New Installation of SOLIDWORKS Crashing at Splash Screen "Starting..." - Faulting Module libcef.dll

On a brand new SOLIDWORKS installation, you may encounter the issue of SOLIDWORKS not launching. SOLIDWORKS' splash screen would come up and show "Starting..." and immediately close.

This is likely due to libcef.dll not working correctly. For a clearer indication, check Windows Event Viewer, Windows Logs > Application for critical/error event levels related to SOLIDWORKS with a faulting module libcef.dll.

First Solution

The support team at Hawk Ridge Systems has found success in replacing the libcef.dll file with file version 100.0.14.0 to resolve the issue. You can see which version the dll file is in by right-clicking on the file in File Explorer > Properties.

1. Download the libcef.dll file here: download link
2. Browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared\swcef\
3. Replace the libcef.dll in the folder with the one downloaded from Step 1.

Second Solution

In this solution, we will let SOLIDWORKS reinstall the components it needs by renaming a folder that SOLIDWORKS will recreate with a repair.

1. Browse to C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared\
2. Rename the "swcef" folder to "swcef-old"
3. Repair SOLIDWORKS: 
   • How To Repair SOLIDWORKS 2024 – Hawk Ridge Systems Support
   • Administrative Image Repair Guide – Hawk Ridge Systems Support

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.