Bypassing Certificate Chain error in SSMS

In this guide, we will attempt to bypass the error shown when trying to connect to Microsoft SQL Server using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) v19.

Symptoms

When connecting to Microsoft SQL Server using SSMS version 19.0.0 and above, the following error shows up:

Cannot connect to COMPUTER-NAME.

Additional Information:

A connection was successfully established with the server, but then an error occurred during the login process. (provider: SSL Provider, error: 0 - The certificate chain was issued by an authority that is not trusted.) (Microsoft SQL Server)

The certificate chain was issued by an authority that is not trusted

Solution

Click on Options >>, the Connect to Server menu will be expanded. Click on the Connection Properties tab. The following is what you will see:

There are two solutions available:

Uncheck Encrypt connection
Check Trust server certificate

After performing either one of the step above, click Connect. You will connect to the SQL Server successfully.