Resetting SOLIDWORKS Dialog Box Positions

This guide walks through a method for resetting SOLIDWORKS dialog box positions through the registry. This can be useful in cases where it seems like dialogs are appearing off-screen.

Occasionally, users may find that SOLIDWORKS will seem to freeze when performing a certain function, such as deleting a feature, saving or closing an assembly, or opening the equations editor. One possible cause for this is that the function is opening a dialog box and positioning it somewhere outside of the viewable screen. This can happen after connecting or disconnecting an external monitor.

To check if this is the case, press the Escape key while SOLIDWORKS seems to be frozen. If the program starts responding again, it indicates that the off-screen dialog box was closed. This is also noticeable when the default Windows Chime is heard when trying to click on the SOLIDWORKS UI.

Use the procedure below to fix the problem. This will reset all your SOLIDWORKS dialog box positions without affecting any of your other SOLIDWORKS settings. Note that it does involve editing the Windows registry, which can cause severe operating system issues if done incorrectly. Please contact Hawk Ridge Systems Technical Support if you are uncomfortable with this procedure.

1. Close SOLIDWORKS.
2. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run dialog box.
3. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
4. Browse to the folder named:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS 20xx\User Interface\Dialogs
   
5. Right-click on the Dialogs folder and click Rename. Append -OLD to change the entry to Dialogs-OLD.
6. Launch SOLIDWORKS and test the function to confirm that the dialog box now appears on the screen.