manage SQL Server services
We can start, stop, and restart the SQL Server services using the configuration manager. In the Left pan, select the “SQL Server services.” You can view the list of SQL Server services. In my workstation, I have installed multiple instances of SQL Server. Hence, I can manage them from one place. See the following image:
Now, we can start, stop, and restart the SQL Server services. To do that, right-click on any SQL Server service and in the context menu, you can see the options to start, stop, and restart the services. See the following image:
You can also change the startup parameters, enable AlwaysOn availability features, and other advanced options from the properties. To open it, right-click on SQL Server service and click on “Properties.” See the following image:
To change SQL Server startup parameters, click on the “Startup Parameter” tab. See the following image:
To change the SQL Server service account, click on the “Log On” tab. Moreover, you can also start/stop/restart the SQL Server service and view the status of the service. See the following image:
To enable the AlwaysOn availability group, click on the “AlwaysOn High Availability” tab. See the following image:
Manage SQL Server native client configuration
SQL Server native client is a network library that the client uses to connect to the SQL Server. Using the SQL Server configuration manager, we can perform the following tasks:
- Change Client protocols
- Create and configure an alias
To change the client protocols, click on “Client Protocols” under the “SQL Native client 11.0 configuration.” See the following image:
Clients can connect to the SQL Server using any of the following protocols.
- Shared Memory
- TCP/IP
- Named Pipes
In the right pane, you can see the list of all the above client protocols. You can enable/disable any of the protocols. To do that, right-click on any of the protocols and select Enable/Disable. See the following image:
We can also define an alias. Alias is an alternate name that can be used to connect to SQL Server. To create a new alias, right-click on Aliases and select “New Alias.” See the following image:
In Alias – New dialog box, provide Alias Name, Port number, a protocol used to connect SQL Server and hostname of the SQL Server. See the following image:
You can read Overview of SQL Server Aliases article to learn more about SQL Server aliases.
Manage SQL Server network configuration
From manage SQL Server network configuration node, you can enable or disable the network protocols supported by SQL Server.
- Shared Memory
- TCP/IP
- Named Pipe
The Shared Memory Protocol
The Shared memory protocol is used by the clients to connect the SQL Server instance on the same server. It is the simplest protocol and does not have any configuration options. You can only disable or enable the protocols that can be done from the properties window. To do that, See the following image:
The TCP/IP Protocol
Using TCP/IP protocols, computers can connect to the SQL Server instance. To configure the TCP/IP settings, right-click on the TCP/IP protocol and choose properties. See the following image:
From the “protocol” tab in the properties dialog box, you can disable or enable the protocol, define the time for how long the connection will remain active and define that whether it can listen to all IP Addresses. See the following image:
In the IP Addresses tab, you can specify the IP Address and the port number on which the SQL Server service will accept the incoming connections. See the following image:
The Named Pipe Protocol
The named pipe protocol is configured for local are network and it is used for inter-process communication. To configure a valid named pipe connection string, right-click on “Named Pipe” and choose properties. Under the protocol tab of the “Named Pipe properties” dialog box, you can specify the valid named pipe connection string in the Pipe Name text box. See the following image:
Summary
In this article, I have explained the SQL Server Configuration Manager and how to use it to configure SQL Server services and its configuration parameters.
Nisarg Upadhyay is a SQL Server Database Administrator and Microsoft certified professional who has more than 8 years of experience with SQL Server administration and 2 years with Oracle 10g database administration.