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. For lack of better terms, this “ties” that serial number to your machine and prevents that serial number from being used on another machine until it has been “released”. But what if you purchase a new computer or otherwise need to use your SOLIDWORKS license on another machine? We will cover both actions in this blog so you can make sure to get the most out of your SOLIDWORKS products!
NOTE: This blog will be referencing standalone licenses, not Network or 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS licenses.
3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS offers various ease of admin functionalities, such as named-user licensing and simplified installation/update processes. To compare, access the Getting Started with 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS guide.
Topics covered in this post:
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 VAR to further evaluate what is causing this.
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 machine!
