This guide is written for SOLIDWORKS 2022. If you are using an earlier version of SOLIDWORKS, please download our earlier installation documents to correctly load and administer your version of SOLIDWORKS.
Before making changes to any software, you should always login with full administrative permissions and disable your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.
A SOLIDWORKS seat can be used to activate one machine. If you wish to use your activation on another system, you must first deactivate the PC that is currently active. Please see the SOLIDWORKS End User License Agreement if you have any questions regarding this policy.
This is not a troubleshooting guide. If you have any technical issues with SOLIDWORKS, please contact Hawk Ridge Systems technical support.
This document is only to be distributed and used by Hawk Ridge Systems customers. Any other use is prohibited.
Contents
License Deactivation
Please note that starting with SOLIDWORKS 2016, the “Transfer Licenses” option name has changed to “Deactivate Licenses”. Both options yield the same results.
*SOLIDWORKS standalone products may be installed on your business and home machines, but only one instance of the software may be active at any given time. If you are modifying your install to include licenses that are active on another PC, you will need to first deactivate the licenses from their respective machines by following the instructions in this section. If the licenses are new, or if you are not modifying the serial numbers that are in use, you can skip the License Transfer section.
A license deactivation is not required if you are modifying installed components. An installation may be modified to include add-ins that were not selected for installation with your initial install. Similarly, an installation may be modified to remove add-ins included in the initial installation that are not in use or no longer needed. In contrast, a license deactivation is required when a serial number swap is required. You may be required to swap your serial number if you are presented with a new SOLIDWORKS serial number that includes an add-in such as Simulation, for example.
If you are changing the serial numbers for your SOLIDWORKS software, you will need to deactivate your original license, modify SOLIDWORKS and then reactivate the new license.
If you do not have internet access, see the e-mail deactivation section of this document.
Online Deactivation
- Go to Start, All Programs, SOLIDWORKS 20XX, SOLIDWORKS 20XX SP X.X.
Note: If you have multiple year versions installed, please use the latest version for the deactivation process as SOLIDWORKS may not properly deactivate if you use an earlier version
- After SOLIDWORKS starts, go to the Help pull-down menu and choose Deactivate Licenses.
- If you have more products than SOLIDWORKS activated (e.g. SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Composer, or SOLIDWORKS Inspection), you should deactivate those products before deactivating SOLIDWORKS. You can choose Select All to deactivate all the licenses at once.
- If you have internet access at this computer, select Automatically over the Internet (recommended).
- Your computer will now connect to the SOLIDWORKS activation site to return the license.
- You will be informed that the license deactivation succeeded.
- Press the Finish button to complete. You can now go to the Modification section of this document.
SOLIDWORKS will no longer run on this machine unless it is re-activated.
E-mail Deactivation
- Go to Start, All Programs, SOLIDWORKS 20XX, SOLIDWORKS 20XX SP X.X.
Note: If you have multiple versions installed, please use the latest version for the deactivation process as SOLIDWORKS may not properly deactivate if you use an earlier version
- After SOLIDWORKS starts, go to the Help pull-down menu and choose Deactivate Licenses.
- You will need to select which product license to deactivate. You can only deactivate one license at a time using the Manually via e-mail
If you have more products than SOLIDWORKS activated (e.g. SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, SOLIDWORKS Composer, or SOLIDWORKS Inspection), you should deactivate those products before deactivating SOLIDWORKS.
- If you do not have internet access at this computer, select Manually via e-mail.
- Click the Next button to continue.
- On the next page, press the Save button to create a deactivation request file.
Warning! Once you have saved this file, your SOLIDWORKS will require re-activation on this machine. If you fail to send the deactivation txt file to activation@SOLIDWORKS.com and there has been any hardware, OS or other computer ID change you will experience an Activation Count Exceeded error when you try to re-activate.
- Browse to a location on your computer to store this *.TXT file and press the Save Copy this text file onto a disk or removable storage device and move it to a machine with internet access.
- Attach this file in an e-mail and send it to activation@SOLIDWORKS.com.
- SOLIDWORKS will send a return e-mail with a different text file attached. Save this text file to a disk or removable storage space and move it to the machine which you are transferring the license out of.
*If the remaining steps are skipped, you will still be able to re-activate. The most important part of the email deactivation process is to send the txt file SOLIDWORKS and confirm you receive a SWDeactivateResponse file without any error messages in the email.
- In the activation/deactivation wizard, press the Open button on the e-mail activation/deactivation page.
- Browse for the response file and press the Open
- The next page will show you that your Deactivation succeeded.
- Press the Finish button to complete.
SOLIDWORKS will no longer run on this machine unless it is re-activated.
Modification
If you have purchased upgrades or add-ins or you are changing your license from standalone to network (or vice versa), you will need to first deactivate your license, then follow these instructions to load the new tools.
- Login to the computer with full administrative rights.
- Disable all anti-virus, anti-spyware programs, and User Account Controls. For assistance, please reference About User Account Control settings (microsoft.com)
- Click Start, Control Panel and choose Uninstall a program.
- Select SOLIDWORKS from the list of programs and click the Change
- The SOLIDWORKS installer will start up. Click the Modify the individual installation radio button.
- Press the Next button to continue.
- You will be shown your serial number for SOLIDWORKS. If you are changing your serial number, type in this new number now. You can also automatically populate the serial numbers by logging into your SOLIDWORKS ID by selecting the “Log in” button in the upper right corner.
If you are loading other products with separate serial numbers, check the box for the appropriate product and enter those serial numbers as well.
*Note a PDM serial number only needs to be entered if this item was purchased separately with SOLIDWORKS Standard.
- Click the Next button to continue.
- The installer will check to see that it is up to date.
- If you are not online, it will warn that it cannot automatically select products to install. Pressing Cancel will bypass this message, and the installation manager will continue with the load, but you must manually select all your add-ins during the installation instead of being given a list based on your serial number.
- The system will detect any previous installations of SOLIDWORKS.
- With the serial number you provided, the version of SOLIDWORKS and its add-ins will appear in a list. Here is where you can add any features that are not currently loaded by adding a check next to the appropriate item.
- Click the Next button to continue.
- You will also be shown the required file size and available disk space at the bottom of this page. (If the number is 0 KB you already have all selected items loaded.)
- You will be shown any items you have chosen to add or remove. If you wish to view your Download Options, Install Locations or Toolbox Options, you can press the plus symbol (+) in front of the desired item. Press the CHANGE button on any of these summary items to customize them.
- Add a check mark next to I accept the terms of SOLIDWORKS
- Click the Modify Now or Download and Modify button to continue.
*Note: If you have changed your licensing to a network installation, you will be prompted for a server location at this point.
- If downloads are required, the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager will download them at this point. The items you have chosen will be loaded onto your machine.
Now that SOLIDWORKS and its Add-Ins have all been loaded, open the “What’s New” PDF.
- You can choose to join the Customer Experience Program if you wish. This will periodically send fault and usage information via e-mail to SOLIDWORKS to help improve the product. This will not affect the performance of SOLIDWORKS on your computer. (The logging takes place whether you choose this or not. The only difference is whether SOLIDWORKS sends the log files to development to process the information.)
- Press the Finish button to complete the installation.
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