While trying to restore SQL Server database or do any other actions which require exclusive database access you may face with the following error:

Exclusive access could not be obtained because the database is in use.

Here is a quick solution which is much handier than killing all connections manually from SSMS GUI. Before running the script below make sure that you`re not killing the connections of production users for example or affecting business in any other unwanted way. And don`t forget to put the name of your database to the script.

USE [master]

GO

DECLARE @dbname nvarchar(255)

DECLARE @spid int

DECLARE @command nvarchar(300)

/*-------------------------------------

-------Put your database name here ----

--------------------------------------*/

SET @dbname = 'Your database name here'

/*------------------------------------*/

DECLARE dbprocess CURSOR FAST_FORWARD FOR

SELECT sys.databases.name, sys.sysprocesses.spid

FROM sys.sysprocesses INNER JOIN

sys.databases ON sys.sysprocesses.dbid = sys.databases.database_id

WHERE (sys.databases.name = @dbname)

OPEN dbprocess

FETCH NEXT FROM dbprocess INTO @dbname, @spid

WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0

BEGIN

SET @command = ' '

SET @command = 'Kill' +' '+ cast(@spid as nvarchar(5))

EXEC (@command)

FETCH NEXT FROM dbprocess INTO @dbname, @spid

END

CLOSE dbprocess

DEALLOCATE dbprocess

After running the script above you can proceed with the operation which required exclusive access to the database and now it will be successful.