Disabling Instant2D

This article was written to demonstrate how to disable “Instant2D”. Some users may have noticed that they either cannot delete dimensions, or they experience more difficulties trying to delete dimensions when compared to older versions of SOLIDWORKS.

Instant 2D was implemented in SOLIDWORKS 2016 and was designed to give users a quick and simple way of changing dimensions on the fly. Unfortunately this feature is enabled by default for any new SOLIDWORKS installation. To disable instant 2D, open either a part or assembly. After opening, select the “Sketch” tab in the command manager. In the sketch tab, select “Instant2D”. The “Instant2D” button will appear as shaded if the setting is enabled. For the purpose of this guide, the “Instant2D” option should not be shaded. The option can be seen in the image below.

After disabling "Instant2D", the option is a global option so it will be disabled on all files opened in that specific installation of SOLIDWORKS.