How to move the TempDB Database

Note that TempDB is recreated every time SQL starts.  Why is this important?  It means we don’t have to move the physical file on the file system. First we need to know the name and file location of the TempDB database files.  When you change the location, make sure to keep the same name.  Technically we don’t need the current physical path, but it’s just a good idea to have it documented in case things go badly.

SELECT name, physical_name
FROM sys.master_files
WHERE database_id = DB_ID(N'tempdb');
GOCode language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Next we need to tell SQL where we plan to move the files.  Make sure to change the “FILENAME” path and ensure the “NAME” is the same as what you got from the above query.

USE master;
GO
ALTER DATABASE TempDB
MODIFY FILE (NAME = Tempdev, FILENAME = 'Y:MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVERMSSQLDATAtempdb.mdf');
GO
ALTER DATABASE TempDB
MODIFY FILE (NAME = Templog, FILENAME = 'Z:MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVERMSSQLDATAtemplog.ldf');
GOCode language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Now all we need to do is stop and restart SQL server.  Once SQL is back up you might want to run the first query again just to make sure everything went as planned and the location has been updated properly.  Also, don’t forget to clean up after yourself and delete the old database files. More Information – If you are moving your TempDB database you might want to check out the following posts: How to move the Master database How to move the Model database How to move the MSDB database SQLAgent Error 435 How to move cluster Quorum drive How to move cluster MSDTC drive