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Installing Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 2022 - How to Offline Installation ​

October 15th, 2026

Because in some projects we use CIS locked down Azure Windows VM images, I needed an Offline Installer for Microsoft Sql Management Studio. As it turns out, this is not as easy as it might seem. In this article I describe how I finally managed to get it installed sucessfully.

1. Creating the layout ​

Download the normal installer for SSMS from here.

To get the files required for the Offline Installer, fire up a CMD window and run this command. This will download required files.

cmd
vs_SSMS.exe --layout C:\TargetPath --all

Make sure to verify the files of your layout afterwards.

cmd
vs_SSMS.exe --layout C:\TargetPath --verify

In my case it was necessary to download some additional files (for whatever reason). So I ran the --fix command to get the layout "fixed". Afterwards run verify again.

cmd
vs_SSMS.exe --layout C:\TargetPath --fix

Finally, at my machine, the folder had a size of about 5 GB which I then transfered to the server using RDP.

For more infos on the options the Installer offers, see source [1].

2. Installation on the "offline" server ​

2.1. Install certificates ​

As Microsoft describes in their guide[2], within the layout path there is a folder named certificates. In it are some root-certs needed for validation of the installer files. Right click each of those and install them in Local Computer.

Currently (October 2026) you will also need this additional certificate so the installer doesn`t fail with the following error. Download the certificate, right click and install like you did with the others. [3]

[1e4c:0008][2026-10-15T10:48:35] Certificate is invalid: C:\Users\<user>\Downloads\SSMS_Layout\vs_installer.opc
[1e4c:0008][2026-10-15T10:48:35] Error: Unable to verify the certificate: InvalidCertificate
[1e4c:0008][2026-10-15T10:48:35] Error 0x80131509: Signature verification failed. Error: Unable to verify the integrity of the installation files: the certificate could not be verified.
   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.OpcVerifier.Verify(Stream packageStream, String layoutLocation, Boolean skipSavingCertificate)
   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Setup.Bootstrapper.Bootstrapper.VerifyLayoutPackage(Stream packageStream)
[1e4c:0008][2026-10-15T10:48:35] Unable to verify the integrity of the installation files: the package signature could not be verified.
[1e4c:0008][2026-10-15T10:48:35] Bootstrapper failed with known error.

2.2. VC Redistributable & Running the installer ​

Install the Microsoft Visual C++ v14 Redistributable for x64 AND x86 if they are not present at the target server. Both are needed, otherwise installation will fail.

2.3. Finally: Running the installer ​

Then run the installer with the following options. It should start up and let you install SMSS as normal.

vs_SSMS.exe --noWeb --add Microsoft.Component.HelpViewer

3. Further Reading & Sources ​