How to: Pause and Resume an Instance of SQL Server (SQL Server Management Studio)

You can pause and resume an instance of Microsoft SQL Server from SQL Server Management Studio.

To pause and resume an instance of SQL Server

In Registered Servers or Object Explorer, right-click the server instance you want to pause, and then click Pause.

A message box asks whether you are sure you want to pause MSSQLSERVER on the server instance you chose.
Click Yes.

A pair of vertical blue bars on the icon next to the server name indicates that the server paused successfully.
To resume the server, right-click the server instance, and then click Resume.

A message box asks whether you are sure you want to resume MSSQLSERVER on the server instance you chose.
Click Yes.

A green arrow on the icon next to the server name indicates that the server resumed successfully.

SQL Server running on a cluster is best managed with Cluster Administrator. For more information, see Using SQL Server Tools with Failover Clustering.