You will need SQL Server Management Studio to connect to a SQL Server Database Engine. It is a software GUI you use to connect to the database engine to manage it.
Do a search on Google for SQL Server Management Studio download and you should get a link to a Microsoft site to download SSMS.
Download the latest copy and install it. Make sure to run the install file as Administrator.
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-37.png)
Once the file is downloaded, go to the location of the file and right click on it and choose run as administrator
You will see this pop up:
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-38.png)
Click yes…
Next you will see this:
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-39.png)
Click on Install
You will see the progress window:
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-40.png)
Once the installation completes you will see the following screen:
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-41.png)
Go to start and click on the icon that says: Microsoft SQL Server Management
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-42.png)
This menu will pop up:
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-43.png)
The first time SSMS starts it might take a few minutes to start, be patient.
Once SSMS starts you will see this screen:
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-45-1024x512.png)
Enter the name of your SQL Server and click on connect.
Now you are connected to the SQL Server:
![](https://ssuge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image-46-1024x509.png)
You just finished installing SQL Server Management Studio on a server and used SSMS to connect to the database engine. Congrats!