How To Activate SOLIDWORKS 2024 Products

Image of a lock and key

This guide is written for version 2024. If you are using an earlier version of SOLIDWORKS, please download our earlier activation documents to correctly manage the activation of your version of SOLIDWORKS.

A standalone SOLIDWORKS license can be used to activate one machine. If you wish to use your license on another system, you must first deactivate the computer that is currently active. Please see the SOLIDWORKS End User License Agreement if you have any questions regarding this policy.

All standalone licenses are activation-based so products such as Simulation Professional, Simulation Premium, and Flow Simulation licenses will follow the same activation processes outlined in this guide.

The activation ID’s are based on the computer hard drive and motherboard. When upgrading your hardware, changing your SOLIDWORKS software, reformatting your hard drive, or moving to a new computer, you will need to deactivate the license on your computer first. Afterwards, reactivate the license on the new computer configuration. Failing to deactivate before making these changes will result in your software being unable to be reactivated and therefore will be unusable. If your activation is lost due to hardware or software issues, contact Hawk Ridge Systems Technical Support immediately to rectify the problem.

This is not a troubleshooting guide. If you have any technical issues with SOLIDWORKS, please contact Hawk Ridge Systems Technical Support. This document is only to be distributed and used by Hawk Ridge Systems customers. Any other use is prohibited.

 

Contents

Internet Activation

Email Activation

Internet Deactivation

Email Deactivation

Xpress Product Activation Codes

 

Internet Activation

If you do not have internet access, see the email activation section of this document.

1. Go to Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS 2024 > SOLIDWORKS 2024.

2. When SOLIDWORKS starts, the activation page will appear. Choose the I want to activate my SOLIDWORKS product now radio button. If the activation page does not appear when SOLIDWORKS starts, go to Help > Licenses > Activate… to start activation.

Example image of the first screen of the solidworks product activation wizard

3. Click the Next button to continue.

Image showing the selection for next

4. You will have a list of products that can be activated from this machine according to your installation. If you would like to activate all items at once, press the Select All button.

Image of the solidworks product activation wizard product selection screen

5. Make sure Automatically over the internet (recommended) is selected and select Next to continue. If you are offline, see the next section on email activation.

Image showing autmatically over the internet radio button

6. You will now connect to SOLIDWORKS over the internet and the product will be activated.

Image showing the activation request being processed

7. Press the Finish button to complete the activation process.

Image showing the successful activation of solidworks products

SOLIDWORKS is now properly activated.

8. If you have any other products that still need to be activated, then open a working session of SOLIDWORKS in the menu bar and select Tools > Add-ins…

Image showing where to access the add ins menu within solidworks

You will be asked to activate the selected product Add-Ins again, if not already activated.

 

Email Activation

This method is used so that a user can activate SOLIDWORKS products on a system that does not have internet access.

1. Go to Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS 2024 > SOLIDWORKS 2024.

2. When SOLIDWORKS starts, the activation page will appear. Choose I want to activate my SOLIDWORKS product now radio button. If the activation page does not appear when SOLIDWORKS starts, go to Help > Activate License… to start the activation.

Example image of the first screen of the solidworks product activation wizard

3. Click the Next button to continue.

Image showing the selection for next

4. You will have a list of products that can be activated from this machine according to your installation. NOTE: You can only activate one license at a time when manually activating.

5. If you do not have internet access at this computer, choose to activate Manually via e-mail and select Next to continue.

Image showing manually via email radio button

6. On the next page, press the Save button to create an activation request file.

7. Browse to a location on your computer to store this .txt file and press the Save button. Copy this text file onto a removable storage device and move it to a machine with internet access.

Example of the save location within windows file explorer

8. From the machine with internet access, send this file as an attachment to an email to activation@SOLIDWORKS.com.

Image showing activation email address

9. SOLIDWORKS will send a return email with a different text file attached. Save this text file to a removable storage device and move it back to the machine awaiting activation.

Example of activation response file received from solidworks

10. In the activation wizard, press the Open button on the email activation page. This will bring up a browser to read in the .txt file you have been sent.

Image showing the option to save

11. Now you will be shown what products are activated.

Image showing the successful activation of solidworks products

12. Press the Finish button to complete the activation process.

SOLIDWORKS is now properly activated.


Internet Deactivation

If you do not have internet access, see the Email Deactivation section of this document.

1. Go to Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS 2024 > SOLIDWORKS 2024.
2. After SOLIDWORKS starts, go to the Help pull down menu and choose Licenses> Deactivate…

Image showing where to deactivate licenses from within solidworks

3. You will have a list of products that can be deactivated from this machine according to your installation. If you would like to deactivate all items at once, you can press the Select All button.
4. If you have internet access at this computer, choose to activate Automatically over the Internet and select Next to continue.

Image showing autmatically over the internet radio button

5. You will now connect to the SOLIDWORKS Activation site to return the license.

Image showing the deactivation request being processed

6. You will be informed that the license has been transferred back to SOLIDWORKS.

Example image of successful deactivation request

7. Press the Finish button to complete the deactivation process.

SOLIDWORKS will not run on this machine until it is reactivated.


Email Deactivation

1. Go to Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS 2024 > SOLIDWORKS 2024.
2. After SOLIDWORKS starts, go to the Help pull-down menu and choose Licenses> Deactivate…

Image showing where to deactivate licenses from within solidworks

3. You will have a list of products that can be deactivated from this machine according to your installation. NOTE: You can only deactivate one license at a time when manually deactivating.


4. If you do not have internet access at this computer, choose to activate Manually via e-mail and click Next to continue.

Image showing manually via email radio button

5. On the next page, press the Save button to create an activation request file.

Image showing the option to save a request file

Warning! Once you’ve saved this file, your activation is no longer valid. Do not exit out of the activation window until you have completed the process and read in the response email from SOLIDWORKS or you will not be able to run SOLIDWORKS.

6. Browse to a location on your computer to store this .txt file and press the Save button. Copy this text file onto a removable storage device and move it to a machine with internet access.

Example image of saving the deactivation request file

7. From the machine with internet access, send this file as an attachment to an email to activation@SOLIDWORKS.com.

Image showing activation email address

8. SOLIDWORKS will send a return email with a different text file attached. Save this text file to a removable storage space and move it back to the machine awaiting activation.

Example of deactivation response file received from solidworks

9. In the activation wizard, press the Open button on the email activation page.

Image showing the option to open

10. Browse for the response file and press the Open button.
11. The next page will show you that your transfer is complete.

Example image of successful deactivation request

12. Press the Finish button to complete the deactivation process.

SOLIDWORKS will not run on this machine until it is reactivated.


Xpress Product Activation Codes

1. Go to Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS 2024 > SOLIDWORKS 2024.
2. At the top of the SOLIDWORKS interface, go to Tools > Xpress Products. There will be specific product codes for SimulationXpress, FloXpress, DFMXpress, SustainabilityXpress and DriveWorksXpress as is expressed in the image below.

Image showing the window where you would enter your xpress product code

3. Click the my.solidworks.com/xpress link shown in the image above.
4. Log into the MySolidWorks site using your SOLIDWORKS/3DEXPERIENCE ID. If you don’t have an account, you can create one by following the on-screen directions.

Image of the my solidworks webpage

5. Input your SOLIDWORKS serial number, version, and Xpress Product. After this is done, select Get My Code as noted in the image below. Input the provided product code into the Product Code field shown in Step 2 of this section.

Image of the my solidworks xpress product code request page

The Xpress Product is now properly activated.


For further assistance, please contact our support team at support@hawkridgesys.com, or 877-266-4469 (US) or 866-587-6803 (Canada).

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