Sometimes, there may be a need to connect to SQL Server using the System account. While this may not be a common scenario, there are situations where it becomes necessary. In this blog post, we will explore how to connect to SQL Server using the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account.

By default, it is not possible to provide Windows credentials in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) as they are always grayed out. However, there is a workaround using a tool called PSExec from Sysinternals.

Step 1: Download PSTools from the Sysinternals website.

Step 2: Extract the downloaded file and open a command prompt to the extracted location.

Step 3: Run the following command: psexec -i -s ssms.exe

The -i parameter allows the program to run and interact with the desktop of the specified session on the remote system. The -s parameter launches the process using the SYSTEM account.

After running the command, SSMS will be launched with the User name populated as “NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM”.

It is important to note that if the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account is disabled, you may encounter an error in the SQL Server error log. The error message will indicate that the login failed for the user ‘WORKGROUP\SQLSERVER2016$’.

Have you ever used similar tools to troubleshoot in your environment? What use cases were you able to address using these tools? Feel free to share your experiences and thoughts in the comments section below.