SQL Server Default Port

The default port for the SQL Server Engine is 1433, which is a key thing to know if you’re working as a Database Administrator (DBA), especially when managing network configurations or troubleshooting connectivity issues.

In my experience, SQL Server runs on port 1433 about 95% of the time. The remaining 5% involves configurations with multiple instances on the same server, or custom port setups.

As a DBA, you’ll often need to request network changes, like firewall rule updates, from your network team to ensure proper connectivity for SQL Server instances. You’ll need to provide the source/destination addresses and the relevant port numbers, including port 1433 for the default SQL Server instance.

SQL Server also uses other ports for different services (e.g., SQL Browser on 1434, SSIS on 135). For detailed information on other ports, refer to Microsoft’s official documentation.

This post will walk you through:
> How to Check Default SQL Server Port
> How to Add New Windows Firewall Rule for Default MSSQL Port (1433)

How to Check Default SQL Server Port

1. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager from the Start Menu.

2. Navigate to: SQL Server Network Configuration > Protocols for MSSQLSERVER > TCP/IP Properties > IP Address Tab.

3. Here, you’ll see the port SQL Server is using. By default, it’s 1433.

You can change the port here if necessary, but always test changes in a non-production environment first, and look at Microsoft’s documentation. This would be a proper breaking change if you done on a Production SQL Server.

How to Add New Windows Firewall Rule for Default MSSQL Port

To allow SQL Server communication through the firewall, you’ll need to open port 1433. You can do this using the Windows Firewall GUI, or with PowerShell using the following commands:

# Add SQL Server default port rule (1433)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SQLServer default instance" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 1433 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow

# Add SQL Server Browser service port rule (1434)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "SQLServer Browser service" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 1434 -Protocol UDP -Action Allow

These rules allow inbound traffic on ports 1433 (default SQL Server instance) and 1434 (SQL Server Browser service).

If you’re also interested in other networking tips, check out my post on How to Find Which Process is Listening on a Port in Windows. Otherwise, hope this was useful!