{"id":787,"date":"2022-09-01T16:33:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T16:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/?p=787"},"modified":"2022-09-01T16:36:20","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T16:36:20","slug":"fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Fix Slow Start-Up Of SQL Server Management Studio (7 Ways)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When I installed version 18 of SQL Server Management Studio, it was taking over two minutes to launch and complete the start-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are seven different tips to prevent a slow SSMS start-up. I\u2019ve listed them in order of which ones you should try first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ll also mention some associated disadvantages that may make you choose one tip over another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66114db43e8f3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66114db43e8f3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/#Tip_1_Apply_The_Latest_Service_Pack\" title=\"Tip 1: Apply The Latest Service Pack\">Tip 1: Apply The Latest Service Pack<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/#Tip_2_Start_Without_Opening_Object_Explorer\" title=\"Tip 2: Start Without Opening Object Explorer\">Tip 2: Start Without Opening Object Explorer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/#Tip_3_Skip_The_Splash_Window\" title=\"Tip 3: Skip The Splash Window\">Tip 3: Skip The Splash Window<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/#Tip_4_Launch_As_Administrator\" title=\"Tip 4: Launch As Administrator\">Tip 4: Launch As Administrator<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/#Tip_5_Disable_Checking_For_Updates\" title=\"Tip 5: Disable Checking For Updates\">Tip 5: Disable Checking For Updates<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/#Tip_6_Disable_The_Publisher_Certificate_Check\" title=\"Tip 6: Disable The Publisher Certificate Check\">Tip 6: Disable The Publisher Certificate Check<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/#Tip_7_Clean_Up_The_MSDB_Database\" title=\"Tip 7: Clean Up The MSDB Database\">Tip 7: Clean Up The MSDB Database<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_1_Apply_The_Latest_Service_Pack\"><\/span>Tip 1: Apply The Latest Service Pack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft has a history of releasing new major versions of SQL Management Studio that are slower than the prior version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When they get negative customer feedback, they will release a minor upgrade. So, it\u2019s always worth upgrading to the latest stable release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can check if a new release is available via the menu item: Tools-&gt;Check For Updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The image below shows that I didn\u2019t have the latest minor version at the time I took the screenshot. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"526\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_check_for_updates_one_behind.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_check_for_updates_one_behind.jpg 526w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_check_for_updates_one_behind-300x162.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 526px) 100vw, 526px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you see something similar, then you should click the Update button and upgrade your application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_2_Start_Without_Opening_Object_Explorer\"><\/span>Tip 2: Start Without Opening Object Explorer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The default installation of SSMS has a launch sequence of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Open splash window<\/li><li>Open SQL Management Studio window<\/li><li>Open Object Explorer<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>This third step may be what\u2019s slowing down your start-up. You can change the default to skip the third step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do so, expand the Tools menu and choose the options item (down at the bottom). This opens the Options window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find the \u201cStartup\u201d section in the left window and use the drop-down list to change the default to \u201cOpen empty environment\u201d. This picture illustrates the setup:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"528\" height=\"437\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_options_startup_empty_environment.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_options_startup_empty_environment.jpg 528w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_options_startup_empty_environment-300x248.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 528px) 100vw, 528px\" \/><figcaption><em>Change startup options<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This will probably speed up your startup but it won\u2019t help if the connection itself is what\u2019s causing a long delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I mean, you\u2019ll have to connect to your server after the startup anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_3_Skip_The_Splash_Window\"><\/span>Tip 3: Skip The Splash Window<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There have been previous versions of SSMS where simply displaying the splash window was causing lengthy delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can skip this step by editing the shortcut that launches Management Studio. The hardest part of this tip is finding the shortcut!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I usually launch SSMS by typing \u201cssms\u201d into the search bar on Windows to show the icon. From there, follow these steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Right-click the icon and choose \u201copen file location\u201d from the dropdown menu.<\/li><li>Look for the correct file with a type of \u201cshortcut\u201d.<\/li><li>Right-click the file and choose \u201cproperties\u201d from the dropdown menu<\/li><li>Add \u201c \/nosplash\u201d to the end of the target box (without the quotations)<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The target will now be like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>&#8220;C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 18\\Common7\\IDE\\Ssms.exe&#8221; \/nosplash<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be asked to confirm administrator mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people report a delay of twenty minutes when opening Management Studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be useful to enable the splash window so you can better identify where the delay is occurring i.e. is it before or after the window appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_4_Launch_As_Administrator\"><\/span>Tip 4: Launch As Administrator<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Windows comes with various security and defense features that run checks when applications are launched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can bypass some of these checks by using administrator mode when starting an application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this automatically, follow the steps in the previous tip to find the shortcut for SSMS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Right-click the file and choose \u201cproperties\u201d from the dropdown window<\/li><li>Click on the Advanced button<\/li><li>Check the box to \u201cRun as administrator\u201d<\/li><li>Click OK or Apply<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The disadvantage of this tip is that you will always see the pop-up that asks for permission when you start Management Studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it\u2019s a single click to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_5_Disable_Checking_For_Updates\"><\/span>Tip 5: Disable Checking For Updates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When SSMS starts up, it connects to the Microsoft website to compare your current release number with the latest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can disable this check via the menu item: Tools-&gt;Check For Updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a checkbox that lets you toggle the option on or off. I show it in the picture below.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"526\" height=\"284\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_check_for_updates.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_check_for_updates.jpg 526w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/tools_check_for_updates-300x162.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 526px) 100vw, 526px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The disadvantage of course is that you can fall behind with the latest upgrades and fixes. This is a particular issue with security fixes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do disable this option, you should periodically check the update button to keep your software up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_6_Disable_The_Publisher_Certificate_Check\"><\/span>Tip 6: Disable The Publisher Certificate Check<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of the SSMS start-up routine involves connecting to the Microsoft website to check a certificate list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can disable this with these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Type \u201cInternet Options\u201d into the search bar to open the Control Panel window<\/li><li>Click on the Advanced tab (top far right)<\/li><li>Move down to the Security section<\/li><li>Uncheck the option called \u201cCheck for publisher\u2019s certificate\u201d<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes your computer less secure. Try all the preceding tips before this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tip_7_Clean_Up_The_MSDB_Database\"><\/span>Tip 7: Clean Up The MSDB Database<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The MSDB database is one of the SQL Server system databases. You usually don\u2019t need to worry about it, but it can get bloated depending on the kind of activity on your server instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why would this impact the start-up time? When Management Studio is collecting information for Object Explorer during the start-up phase, it queries both the master database and the msdb database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use this quick SQL command to check the size:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>exec sp_helpdb msdb<\/em> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>If the size is over about 50 MB, then you should look at pruning the history table.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I installed version 18 of SQL Server Management Studio, it was taking over two minutes to launch and complete the start-up. Here are seven different tips to prevent a slow SSMS start-up. I\u2019ve listed them in order of which ones you should try first. I\u2019ll also mention some associated disadvantages that may make you &#8230; <a title=\"How To Fix Slow Start-Up Of SQL Server Management Studio (7 Ways)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/fix-slow-start-up-of-sql-server-management-studio\/\" aria-label=\"More on How To Fix Slow Start-Up Of SQL Server Management Studio (7 Ways)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":791,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions\/791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}