Install and Update SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is the primary management tool for SQL Server and Azure SQL. What changed in recent releases is not how it looks but how it installs, updates and connects: it ships through the Visual Studio Installer, updates every 1 to 2 weeks, and applies stricter encryption defaults by design. If you still think of SSMS as a tool you install once and forget, modern versions will surprise you.

This post covers how SSMS works today: what changed, how to install, update, and uninstall it properly, and how to manage it sensibly as a DBA without surprises or unnecessary churn.

Download SSMS

Every SSMS Version and Where To Get It

Install From the Command Line

For SSMS 22 and 21, download the Visual Studio Installer bootstrapper and run it unattended:

# SSMS 22, silent install
$url = 'https://aka.ms/ssms/22/release/vs_SSMS.exe'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url -OutFile "$env:TEMP\vs_SSMS.exe"
Start-Process "$env:TEMP\vs_SSMS.exe" -ArgumentList '--quiet','--norestart','--wait' -Wait

SSMS 20 and earlier use the older standalone installer, which takes different switches:

# SSMS 20, silent install (note the different URL and switches)
$url = 'https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2313753'
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url -OutFile "$env:TEMP\SSMS-Setup-ENU.exe"
Start-Process "$env:TEMP\SSMS-Setup-ENU.exe" -ArgumentList '/install','/quiet','/norestart' -Wait

--wait is what makes the bootstrapper return the install’s own exit code rather than the download’s, so check it. MS Docs lists the codes: 0 is success, 3010 means the install worked but the machine needs a reboot, 1641 means a reboot has already been started, and 1003 or 8006 mean SSMS was still running. To update an existing install from the same bootstrapper the verb is vs_SSMS.exe update --quiet.

The winget catch, worth knowing before you script it. The obvious package id, Microsoft.SQLServerManagementStudio, is the SSMS 20 package, so a fleet script reaching for the id that matches the product name quietly installs a client 2 majors behind. SSMS 22 and 21 have ids of their own and those are the ones to script: the same MS Docs page documents winget install Microsoft.SQLServerManagementStudio.22. The 22 package hands you the same vs_SSMS.exe bootstrapper as the download link above, so scripting it and downloading it are the same install by a different route.

Which Version Do You Need?

• New machine, nothing special about it: SSMS 22. It manages SQL Server 2014 and later, so there is rarely a reason to install an older client. Older than that and you need a fixed-version installer from the MS Docs release history.
• You manage the legacy Integration Services service on SQL Server 2022: keep SSMS 20.2.1 or 19.3 alongside SSMS 22. They install side by side, and MS Docs names those 2 builds as the workaround. The rest of SSIS came back at SSMS 22.0.0, including SSISDB catalog management, package execution and the Import and Export Wizard, so this is a narrow gap rather than a reason to stay on an old client. One more case sits beside it in the MS Docs known issues: packages carrying Maintenance Tasks will not run under the Execute Package Utility (dtexecui) and want SSMS 20 or dtexec.
• You are already on SSMS 21: update in place through the Visual Studio Installer rather than downloading 22 separately. The Updating SSMS section below covers the update channels.

Running more than one version at once is supported and common. Running Multiple SSMS Versions Side by Side, further down this page, covers how they coexist.

MS Docs: Install SQL Server Management Studio, Release notes for SSMS 22, Release history.

What Changed With Modern SSMS

SSMS is now:

• Installed and updated via the Visual Studio Installer
• Released on a frequent, in-place update cadence
• Available in Release and Preview channels
• Fully 64-bit
• Actively maintained and decoupled from SQL Server engine releases

Side-by-side installation has been supported for years. What changed is that Microsoft now actively encourages parallel Release and Preview installs as part of the supported workflow.

SSMS is no longer tied to SQL Server engine releases. It behaves like a continuously updated client application, and DBAs need to treat it as such.

Permissions and Prerequisites

Before installing or updating SSMS, keep these basics in mind:

• Installation and updates require local administrator permissions
• SSMS must be closed before an update can apply
• Updates are pulled from Microsoft unless you use an internal source (for example, SCCM)
• Windows will prompt for elevation if you’re running as a standard user

Nothing unusual here, but worth stating explicitly, especially on shared servers and jump hosts.

Installing SSMS (Visual Studio Installer Model)

Starting with modern SSMS releases, installation is handled through the Visual Studio Installer. If you were used to the old standalone SSMS installer, this can feel unfamiliar at first, but in practice it’s mostly a wrapper change rather than a functional one: you download a small bootstrapper, the installer opens automatically, and SSMS is installed and updated from there. Visual Studio itself is not required.

