Install the SQL Server PowerShell module
Applies to: 
SQL Server (all supported versions) Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics Analytics Platform System (PDW)
This article provides directions for installing the SqlServer PowerShell module.
PowerShell modules for SQL Server
There are two SQL Server PowerShell modules:
SqlServer: The SqlServer module includes new cmdlets to support the latest SQL features. The module also contains updated versions of the cmdlets in SQLPS. To download the SqlServer module, go to SqlServer module in the PowerShell Gallery.
SQLPS: The SQLPS is the module used by SQL Agent to run agent jobs in agent job steps using the PowerShell subsystem.
Note
The versions of the SqlServer module in the PowerShell Gallery support versioning and require PowerShell version 5.0 or greater.
For help topics, go to:
SQL Server Management Studio
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), doesn't install either PowerShell module. To use PowerShell with SSMS, install the SqlServer module from the PowerShell Gallery.
Note
With SSMS 16.x, an earlier version of the SqlServer module is included with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
Azure Data Studio
Azure Data Studio doesn't install either PowerShell module. To use PowerShell with Azure Data Studio, install the SqlServer module from the PowerShell Gallery.
You can use the PowerShell extension, which provides rich PowerShell editor support in Azure Data Studio.
Installing or updating the SqlServer module
To install the SqlServer module from the PowerShell Gallery, start a PowerShell session as an administrator. You can also start Azure Data Studio as an administrator and run these commands in a PowerShell session in the integrated terminal.
You can also use Install-Module SQLServer -Scope CurrentUser to run elevated permissions. This cmdlet is useful for users who aren't administrators in their environment. However, since the scope is limited to the current user, other users on the same machine can't use the module.
Install the SqlServer module
Run the following command in your PowerShell session to install the SqlServer module for all users:
Install-Module -Name SqlServer
To view the versions of the SqlServer module installed
Execute the following command to see the versions of the SqlServer module that have been installed
Get-Module SqlServer -ListAvailable
Install for the current user rather than as an administrator
If you aren't able to run the PowerShell session as an administrator, install for the current user using the following command:
Install-Module -Name SqlServer -Scope CurrentUser
To overwrite a previous version of the SqlServer module
You can also use the Install-Module command to overwrite a previous version.
Install-Module -Name SqlServer -AllowClobber
Note
PowerShell always uses the latest module installed.
Update the installed version of the SqlServer module
When updated versions of the SqlServer module are available, you can install the newer version using the following command:
Install-Module -Name SqlServer -AllowClobber
You can use the Update-Module command to install the newest version of the SQLServer PowerShell module, but that doesn't remove older versions. It installs the newer version side by side to allow you the ability to experiment with the latest version, yet still have older modules installed.
However, if you don’t want to keep older module versions, then you can use the Uninstall-Module command to remove previous versions.
You can use the following command to list if more than one version is installed:
Get-Module SqlServer -ListAvailable
You can use the following command to remove older versions:
Uninstall-module -Name SQLServer -RequiredVersion "<version number>" -AllowClobber
Troubleshooting
If you run into problems installing, see the Install-Module documentation and Install-Module reference.
Using a specific version of the SqlServer module
To use a specific version of the module, import it with a specific version number similar to the following command:
Import-Module SqlServer -Version 21.1.18218
Pre-release versions of the SqlServer module
Pre-release (or "preview") versions of the SqlServer module may be available in the PowerShell Gallery.
Important
These versions may be discovered and installed by using the updated Find-Module and Install-Module cmdlets that are part of the PowerShellGet module by passing the -AllowPrerelease switch. To use these cmdlets, install the PowerShellGet module and then open a new session.
To discover pre-release versions of the SqlServer module
To discover the pre-release (preview) versions of the SqlServer module, run the following command:
Find-Module SqlServer -AllowPrerelease
To install a specific pre-release version of the SqlServer module
To install a specific pre-release version of the module, install it with a specific version number.
You can try to use the following command:
Install-Module SqlServer -RequiredVersion 21.1.18218-preview -AllowPrerelease
SQL Server PowerShell on Linux
Visit Manage SQL Server on Linux with PowerShell Core to see how to install SQL Server PowerShell on Linux.
Other modules
Az.Sql - SQL service cmdlets for Azure Resource Manager in Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core.
SqlServerDsc - Module with DSC resources for deployment and configuration of Microsoft SQL Server.