How do I authenticate to SQL Server?

Question

Right-click the server you wish to modify and then click Properties. Select the Security Page. Under the Server authentication heading choose either the desired authentication: Windows Authentication or SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode. Click OK.

How do I enable SQL authentication?

In the Object Explorer, right-click the server and click Properties. On the Security page under Server authentication, select SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode and then click OK. In the Object Explorer, right-click your server and click Restart. If the SQL Server Agent is running, it must also be restarted.

How do I find my SQL Server authentication username and password?

In SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer, right-click on the server name, click Properties and go to Security page to check the SQL Server Authentication. In this case we can see that it is Windows Authentication mode.

How do I connect to SQL Server with Windows Authentication?

Open SQL Server Management Studio. In Connect to Server, select Database Engine, enter your SQL Server name, and enter administrator credentials to connect to the server. Select Connect. In Object Explorer, expand the SQL Server, expand Security, right-click Logins, and then select New Login.

Which authentication is best for SQL Server?

Windows authentication does provide more security and flexibility for managing logins in SQL Server. Therefore, you should use it whenever feasible.

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