Version 18 changes the default Encrypt setting to 'Yes', which may require you to trust server certificates manually if your environment doesn't use validated SSL certificates.
A stable alternative for legacy systems that don't yet support the stricter encryption defaults of version 18. It can be installed side-by-side with version 18. Download and Installation Guide 1. Windows Installation
The is the primary native data access API for applications written in C and C++, providing high-performance connectivity to SQL Server. Whether you are setting up a local development environment or a production server, choosing and downloading the correct version is critical for security and performance. Latest Versions & Key Features As of May 2026, the current recommended versions are: download odbc driver for sql server
Use the Microsoft repository and run: sudo apt-get install msodbcsql18 .
Installation on Linux typically uses package managers like apt or yum . Version 18 changes the default Encrypt setting to
This is the latest General Availability (GA) version. It includes modern features like Native vector data type support for AI/ML workloads and improved connectivity for Microsoft Fabric.
HOMEBREW_ACCEPT_EULA=Y brew install msodbcsql18 mssql-tools18 . Download and Installation Guide 1
You must have the unixODBC developer package installed first. 3. macOS Installation On macOS, the most efficient method is using Homebrew . Commands: brew tap microsoft/mssql-release brew update