Is it safe to shrink SQL database?

Should you shrink SQL databases?

When to perform SQL Server database shrink Many SQL Server experts advise against SQL Server database shrinking, especially as a frequent and pre-scheduled maintenance action.

Does shrinking a SQL database improve performance?

Shrinking the database to a minimum required and releasing most of the unused space is possible. This may be a positive move as the larger freed space will improve performance. But shrinking may affect your database performance significantly, if not properly done.

Why you should never shrink a database?

It's an unbelievably, disgustingly, repulsively bad idea. Your disk drive space is for files, not for ornamentation. You don't get bonused based on the amount of free space on your drives. Empty files don't take longer to back up.

Is it safe to shrink SQL log file?

It's safe, but do it at a quiet time when there's low transactional activity. It's recommended to shrink the log to its minimal size and then grow it to its normal size (this will ensure the correct number of VLFs (internal virtual log files) are created, which improves performance for logged commands).