Offline Installation of SSMS 22 | Step-by-Step Guide for DBAs

Offline Installation of SSMS 22: SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is one of the most important tools for SQL Server administrators, database developers, and data engineers. It is used daily for database administration, performance tuning, security management, query execution, and troubleshooting.

Starting from SSMS 20, Microsoft changed the way SSMS is distributed. Instead of providing a full standalone installer, Microsoft now offers a small bootstrap installer that downloads the required components during installation.

While this approach works well for systems with internet access, it creates challenges in secure environments, production servers, and isolated networks where internet access is restricted or completely blocked.

In this blog post, we will cover how to install SQL Server Management Studio 22 (SSMS 22) on an offline server? using Microsoft’s supported method called Local Layout.

This guide is written for:

• SQL Server DBAs
• Infrastructure and system administrators
• Cloud and on-premises engineers
• Anyone managing SQL Server in restricted environments

NOTE: These steps can be use to create Local layout for SSMS 22, SSMS 21 as well.

Why Offline Installation of SSMS 22 Is Required?

In many enterprise environments:

• Production servers do not have outbound internet access
• Security policies block external downloads
• Servers are hosted in isolated networks or secure zones
• Change management requires pre-approved binaries

Since the SSMS 22 installer downloads files dynamically during setup, installation fails on offline servers unless all required binaries are available locally.

To address this, Microsoft provides the Local Layout option, which allows administrators to download all SSMS installation files in advance and reuse them later for offline installation.

What Is SSMS Local Layout?

Local Layout is an offline installation package that contains:

• All required SSMS binaries
• Optional components (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS tools)
• Language packs
• Certificates and dependencies

Once created, the local layout can be:

• Copied to offline servers
• Reused for multiple installations
• Updated when new SSMS versions are released

Prerequisites for Offline SSMS 22 Installation

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

• A laptop or server with internet access
• Administrator privileges on the system
• SSMS 22 bootstrap installer (vs_SSMS.exe)
• Enough disk space (several GB depending on languages/components)
• Access to the offline target server

Understanding Local Layout Parameters

Before creating the local layout take a overview of parameters which help to creating a SSMS offline layout. Using this parameter you can download specific packs.

Parameter	Description
--layout <directory>	Mandatory – Specifies the directory where offline files are stored
--lang <language>	Optional – Downloads specific language packs
--add <component ID>	Optional – Downloads specific workloads/components
--includeRecommended	Includes recommended components
--includeOptionalp;h	Includes recommended and optional components

This table have most important parameters which required to create the local layout. You can check more parameters in below link.

Microsoft Local Layout Parameters

Steps to create local layout and installation:

Please follow below steps to create and installation of local layout of SSMS 22.

Step 1: Download SQL Server Management Studio 22 Installer

Download the SSMS 22 installer from the official Microsoft website.

Download SQL Server Management Studio 22 installer

The downloaded file name will be: vs_SSMS.exe

Important Note

• The installer size is very small (around 5 MB)
• This is not the full SSMS package
• It is used to download and manage SSMS components

Compared to older versions (for example SSMS 20, which had a ~470 MB installer), this new model relies on dynamic downloads.

Step 2: Create Offline Installation Package (Local Layout)

Once the installer is downloaded, we will use it to create the offline layout.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator

1. Right-click on Command Prompt, click on ‘Run as administrator‘

2. Navigate to the folder where vs_SSMS.exe is located

Command prompt:

C:\> CD C:\Downloads\SSMS

Create Full SSMS 22 Offline Package (All Components)

To download all SSMS components and all language packs, run the following command:

Command prompt:

C:\> vs_SSMS.exe --layout C:\SSMS_Layout -all

The download process will begin immediately, and progress will be visible in the command prompt window.

What This Command Does?

• Downloads all SSMS binaries
• Includes all supported languages
• Suitable for enterprise and reusable installations

Once local layout setup completed, press any key to exit from command prompt.

⚠️Note: The download size can be several gigabytes (More than 2 GB) depending on selected components and languages.

Once completed, verify that the layout directory (e.g., C:\SSMS_Layout) contains multiple folders and files.

Optional: Download Only Specific SSMS Components

If you want to limit the layout to specific components (for example Integration Services), you can use:

Command prompt:

C:\> vs_SSMS.exe --layout C:\SSMS_Layout -add Microsoft.SSMS.Component.IS

This approach helps reduce disk usage when only specific tools are required.

Step 3: Install SSMS 22 on Offline Server

Once the offline layout is ready:

1. Copy the entire SSMS_Layout folder to the offline server
2. Navigate to the folder
3. Run vs_SSMS.exe

Installation Steps

1. Click Continue to launch the Visual Studio Installer
2. Workloads tab
   • No selection required for standard SSMS installation

Keep in mind that you must manually select the tab in window below; to go from workloads to individual components, you must click on it. Else, you can simply click on ‘Install’ button at the right-hand bottom corner for standard installation.

3. Individual Components

• Optional: Select SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, or AI-based tools

4. Language Packs

• Select additional languages if needed

5. Installation Location

• Default location is recommended unless standards require otherwise

6. Click Install to begin installation.

7. The offline installation SQL Server Management Studio 22 completed successfully.

Post-Installation Steps

• Click Launch to open SSMS 22
• You may:
  • Sign in with a Microsoft account
  • Create a new account
  • Skip sign-in and configure it later

SSMS 22 is now ready to connect to:

• On-premises SQL Server
• Azure SQL Database
• Azure SQL Managed Instance
• SQL Server on virtual machines

You can check your freshly installed SSMS 22 version.

Troubleshooting Offline SSMS Installation Issues

Certificate Error During Installation

In some cases, installation may fail due to missing or untrusted certificates.

To fix this:

1. Navigate to the SSMS_Layout folder
2. Open the Certificates directory
3. Install all certificates manually
4. Restart the SSMS installation

This resolves most offline installation failures. For more information check out link below:

Install certificates for an offline installation

Best Practices for SSMS Offline Layout

1. Keep documentation for audit and compliance
2. Store layout on a shared internal repository
3. Reuse the same layout for multiple servers
4. Update layout when a new SSMS version is released

Conclusion

Installing SQL Server Management Studio 22 on offline servers is fully supported by Microsoft using the Local Layout approach. This method is reliable, secure, and ideal for enterprise environments with strict network policies.

By following this guide, DBAs and administrators can:

• Install SSMS without internet access
• Maintain consistency across environments
• Reduce deployment risks in production systems

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