How do I check for updates to SSMS

Question

How do I check for updates to SSMS

Loretta Berardi 0

I was instructed my our IT person to update SQL Server or SSMS by opening SSMS > Help > Check for Updates. But I can't find the "Check for Updates" prompt. Do I have to sign into SSMS in order to see the "Check for Updates"?

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Answer accepted by question author

Erland Sommarskog 138.6K MVP Volunteer Moderator

This is how the Help menu looks in my SSMS:

User's image

If you see something else, for instance:

User's image

You do indeed need to update, because then you are on SSMS 20 or earlier. (Where Check for Updates is under the Tools menu.)

You can check the exact version under Help->About. SSMS 22.12.0 was released yesterday.

Loretta Berardi 0 Reputation points

2026-11-11T19:37:01.6033333+00:00

Thank you. I found it under my tools menu.

1 additional answer

Your answer

Loretta Berardi 0 Reputation points

2026-11-11T19:37:01.6033333+00:00

Thank you. I found it under my tools menu.

Answer 1

You do not need to sign in to SSMS to check for updates; if Help > Check for Updates is missing, use the SSMS search box or the Visual Studio Installer instead.

Check for an SSMS update

Try these methods in order:

Press Ctrl+Q in SSMS.
Enter check for updates.
Select the matching result.
If an update is found, select Update.

You can also select the notification icon in the lower-right corner of SSMS, open the Notifications hub, and look for an SSMS update. Microsoft documents both methods without an SSMS sign-in requirement.^1^

If the command is still unavailable

For SSMS 22:

Close SSMS and save any open scripts.
Open the Windows Start menu.
Search for and open Visual Studio Installer.
Find SQL Server Management Studio 22.
If Update available appears, select Update.
Supply administrator credentials if Windows requests them.

SSMS 22 is installed and serviced through Visual Studio Installer rather than a standalone MSI.^2^ Updating normally requires local administrative permission and access to the configured update source.^1^

If Visual Studio Installer does not list SSMS, check the installed release in Help > About Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and compare its version with the applicable release notes. SSMS 22 is the current GA branch.^3^ For older installations, the release notes cover SSMS 19 and earlier versions.^4^

SSMS update versus SQL Server update

Updating SSMS updates only the Windows client application used to administer databases. It does not update the SQL Server Database Engine running on your computer or a server. SSMS and SQL Server are separate products; SSMS can be installed without a local SQL Server instance.^5^

If IT specifically requested a SQL Server engine update rather than an SSMS update, ask them for the target SQL Server version or cumulative update and the server to which it applies. That update should not be substituted with an SSMS update.

References