| Year: | 1996 |
| Conference: | Big Ten |
| Division: | I |
| Gender: | Women's |
| Teams: | 4 |
| Format: | Double-elimination |
| Ballpark: | Alumni Field |
| City: | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Champions: | Michigan |
| Titlecount: | 2nd |
| Coach: | Carol Hutchins |
| Coachcount: | 2nd |
| Runnerup: | Minnesota |
| Runnerupgamecount: | 1st |
The 1996 Big Ten softball tournament was held at Alumni Field on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[1] As the tournament winner, Michigan earned the Big Ten Conference's automatic bid to the 1996 NCAA Division I softball tournament. This was the second of four consecutive Big Ten softball tournaments that Michigan won from 1995–1998.
The 1996 tournament was a four team double-elimination tournament. The top four teams based on conference regular season winning percentage earned invites to the tournament.