How do I shrink a data file?

Question

To shrink a data or log file In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of the SQL Server Database Engine and then expand that instance. Expand Databases and then right-click the database that you want to shrink. Point to Tasks, point to Shrink, and then click Files. . Select the file type and file name.

How do I reduce the file size of data?

Remove unnecessary images, formatting and macros. Save the file as a recent Word version. Reduce the file size of the images before they are added to the document. If it is still too large, save the file as a PDF.

Is it safe to shrink data file?

This is true that shrinking a database is not recommended. You can understand it like this when you shrink the database then it leads to increase in fragmentation now to reduce the fragmentation you try to rebuilt the index which will eventually lead to increase in your database size.

Can you shrink a database while in use?

You cannot shrink a database while the database is being backed up. Conversely, you cannot backup a database while a shrink operation on the database is in process.

Why is my MDF file so big?

Because the MDF was allocated with 154Gb, or has grown to 154Gb through various operations. A database file has at least the size of the data in it, but it can be larger than the used amount by any amount.

Expert · Answer