Problem

This article goes over how to resolve the issue where launching SOLIDWORKS does nothing. Clicking on the SOLIDWORKS Start menu icon or double-clicking the desktop icon appears to do nothing. There is no splash screen, the application does not launch, and there is no error message. Try the following solutions in order to troubleshoot this issue.

Solution 1: Adjust User Account Control and Repair SOLIDWORKS

One common cause of this issue is a restricted User Account Control (UAC) blocking SOLIDWORKS prerequisite component installations, or some prerequisite components did not install correctly. Follow the steps below to turn down UAC and then repair SOLIDWORKS:

1. Close all programs
2. Open the Windows Control Panel

3. In Control Panel, type "UAC" into the search bar to bring up "Change User Account Control settings" and open it

   

4. Move the UAC slider to the bottom for "Never notify" and click "OK". Note: After troubleshooting, adjust this slider again to move it back to where it was.

   

5. After adjusting UAC, restart the computer
6. Perform a SOLIDWORKS repair following the steps in this article: How to Repair SOLIDWORKS
7. Attempt to launch SOLIDWORKS again
8. If the issue persists, move on to the next section

Solution 2: C++ Repair

One of the most common causes for SOLIDWORKS not opening or crashing immediately is a broken or corrupt C++ installation. Follow the steps in this article to repair C++ Components: How to Repair Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables

After repairing C++, launch SOLIDWORKS again to retest the issue.

Further Troubleshooting

If the issue is persisting after trying both Solutions, the next steps would be to collect logs of the issue and to contact Technical Support. Follow the steps in this article to capture the logs: How to Export Windows Event Logs and System Information 

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