Connect to a SQL Server instance Start SQL Server Management Studio. The first time you run SSMS, the Connect to Server window opens. If it doesn’t open, you can open it manually by selecting Object Explorer > Connect > Database Engine. For Server type, select Database Engine (usually the default option).
How do I open SQL Server?
To start SQL Server Management Studio On current versions of Windows, on the Start page, type SSMS, and then select Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. When using older versions of Windows, on the Start menu, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server, and then select SQL Server Management Studio.