Once you’ve used it a few times, installs and updates tend to be more reliable than the older MSI-based SSMS releases.

First Launch Experience

After installation, SSMS behaves exactly as you’d expect. Launch it from the Start Menu and connect as normal. There’s no functional difference in how you connect to SQL Server, manage databases, or run queries. The biggest changes are behind the scenes.

On first launch, many SSMS users go straight to connecting to an existing SQL Server. In newer SSMS versions, this is also where you may first encounter stricter encryption behaviour. If you see a certificate or SSL error at this stage, it’s usually a client-side change rather than a server problem.

Running Multiple SSMS Versions Side by Side

You can safely install SSMS Release and SSMS Preview on the same machine. They update independently and do not interfere with each other. This makes it easy to keep a stable Release build for day-to-day work while testing Preview features on your own terms. Stricter encryption defaults, for example, are easier to test in Preview before they reach daily use.

If you regularly manage multiple environments, keeping separate Release and Preview installs also reduces the risk of unexpected behaviour changes during critical work. Older SSMS versions can still coexist as well, though if you still have a 2014-era SSMS install hanging around, it’s probably time to let it go.

Updating SSMS

SSMS updates frequently, and Microsoft expects it to stay current. How updates should be handled depends mainly on where SSMS is installed and how that machine is used:

As a rule of thumb: shared or controlled systems update deliberately via the Visual Studio Installer, personal workstations are usually fine with in-app updates. In environments where stability matters more than convenience, treat SSMS like any other client dependency: update intentionally, validate once, then standardise.

Update Channels

SSMS is released through 2 channels: Release, the stable, supported build intended for everyday DBA work, and Preview, which provides early access to upcoming changes before they land in Release.

Each SSMS installation follows a single channel, and different installations on the same machine can use different channels if needed. The switch only ever goes forwards. You can always move a Release install onto Preview, but you cannot move it back until the Release channel has passed the Preview build you are already on. That is the one to know before you put Preview on a jump server. The channel itself lives in the Visual Studio Installer under More → Update settings, or inside SSMS on the Change update settings link of the Update available dialog. For most DBAs, the sensible default is to run Release and forget about it.

Notable Improvements in Recent Releases

Rather than listing version numbers, these are the changes that actually matter day to day.

64-bit SSMS

SSMS is now fully 64-bit, which improves stability, memory handling, and performance with large result sets. If you regularly work with large environments, this is a meaningful improvement.

UI and Usability Improvements

Recent versions introduced refined connection dialogs, better layout customisation, improved high-DPI handling, and expanded theme support.

Changing the Theme

Use Tools → Theme on the menu bar, which lists the built-in themes directly, or set Color theme under Tools → Options → Environment → General. How to Enable Dark Mode in SSMS covers the dark theme in full. One documented quirk to expect: if your output is set to Results to Text, the Results pane keeps the old theme until you restart SSMS.

Git Integration and Copilot

SSMS now includes native Git integration and optional AI-assisted features via GitHub Copilot. Whether you use them or not, they signal where Microsoft is taking the tooling. They’re optional, not required, and easy to ignore if they don’t fit your workflow.

Copilot is also not the only way to pair SSMS with AI. If you work with Claude or any assistant that speaks MCP, the sqldba MCP server hands it this site’s verified reference for errors, wait types and build levels, so the answers you get alongside SSMS are checked ones.

Uninstalling SSMS

With modern SSMS releases (21+), the Visual Studio Installer is the supported way to uninstall SSMS. To remove it, open the Visual Studio Installer, locate SQL Server Management Studio, select More, and choose Uninstall. The installer cleanly removes SSMS and all associated components. If SSMS is misbehaving rather than unwanted, Repair sits directly above Uninstall in that same More menu and is the documented first move.

Add or remove programs is not the legacy path it is often taken for. The Visual Studio Installer removes one installation and leaves the installer itself behind, so Microsoft documents Add or remove programs as the way to clear every SSMS version off a machine, and the Visual Studio Installer after it. Use the installer to drop a single version, Add or remove programs when you are taking SSMS off the box entirely. If both refuse, InstallCleanup.exe in the installer directory is the documented last resort, and it can take other Visual Studio products with it.

Final Thoughts

SSMS is no longer a static tool. It behaves like a regularly updated client application, and DBAs should treat it that way. The important decisions aren’t about features. They’re about when updates apply, which channel you follow, and where SSMS is installed. Once you understand the model, SSMS becomes easier to manage, not harder.

Frequently Asked Questions