Note
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Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories.
Applies to: 
SQL Server
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure Synapse Analytics
Analytics Platform System (PDW)
This article describes how to register a connected server in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). By registering the server, you can save the connection information for servers that you access frequently. A server can be registered before connecting, or at the time of connection from Object Explorer. To view your registered servers in SSMS, select View > Registered Servers, or type Ctrl + Alt + G.
Register a connected server
In Object Explorer, right-click a server to which you already are connected, and then select Register.
The New Server Registration dialog box appears. Enter the information for the server on the General page.
Setting Description Server type When a connected server is registered, the Server type box is read-only, and matches the type of server displayed in the Registered Servers pane. Server name For Server name, enter the fully qualified name of your SQL Server (you can also use localhost as the server name if you're connecting locally). If you're NOT using the default instance - MSSQLSERVER - you must enter in the server name and the instance name.
If you're unsure how to determine your SQL Server instance name, see Find SQL Server instance name.Authentication Windows Authentication is set as default.
You can also use SQL Server Authentication to connect. However, if you select SQL Server Authentication, a username and password are required.
Microsoft Entra authentication is available for SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and later versions. For step-by-step configuration instructions, see Tutorial: Set up Microsoft Entra authentication for SQL Server
For more information about authentication types, see Connect to Server (Login page) - Database Engine.Login The user ID from the server account used to sign in to the server. A login is required when using SQL Server Authentication. Password The password from the server account used to sign in to the server. A password is required when using SQL Server Authentication. Remember password Select to have SQL Server encrypt and store the password you entered. This option is displayed only if you have selected to connect using SQL Server Authentication. Encryption 1 Select the encryption level for the connection. The default value is Mandatory. Trust server certificate Check this option to bypass server certificate validation. The default value is False (unchecked), which promotes better security using trusted certificates. Host Name in Certificate The value provided in this option is used to specify a different, but expected, CN or SAN in the server certificate. Registered server name The name you want to appear in Registered Servers. This name doesn't have to match the Server name box. Registered server description Enter an optional description of the server. 1 The default value is Mandatory in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 20. Strict (SQL Server 2022 and Azure SQL) encryption should be used for Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance. Strict (SQL Server 2022 and Azure SQL) encryption can be used for SQL Server when the instance has Force Strict Encryption enabled. In SQL Server Management Studio 21, this is called Strict (Minimum SQL Server 2022 and Azure SQL).
You can modify extra connection options by selecting Options. Examples of connection options include the connection timeout value, application intent, and the network protocol. This article uses default values for these fields.
Note
If you stored the password and want to stop storing it, clear this check box, and then select Save.
After you complete all the fields, select Test to test the connection to the server.
Select Save to save the registered server settings.
By default, the connected server is added to the Local Server Groups folder. To move the registered server to another server group, see Move a registered server or registered server group in SQL Server Management Studio.