The primary utility for managing instances is sqllocaldb.exe . You can perform several common tasks:
: LocalDB instances start automatically when an application connects and shut down when the last connection is closed. localdb
LocalDB is a lightweight, user-mode instance of SQL Server Express designed for developers. It starts on demand, runs in the user's context (no service), and requires minimal configuration. Perfect for local development, unit tests, and desktop applications. The primary utility for managing instances is sqllocaldb
sqllocaldb stop "MyProjectDB" sqllocaldb delete "MyProjectDB" localdb