Download SQL Developer for Windows

windows downloads Which Windows build to download

Windows is the only platform where Oracle offers Oracle SQL Developer with a bundled JDK, which makes it the easiest place to start. Both Windows builds are 64-bit; Oracle dropped 32-bit support years ago.

Windows

with JDK bundled

Easiest option — no separate Java install needed.

v26.2 475 MB JDK 17 included

On Oracle’s page, choose the x64.zip file, which Oracle notes includes JDK 17.

Open Oracle’s download page → to get Windows 64-bit — with JDK bundled

Windows

without JDK

Only if you must use your own JDK — it is not the smaller download.

v26.2 486 MB needs JDK 17+

On Oracle’s page, choose the no-jre.zip file.

Open Oracle’s download page → to get Windows 64-bit — without JDK

windows jdk With JDK vs without JDK on Windows

The “with JDK” build bundles Java, so SQL Developer runs the moment you unzip it — recommended if you are not already a Java developer. The “without JDK” build is smaller but needs JDK 17+ installed and pointed to on first launch.

• With JDK (475 MB): unzip, run sqldeveloper.exe, done.
• Without JDK (486 MB): install a JDK 17+ (Oracle JDK or an OpenJDK build), then point SQL Developer at it when prompted. Note it is the larger of the two Windows downloads — take it only if you need your own JDK, not to save space.

windows install Installing on Windows step by step

1. Download the zip for your chosen build from Oracle.
2. Right-click the zip and choose Extract All to a folder such as C:\sqldeveloper (avoid Program Files — it needs write access).
3. Open the folder and double-click sqldeveloper.exe.
4. If prompted for a Java path, browse to your JDK’s home folder (only needed for the without-JDK build).
5. Pin it to the taskbar — there is no Start-menu entry because there is no installer.

windows unzip Why the folder you unzip to matters

There is no installer, so the folder you extract to is the installation. Oracle SQL Developer writes to its own directory while it runs, which means the location has to be somewhere your account can write. The failure it produces is confusing rather than obvious: Oracle SQL Developer starts, then closes again with no error message, because the write it needed happened before it had a window to complain in.

• Good: C:\sqldeveloper, or anywhere under your user folder such as C:\Users\you\Apps\sqldeveloper.
• Avoid: C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86). Windows protects both, and the app cannot write there without elevation.
• Avoid: extracting onto a network drive or a synced OneDrive folder — file locking and sync conflicts cause slow starts and corrupted settings.

windows jdk path Pointing SQL Developer at a JDK

Only the without-JDK build of Oracle SQL Developer asks for a Java path. On first launch it prompts for a Java home directory, remembers your answer, and never asks again — so if you later uninstall or upgrade that JDK, the application stops starting and gives you no obvious way to correct it from the interface.

The stored answer lives in C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\sqldeveloper\<version>\product.conf. Open it in Notepad and set SetJavaHome C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17, matching wherever your JDK actually is. Delete that line and you will be prompted again on the next start, which is the quickest way out of a broken path.

windows troubleshuot Common Windows problems

• “Unable to find a Java Virtual Machine”: you picked the without-JDK build and have no JDK 17+. Install one, or re-download the with-JDK build.
• It won’t start from Program Files: move the folder somewhere writable like C:\sqldeveloper.
• Antivirus blocks the exe: confirm the file came from oracle.com, then allow it — SQL Developer is unsigned in the classic zip.
• It opens and immediately closes: almost always the write-permission problem above. Launch it from a Command Prompt in the install folder to see the error before the window disappears.
• Very slow first start: expected once. Oracle SQL Developer unpacks and indexes its extensions on the first run; later starts are far quicker.
• Blurry text on a high-DPI laptop: right-click sqldeveloper.exe, choose Properties → Compatibility → Change high DPI settings, and let the system override scaling.

windows verify Check the download is genuine

Oracle publishes a SHA-1 hash for every Oracle SQL Developer build. Comparing it against what landed on your disk confirms two things at once: that the download completed intact, and that it is the file Oracle published rather than something a network in between handed you.

• Windows: certutil -hashfile <file> SHA1

Run the command, compare the output to the value above, and you are done — the check takes seconds and is worth it on a download this size. If they differ, delete the file and download Oracle SQL Developer again rather than running it. You never need an Oracle account to download it; see our note on that.

windows settings Where settings live, and how to remove it

Because nothing was installed, Oracle SQL Developer never appears in Add or remove programs. Two folders hold everything it created:

• The application: the folder you extracted, for example C:\sqldeveloper.
• Your settings and saved connections: %APPDATA%\sqldeveloper, one folder per version. Paste that path into the File Explorer address bar to open it.

Delete both to remove it fully. To upgrade instead, delete only the application folder and extract the new version — leaving the settings folder in place lets the new release offer to import your connections from the previous version on first launch.