Download SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) for Optimal SQL Server Management

Sql Server Management Studio (SSMS) stands as a cornerstone tool for anyone working within the SQL Server ecosystem. This integrated environment empowers users to manage every facet of their SQL infrastructure, from on-premises SQL Server deployments to cloud-based Azure SQL Database instances. SSMS provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed for configuring, monitoring, and administering SQL Server instances and their databases, ensuring seamless operation and optimal performance.

Whether you are deploying new database solutions, meticulously monitoring existing SQL Server environments, or implementing critical upgrades to your data-tier components, SSMS offers the necessary features. Furthermore, its robust query and scripting capabilities make it an indispensable asset for database development and maintenance tasks on SQL Server.

SSMS is your go-to solution for interacting with databases and data warehouses, regardless of their location. Manage your SQL Server instances whether they reside on your local machine, within your corporate network, or in the expansive cloud environments of Azure.

For users who require a cross-platform tool to complement SSMS, especially when managing SQL Server alongside other Azure databases, Azure Data Studio is an excellent alternative. It provides flexibility across different operating systems while maintaining powerful database management features. Learn more about its capabilities and download options at Azure Data Studio.

Stay informed about the latest enhancements and features in the newest release by consulting the Release notes for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 20.2.

For those interested in exploring upcoming features and providing feedback, Install SQL Server Management Studio 21 Preview offers access to the preview version.

Get the Latest SSMS Version

Download SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 20.2

SSMS 20.2 represents the most recent Generally Available (GA) release of SQL Server Management Studio. If you are currently running a preview version of SSMS 20, it’s crucial to uninstall it before proceeding with the installation of SSMS 20.2 to ensure a stable environment. Importantly, installing SSMS 20.2 will not upgrade or replace any prior installations of SSMS 19.x or earlier versions. This allows for side-by-side installations, providing flexibility in your SQL Server toolset.

Release Number: 20.2
Build Number: 20.2.30.0
Release Date: July 9, 2024

By downloading and utilizing SQL Server Management Studio, you implicitly agree to the associated license terms and privacy statement. Microsoft values user feedback; therefore, for any comments, suggestions, or issue reports, the SSMS Developer Community site is the most effective channel to reach the SSMS team directly.

The installation process for SSMS 20.x is designed to coexist with previous versions like SSMS 19.x and earlier. This means you can have multiple versions of SQL Server Management Studio installed concurrently on the same machine, giving you access to different tool versions as needed. However, if you’ve been testing an earlier preview build of SSMS 20, it must be removed before installing the generally available SSMS 20.2. You can easily check for a preview version by navigating to Help > About within SSMS.

When running multiple SSMS installations side-by-side, always double-check that you are launching the correct version tailored to your current SQL Server management task. The latest release is clearly identified as Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio v20.2.

It’s worth noting that for SSMS versions 18.7 through 19.3, Azure Data Studio was automatically included in the installation package. This integration aimed to provide SQL Server Management Studio users with access to the innovative features of Azure Data Studio, a cross-platform and open-source tool suitable for cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.

To gain a deeper understanding of Azure Data Studio and its capabilities within your SQL Server workflow, explore What is Azure Data Studio and the FAQ.

Language Options

SSMS 20.2 offers broad language support, catering to a global community of SQL Server professionals.

SQL Server Management Studio 20.2 Supported Languages:

If you are viewing this page in a non-English localized version and wish to access the most current information, simply select Read in English at the top of the page. To download SSMS in different languages, refer to the available languages section, which typically presents options based on geographical region and linguistic preferences.

It’s important to remember that the SQL Server PowerShell module is distributed and installed separately through the PowerShell Gallery. For comprehensive instructions on obtaining and installing this module, see Install the SQL Server PowerShell module.

What’s New in SSMS 20.2

For a detailed overview of the new features, improvements, and bug fixes incorporated into this release of SQL Server Management Studio, consult the dedicated Release notes for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). This document provides a comprehensive breakdown of all changes, helping you leverage the latest enhancements for your SQL Server management tasks.

Accessing Previous SSMS Versions

This article focuses primarily on the latest SSMS release. To download and utilize older versions of SQL Server Management Studio, please visit Previous SSMS releases. This section within the release notes archives download links and information for prior SSMS versions, which can be useful for compatibility with older SQL Server environments or specific tool requirements.

A critical update to note is that as of December 2021, SSMS versions older than 18.6 no longer support authentication to Database Engines via Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication (MFA). To maintain uninterrupted MFA connectivity for your SQL Server instances, it is imperative to use SSMS 18.6 or a more recent version.

Similarly, connecting to Azure Analysis Services using Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication necessitates SSMS 18.5.1 or later. Staying up-to-date with SSMS versions ensures continued access to modern authentication methods and security protocols for your SQL Server and Azure services.

Unattended Installation of SSMS

For automated deployments and streamlined setup across multiple machines, SSMS supports unattended installation via PowerShell. This method allows for silent installations without user interaction, ideal for scripting and enterprise environments managing SQL Server infrastructure.

Follow these steps to perform a background installation of SSMS using PowerShell, eliminating GUI prompts:

Initiate PowerShell with administrator privileges.

Execute the following command, adjusting the paths to match your environment:

$media_path = "<path to your SSMS-Setup-ENU.exe file>"
$install_path = "<desired root installation location for SSMS>"
$params = " /Install /Quiet SSMSInstallRoot=$install_path"
Start-Process -FilePath $media_path -ArgumentList $params -Wait

For instance:

$media_path = "C:InstallersSSMS-Setup-ENU.exe"
$install_path = "$env:SystemDriveSSMSto"
$params = "/Install /Quiet SSMSInstallRoot=`"$install_path`""
Start-Process -FilePath $media_path -ArgumentList $params -Wait

Alternatively, replace /Quiet with /Passive to display a basic setup UI during the installation process.

