SQLLOCAL.exe cannot be found #sql

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SQLLOCAL.exe cannot be found #sql

Jay Voodoo 0

Resolving "SqlLocalDB.exe Not Found

I can't find it.

#SQL

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Erland Sommarskog 137.6K MVP Volunteer Moderator

If you install SQL Server Local DB, sqllocaldb is typically available in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\nnn\Tools\Binn\ which is added to your path when you install SQL Server. (nnn is the version number for SQL Server with 150 for SQL Server 2019, 160 for SQL 2022 etc.)

To install SQL Server LocalDB go to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/configure-windows/sql-server-express-localdb?view=sql-server-ver17

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Answer 2

SqlLocalDB.exe is installed with SQL Server Express LocalDB. If it cannot be found, the supported fixes are:

Verify whether LocalDB is installed. Run:
```
   sqllocaldb info
```
If sqllocaldb is not recognized, LocalDB is likely not installed, or its install location is not in PATH.
Install LocalDB. LocalDB can be installed through:
- SQL Server Express setup
- Visual Studio Installer by selecting the SQL Server Express LocalDB individual component or an appropriate data-development workload
If LocalDB is already installed but the command is still missing, run SqlLocalDB.exe from the installed SQL Server tools directory instead of relying on PATH.
After installation, confirm the available versions and instances:
```
   SqlLocalDB versions
   SqlLocalDB info
```
If an instance exists but will not start, check its status and start it:
```
   sqllocaldb info MSSQLLocalDB
   sqllocaldb start MSSQLLocalDB
```
If the LocalDB runtime is not installed, the documented action is to install the Local Database Runtime and try again.

If the goal is to “reset” LocalDB, use caution: deleting an instance removes all databases associated with that instance. The documented recreate sequence is:

sqllocaldb stop MSSQLLocalDB
sqllocaldb delete MSSQLLocalDB
sqllocaldb create MSSQLLocalDB
sqllocaldb start MSSQLLocalDB