ssms - How to remove "Server name" items from history of SQL Server Management Studio

As of SQL Server 2012 you no longer have to go through the hassle of deleting the bin file (which causes other side effects). You should be able to press the delete key within the MRU list of the Server Name dropdown in the Connect to Server dialog. This is documented in this Connect item and this blog post.

Note that if you have multiple entries for a single server name (e.g. one with Windows and one with SQL Auth), you won't be able to tell which one you're deleting.

Here is simpliest way to clear items from this list.

1. Open the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) version you want to affect.
2. Open the Connect to Server dialog (File->Connect Object Explorer, Object Explorer-> Connect-> Database Engine, etc).
3. Click on the Server Name field drop down list’s down arrow.
4. Hover over the items you want to remove.
5. Press the delete (DEL) key on your keyboard.

there we go.

For SQL 2005, delete the file:

C:\Documents and Settings\<USER>\Application Data\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Shell\mru.dat

For SQL 2008, the file location, format and name changed:

C:\Documents and Settings\<USER>\Application Data\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Shell\SqlStudio.bin

How to clear the list:

1. Shut down all instances of SSMS
2. Delete/Rename the file
3. Open SSMS

This request is registered on Microsoft Connect

Over on this duplicate question @arcticdev posted some code that will get rid of individual entries (as opposed to all entries being delete the bin file). I have wrapped it in a very ugly UI and put it here: http://ssmsmru.codeplex.com/

For SQL Server 2012 Management Studio, this file has moved. It is now located at:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\     SQL Server Management Studio\11.0\SqlStudio.bin