Use SQL Server Configuration Manager to find out which instances of the Database Engine are installed on the computer.
The Database Engine service can be the default instance (limit one per computer) or can be one of many named instances on the computer. Windows services can run without displaying any activity on the computer screen and without user interaction on the command line. SQL Server components are executable programs that run as Windows services. This article describes how to start, stop, pause, resume, or restart the SQL Server Database Engine, the SQL Server Agent, or the SQL Server Browser service on Windows by using SQL Server Configuration Manager, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), net commands from a command prompt, Transact-SQL, or PowerShell.įor SQL Server on Linux, see Start, stop, and restart SQL Server services on Linux.