# Evaluate if you can downgrade your Microsoft SQL Server edition
If you find that you aren't using Enterprise edition features, you can consider downgrading to Microsoft SQL Server Standard or Developer edition. By downgrading the edition, you can save on licensing costs.
**Note**
SQL Server Developer edition is only eligible for use in non-production, development, and test workloads.
## Downgrade requirements
Your Microsoft SQL Server on Amazon EC2 must use the Bring Your Own License model (BYOL) and SQL Server Enterprise edition to be eligible for an in-place downgrade. If your instance meets this criteria, you should carefully evaluate which features are being used on your SQL Server instance before performing any changes. You can review the following SQL Server Enterprise edition features and instance level constraints to help evaluate your downgrade eligibility.
**Tip**
A script is available to help evaluate if you can downgrade your SQL Server edition. For more information, see [Downgrade SQL Server Enterprise edition using Amazon Systems Manager Document to reduce cost](https://www.amazonaws.cn/blogs/mt/downgrade-sql-server-enterprise-edition-using-aws-systems-manager-document-to-reduce-cost/).
Confirm that your instance has **less** than the following resources available:
+ 48 vCPUs
+ 128 GiB of memory
If your instance is under-utilized for your workload, you can change the instance type or size your instance to meet these requirements. For more information, see [Change the instance type ](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-instance-resize.html).
Confirm that you aren't using any of the following SQL Server Enterprise edition features:
+ Database-level enterprise features
+ Always On availability groups
+ Online index operations
+ Resource Governor
+ Peer-to-peer or Oracle replication
+ R or Python extensions
+ Memory-optimized tempdb metadata
The following diagram walks through an evaluation for some of the downgrade requirements:
![\[A diagram evaluating some of the downgrade eligibility requirements.\]](http://docs.amazonaws.cn/en_us/sql-server-ec2/latest/userguide/images/sql_edition_downgrade_decision_flow.png)
If your workload doesn't utilize any of the previously listed features, you should continue to evaluate if you use any less common SQL Server Enterprise edition features. For more information about SQL Server Enterprise editions and supported features, see the Microsoft documentation for your SQL Server version:
+ [SQL Server 2025](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/editions-and-components-of-sql-server-2025?view=sql-server-ver17)
+ [SQL Server 2022](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/editions-and-components-of-sql-server-2022?view=sql-server-ver16)
+ [SQL Server 2019](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/editions-and-components-of-sql-server-2019?view=sql-server-ver16)
+ [SQL Server 2017](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/editions-and-components-of-sql-server-2017?view=sql-server-ver16)
+ [SQL Server 2016](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/editions-and-components-of-sql-server-2016?view=sql-server-ver16)
+ [SQL Server 2014](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/sql/2014/getting-started/features-supported-by-the-editions-of-sql-server-2014?view=sql-server-2014)
# Downgrade your SQL Server Enterprise edition
If you determine that you can downgrade your SQL Server Enterprise edition, you can follow this process to convert to SQL Server Standard or Developer edition. For information on how to automate for this process, see [Downgrade SQL Server Enterprise edition using Amazon Systems Manager Document to reduce cost](https://www.amazonaws.cn/blogs/mt/downgrade-sql-server-enterprise-edition-using-aws-systems-manager-document-to-reduce-cost/).
**Important**
This process will require downtime for your SQL Server instance. Your database will not be operational until the entire procedure has been completed successfully.
Only SQL Server instances using BYOL software support in-place downgrading. For more information, see [Licensing options](sql-server-on-ec2-licensing.md#sql-server-on-ec2-licensing-options).
**To downgrade your SQL Server Enterprise edition**
1. [Create a `Full` backup](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/backup-restore/create-a-full-database-backup-sql-server?view=sql-server-ver16) of all user and system databases. Ensure that the backup completes successfully before continuing.
1. Note your current SQL Server minor version, service pack, cumulative updates, and the General Distribution Release (GDR). For more information, see [Determine which version and edition of SQL Server Database Engine is running](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/sql/releases/find-my-sql-version) in the Microsoft documentation.
1. [Detach](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/databases/detach-a-database?view=sql-server-ver16) all user databases.
1. [Stop the SQL Server Database Engine](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/configure-windows/start-stop-pause-resume-restart-sql-server-services?view=sql-server-ver16) service and copy the log and system database data files—`master`, `model`, and `msdb`—to a local backup folder.
1. [Uninstall SQL Server](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/install/uninstall-an-existing-instance-of-sql-server-setup?view=sql-server-ver16) Enterprise edition including all components.
1. [Reboot](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/AWSEC2/latest/WindowsGuide/ec2-instance-reboot.html) the instance.
1. [Install SQL Server](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/install-windows/install-sql-server?view=sql-server-ver16) Standard or Developer edition according to your requirement.
1. Install the same service packs and cumulative updates that you had before the uninstall.
1. Stop the SQL Server Database Engine service.
1. Using the backups you made in step 4, restore the `master`, `model`, and `msdb` databases.
1. Start SQL Server service.
1. [Attach](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/databases/attach-a-database?view=sql-server-ver16) the `mdf` and `ldf` user databases that were detached in step 3 to your SQL Server instance.
1. Confirm that your database is operating as expected.