So you’ve had a great installation of SOLIDWORKS Standalone, input your new serial numbers, launched the software, and now you’re being asked to “activate” your installation. This action “ties” that serial number to your computer and prevents that serial number from being used on another computer until it has been “released” or de-activated. But what if you purchase a new computer or otherwise need to move your SOLIDWORKS license on another machine? We will cover how to do that in this article as well.
NOTE: While this article generally references SOLIDWORKS standalone licenses, some 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS users may have add-ins that require serial number activation, and can follow the steps below as well.
Topics covered in this post:
1. How to Activate a SOLIDWORKS Installation
Once an installation, or serial number modification has been completed, launch SOLIDWORKS from your desktop shortcut or Windows search. This will automatically prompt the SOLIDWORKS Product Activation window to pop up in which you can select ‘I want to activate my SOLIDWORKS product now’.
On the next page, select which products you would like to activate on this device. It is recommended to utilize the ‘Automatically over the Internet’ activation option. You can then enter your email and select next to proceed with the activation.
SOLIDWORKS is now installed on your device and ready to go!
NOTE: If you receive a message when trying to activate your license stating that your license is expired or the “activation count is exceeded”, please reach out to your Value Added Reseller (VAR )to further evaluate possible causes.
2. How to Deactivate a SOLIDWORKS Installation
Occasionally, you may need to release a serial number from your particular installation. Some common examples of needs to do this are getting a new computer or if a hard drive crashes. The steps to release serial numbers from your installation are just as easy as activation.
First, start a session of your latest version year of SOLIDWORKS that you have installed. Then Click on the “?” icon in the top right. Then select Licenses, then Deactivate.
Next, the activation wizard will pop up and you can chose which products you want to de-activate. You can Select All, then chose ‘Automatically over the internet’, input your email, and click Next.
Once that is complete, you’ll receive a message letting you know that your products are now deactivated! You can now re-enter them on a different machine and repeat the above activation steps to gain access to SOLIDWORKS on that computer.
How to Deactivate a SOLIDWORKS Installation if you can't launch SOLIDWORKS
If you cannot launch SOLIDWORKS due to licensing or other technical issue, but need to de-activate a serial number from a computer, you can launch the Activation Manager individually. To do so, start Windows File Explorer and navigate to...
C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared
Or if you are a 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS user but need to de-activate an add-in, go to...
C:\Program Files\Dassault Systemes\SOLIDWORKS 3DEXPERIENCE\SOLIDWORKS\setup\i386
And look for "swactwiz.exe". Double-click on that to run the Activation Wizard outside of the SOLIDWORKS environment.
Select the products you'd like to de-activate, then continue as described in step 2 above.
Useful Links
How to change your serial numbers on an installation of SOLIDWORKS