Download Oracle SQL Developer 26.2.0 — free, direct from Oracle’s servers

What you’re downloading

SQL Developer’s worksheet: connections on the left, SQL on top, results below. The query in this mock-up is real — those are the four official 26.2.0 archives with the sizes we measured.

Install SQL Developer for Windows in four steps

When you download SQL Developer for Windows there is no installer to run — it is a portable app you extract and start, which is why the whole setup takes about two minutes on a typical connection. These steps use the 64-bit archive with JDK 17 included, the right choice for nearly everyone on Windows 10 or 11.

1. Download SQL Developer for Windows (64-bit) Click the Windows 10 / 11 download card above. The 475.1 MB zip comes straight from download.oracle.com and includes JDK 17 — no separate Java install is needed.
2. Verify the checksum (optional but recommended) Open PowerShell in your Downloads folder and run: certutil -hashfile sqldeveloper-26.2.0.186.2220-x64.zip SHA1 — the output must equal 6a1bca6cd756b821c11e92b821db73a6aeb67d02.
3. Extract the zip to a permanent folder Right-click the zip and choose “Extract All…” into a folder you control, for example C:\Tools\sqldeveloper. Avoid extracting into Program Files — SQL Developer is portable and needs no installer or admin rights.
4. Run sqldeveloper.exe and connect Open the extracted folder and double-click sqldeveloper.exe. On first launch, decline importing old settings unless you have them, then create a connection with your database host, port (default 1521), service name, and credentials.

Installing on another platform? See the dedicated guide to SQL Developer for Mac (Apple Silicon), or use the Linux RPM card above with rpm -Uhv sqldeveloper-26.2.0-186.2220.noarch.rpm and a JDK 17+ already installed.

Verify your SQL Developer download

Checksums are the difference between “probably fine” and verified. Oracle publishes an SHA-1 for every 26.2.0 archive; the values below were cross-checked against Oracle’s download page on 2026-08-04. After downloading, compute the hash locally and compare:

# Windows (PowerShell)
certutil -hashfile sqldeveloper-26.2.0.186.2220-x64.zip SHA1
# macOS / Linux
shasum sqldeveloper-26.2.0.186.2220-macos-aarch64.app.zip

The output must match the SHA-1 character-for-character. A mismatch means a corrupted or tampered file — delete it and download SQL Developer again from the cards above, which always point at Oracle’s server, never a mirror.

System requirements and JDK for SQL Developer 26.2.0

SQL Developer is a Java application, so the only requirement that regularly trips people up is the JDK. Version 26.2.0 requires JDK 17 — bundled in the Windows x64 and macOS archives, but not in the “no JDK” Windows archive or the Linux RPM (Oracle’s installation guides document this per version).

One measured oddity worth knowing: the “no JDK” archive is 11.2 MB larger than the JDK-included one (486.2 MB vs 475.1 MB — we measured both on 2026-08-04). Choosing it saves you nothing unless you specifically need to run your own JDK. If Java problems do strike, the fix guide for the “Unable to find a Java Virtual Machine” error covers every cause we know of.

SQL Developer vs DBeaver vs the VS Code extension

SQL Developer is the right download if Oracle Database is your daily driver: it is free, made by Oracle, and covers DBA work, PL/SQL debugging, and data modeling in one tool. It is not the only option, and the honest comparison depends on what you connect to:

The size gap is real — DBeaver’s installer is about 4.3× smaller because it does not carry a full JDK plus Oracle’s modeling and migration tooling. Both comparisons deserve their own page: SQL Developer vs DBeaver, measured, and SQL Developer vs the VS Code extension in 2026.

Guides for every SQL Developer question

• SQL Developer for MacNative Apple Silicon build, Gatekeeper first launch, and what Intel Macs should do.
• Versions & JDK historyEvery release from 4.0 to 26.2.0 with dates, JDK requirements, and safe old-version downloads.
• Fix the JVM error“Unable to find a Java Virtual Machine” — the product.conf fix plus the MSVCR100.dll gotcha.
• VS Code extensionIs classic SQL Developer discontinued? The dated timeline and how to choose in 2026.
• vs DBeaverFree vs free: measured sizes, database support, and PL/SQL tooling compared honestly.

What’s new — SQL Developer release notes in brief

• 2026-07-14 SQL Developer 26.2.0 (build 26.2.0.186.2220) released for Windows x64, macOS ARM64, and Linux — JDK 17 baseline, free FUTC license, no Oracle account required. Release notes at oracle.com.
• 2026-02 Oracle extended support for the 24.3 line to April 2027, making 24.3.1 the long-support choice for teams that upgrade slowly.
• 2024-11 24.3.1 shipped as the first FUTC-licensed maintenance release — the point where Oracle-account-free downloads became standard.
• 2024-01 Oracle launched the SQL Developer Extension for VS Code, the stated home for new feature development going forward.

Site data last verified against Oracle’s download page on 2026-08-04. This page rebuilds automatically when Oracle publishes a new version.

Frequently asked questions