Clearing your User Registry Settings

Problem

This article goes over the steps to reset the SOLIDWORKS registry.

If SOLIDWORKS is having problems with customizations not working correctly or other unexplained issues, the user settings may have become corrupt. Below are the instructions on resetting the registry of the current user for SOLIDWORKS. This will start SOLIDWORKS with all default settings to rule out settings or registry corruption issues.

When going into the Registry Editor, do not modify or delete anything except what is listed below. If you do not feel comfortable performing the steps listed below, please contact Technical Support.

To save a backup of the SOLIDWORKS settings, follow the steps in this article:
Save, Restore, or Reset SOLIDWORKS Settings – Hawk Ridge Systems

The Registry Reset Steps below will also make a hard copy straight from the registry as well.

Solution 1: Registry Reset without PDM

Here are the steps for resetting the registry if PDM is not installed below. Do not use these steps if PDM is installed.

  1. Close all applications, including SOLIDWORKS
  2. Open Windows Search, search for REGEDIT, and then hit Enter to open the Registry Editor

Open the Registry Editor

  1. Browse to the folder named HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SolidWorks
Browse to the folder named HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SolidWorks
  1. Right-click on the folder and click Export
Right-click on the folder and click EXPORT
  1. Name the file user.reg and save it anywhere that is desired. We have now made a backup of our current registry
Name the file user.reg and save it
  1. Right-click on the general SolidWorks folder in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks, choose "Rename", and append -OLD to change the entry to SolidWorks-OLD

Right-click on the general SolidWorks folder and rename it SOLIDWORKS-OLD

  1. Launch SOLIDWORKS and try to reproduce the error. Note: Do not re-import any SOLIDWORKS settings prior to testing the issue
  2. If the issue was not resolved, the old settings can be restored by closing SOLIDWORKS and double-clicking the User.reg file to reset to the original customizations. The Copy Settings Wizard backup can also be used to restore settings.

Solution 2: Registry Reset with PDM

If SOLIDWORKS is running in conjunction with PDM Standard/Professional and there are SOLIDWORKS problems, additional steps are required when resetting the registry for troubleshooting. Here are the steps for resetting the registry when using PDM:

  1. Close all applications, including SOLIDWORKS
  2. Open Windows Search, search for REGEDIT, and then hit Enter to open the Registry Editor
Open the Registry Editor
  1. Browse to the folder named HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SolidWorks
Browse to the folder named HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SolidWorks
  1. Right-click on the folder and hit Export
Right-click on the folder and hit EXPORT
  1. Name the file user.reg and save it anywhere that is desired. We have now made a backup of our current registry
Name the file user.reg and save it
  1. Export the PDMWorks Enterprise folder found in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications
Export the PDMWORKS Enterprise Folder
  1. Name it PDMWorks.reg and save it anywhere that is desired. We have now made a backup of the current user’s PDM registry settings.
name it PDMWORKS.reg and save it
  1. Right-click on the general SolidWorks folder in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks, choose "Rename", and append -OLD to change the entry to SolidWorks-OLD 
Right-click on the general SolidWorks folder and rename it SOLIDWORKS-OLD
  1. Double-click on the PDMWorks.reg file we exported to add the folder to your registry
  2. Launch SOLIDWORKS and try to reproduce the error. Note: Do not re-import any SOLIDWORKS settings prior to testing the issue
  3. If the issue was not resolved, the old settings can be restored by closing SOLIDWORKS and double-clicking the User.reg file to reset to the original customizations. The Copy Settings Wizard backup can also be used to restore settings.

For additional support, existing customers can submit a ticket or new customers can contact Hawk Ridge Systems.

 

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3 comments
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  • That did work with Win10 (win7 is ok) .....looks good so far....thanks Joe

    0
  • but it is back blinking again ....sorry

    0
  • Worked well. Didn't need to reboot though, using Windows 10.

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