Show all Assembly Components in SOLIDWORKS

Problem:

When working in assemblies, you may notice that many of your components are hidden. Depending on the assembly structure, locating all of the hidden components within each subassembly can be time consuming and confusing.

There are other methods, such as using "Shift + Tab" to unhide components in the graphics area, but without going through the entire feature tree, you cannot ensure that all components are unhidden.

Solution 1: Show with Dependents

To fix this, you can use the "Show with Dependents" tool

1. Right-click on the desired assembly or subassembly

2. Turn on "Show with Dependents"   

   

3. Once completed, your assembly or subassembly will show all of the components listed. 
   

Solution 2: Display Pane

If you need more granular control of the visibility and appearance of your assembly and/or subassemblies, you can enable the Display Pane. 

For more information on the display pane and its functionality please review the article below: 

Display Pane - 2025 - SOLIDWORKS Design Help

1. At the top of the FeatureManager Design Tree there is a small carrot '>' that is shown in a red rectangle in the picture below. Clicking on this brings up the Display Pane

2. The first Column of the display pane controls the visibility of components. Clicking on any of the rows in this column will hide the corresponding component.

For more information about controlling the display of assemblies, please review our YouTube video below.
SOLIDWORKS Assembly Tips: Hide/Show Components

For further technical support, please contact Hawk Ridge Systems at 877.266.4469 for the U.S. or 866.587.6803 for Canada and support@hawkridgesys.com.