Sql Server Management Studio On Mac ((top)) Jun 2026

If you have a Windows server or workstation on your network (or in Azure), the Microsoft Remote Desktop client for macOS is surprisingly good. You get full SSMS without any local VM.

Third-party tools have stepped into the gap. (native macOS, gorgeous UI) and DBeaver (open source, Eclipse-based) both connect to SQL Server via JDBC or native drivers. You get schema browsing, query execution, and basic admin tasks.

: For Macs with M1/M2/M3 chips, you will need to install the ARM version of Windows through these virtualization tools to run SSMS. 3. Visual Studio Code (Lightweight Solution) sql server management studio on mac

: Extremely fast and shares the same ecosystem as your other programming extensions. 4. Running SQL Server Itself on Mac

If you’ve just switched from Windows to a Mac and opened a browser to search for “SSMS for Mac,” you’ve already hit the first hard truth. Microsoft does not offer, nor has it ever hinted at offering, a native macOS version of its flagship database management tool. If you have a Windows server or workstation

For years, the relationship between Apple hardware and Microsoft’s data platform has been a study in controlled tension. You can develop Swift apps on a MacBook Pro, run .NET 8 seamlessly, and even spin up Azure VMs from a terminal. But one glaring omission remains: has never seen the light of day on macOS.

You can install Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp, which allows you to run Windows natively on your Mac. This method requires a valid Windows license and sufficient disk space. (native macOS, gorgeous UI) and DBeaver (open source,

While there isn't a native version of SQL Server Management Studio for Mac, you can still use it with the help of workarounds like Boot Camp, virtual machines, Azure Data Studio, or Remote Desktop. Choose the option that best suits your needs and preferences.

The ideal future isn’t an SSMS port. It’s . If Microsoft added SQL Agent job editors, a visual table designer, and a profiler interface to ADS, the Mac would finally become a first-class SQL Server management client. The company has made progress—the SQL Server Extension for ADS now includes basic agent job viewing—but we’re not there yet.

Azure Data Studio is a lightweight, open-source, cross-platform database tool that allows you to manage and query SQL Server databases. It's available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.