Upon successful installation, SSMS will be located at %systemdrive%SSMStoCommon7IDESsms.exe, based on the example paths. If any issues arise, examine the returned error code and consult the installation log file located in %TEMP%SSMSSetup for troubleshooting details.

Uninstalling SSMS

During installation, SSMS may install shared components if they are not already present on the system. However, these shared components are not automatically removed when you uninstall SQL Server Management Studio.

The shared components include:

Microsoft OLE DB Driver 18 for SQL Server
Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server
Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable (x86)
Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable (x64)
Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Applications 2019

These components are intentionally not uninstalled automatically because they might be shared with other applications on your system. Removing them could potentially disrupt the functionality of other software that depends on these shared resources. Therefore, manual removal of these components should only be considered if you are certain they are no longer required by any other applications.

Azure Data Studio Integration Details

For SSMS versions 18.7 through 19.3, Azure Data Studio was installed by default alongside SQL Server Management Studio. This bundle was intended to provide users with both the robust features of SSMS and the modern, cross-platform capabilities of Azure Data Studio. However, SSMS 20.0 and subsequent versions no longer include Azure Data Studio in their installation package.
If a version of Azure Data Studio equal to or newer than the one bundled with SSMS is already installed on the machine, the SSMS installer will skip the Azure Data Studio installation to avoid conflicts or redundant installations.
The specific version of Azure Data Studio included with SSMS versions 18.7-19.3 can be found in the respective release notes for those SSMS versions.
The Azure Data Studio installer requires the same administrative privileges as the SSMS installer.
Azure Data Studio is installed with its default settings: creation of a Start Menu folder and addition of Azure Data Studio to the system PATH environment variable. Notably, a desktop shortcut is not created, and Azure Data Studio is not set as the default editor for any file types during this bundled installation process.
Localization for Azure Data Studio is managed through Language Pack extensions. To use Azure Data Studio in a specific language, you need to install the corresponding language pack from the extension marketplace within Azure Data Studio itself.
For users of SSMS versions 18.7 through 19.3 who wished to exclude Azure Data Studio from the installation, the SSMS installer could be launched with the command-line flag DoNotInstallAzureDataStudio=1. This option provided control over which tools were installed, catering to specific user preferences and deployment scenarios.

Supported SQL Server Offerings

This version of SQL Server Management Studio is designed to be broadly compatible, working effectively with SQL Server 2014 (12.x) and later versions, including the most recent releases. It offers optimal support for leveraging the latest cloud-based features available in Azure SQL Database, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Microsoft Fabric, ensuring you can manage your modern data estate effectively.

Furthermore, SSMS 20.x is designed to be installed alongside previous versions, including SSMS 19.x, SSMS 18.x, SSMS 17.x, and SSMS 16.x. This side-by-side compatibility is particularly useful for organizations transitioning between SQL Server versions or requiring specific SSMS versions for particular administrative tasks.

Regarding SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), SSMS 17.x and later versions do not support connections to the legacy SQL Server Integration Services service. To manage earlier, legacy Integration Services installations, you must use an SSMS version aligned with the SQL Server version. For instance, SSMS 16.x is required to connect to the legacy SQL Server 2016 (13.x) Integration Services service. Remember that SSMS 17.x and SSMS 16.x can coexist on the same machine. Since SQL Server 2012 (11.x), the SSIS Catalog database (SSISDB) is the recommended approach for storing, managing, executing, and monitoring Integration Services packages. For detailed information, refer to SSIS Catalog.

SSMS System Requirements

The current SSMS release is designed for robust performance on contemporary systems, supporting the following 64-bit platforms when used with the latest service packs:

Supported Operating Systems:

Windows 11 (x64)
Windows 10 (x64) version 1607 (10.0.14393) and later versions
Windows Server 2022 (x64)
Windows Server Core 2022 (x64)
Windows Server 2019 (x64)
Windows Server Core 2019 (x64)
Windows Server 2016 (x64)¹

¹ SSMS requires .NET Framework 4.7.2.

Additional Requirements:

Administrator privileges are necessary for both installation and updates of SSMS.
Running SSMS within a virtual machine environment necessitates a full Windows operating system installation.
Windows containers are not officially supported for SSMS deployments.
SSMS is not supported in application virtualization environments such as Microsoft App-V, MSIX for Windows, or other third-party application virtualization technologies.

To install SSMS on Windows Server Core, ensure you have installed the Server Core App Compatibility Feature on Demand.

Supported Hardware:

Processor: 1.8 GHz or faster x86 (Intel, AMD) processor. Dual-core or better is recommended for optimal performance.
Memory: 2 GB of RAM minimum; 4 GB of RAM recommended (2.5 GB minimum if running within a virtual machine).
Hard Disk Space: A minimum of 3 GB up to 10 GB of available disk space, depending on installed features and system configuration.

SSMS is exclusively available as a 32-bit application for Windows operating systems. If you require a database management tool that operates on platforms beyond Windows, Azure Data Studio is highly recommended. Visit Azure Data Studio for comprehensive details.

Get Help with SQL Tools

For comprehensive assistance, troubleshooting, and community support related to SQL Server tools and SQL Server Management Studio, numerous resources are available online, including Microsoft’s official documentation, community forums, and knowledge bases.

Contribute to SQL Documentation

Did you know that you have the ability to contribute directly to the improvement of SQL Server documentation? By participating, you not only enhance the quality of resources available to the community but also receive recognition as a contributor to the page.

For detailed guidance on how to contribute, see Edit Microsoft Learn documentation.