SOLIDWORKS Frequently Asked Questions

You can get a SOLIDWORKS® Student Edition serial number:

• By purchasing the SOLIDWORKS Student Edition package.
• By purchasing the SOLIDWORKS Student Edition for Military Veterans if you qualify.
• Through your school or university. Ask them to give you a home-use license.

If you lost your serial number, which starts with 9020, do one of the following:

• Ask your school if they can give you the serial number again.
• If you installed SOLIDWORKS on your computer, follow these steps:
  1. Open SOLIDWORKS.
  2. In the Help menu [question mark symbol], select About SOLIDWORKS > show the serial number.
• If you purchased SOLIDWORKS Student Edition, the online reseller CleverBridge sends you a post-purchase email containing the serial number. To find it, do the following:
  1. Search your mailbox for the term “CleverBridge.”
  2. Check your spam or junk folder.
  3. If you are unable to find the email, ask CleverBridge to resend this email. Contact them at:  https://student-store.solidworks.com/1566/?scope=opcuseco&id=q2OAGNndkQ

For information about troubleshooting issues with SOLIDWORKS Student Edition, see the Student Edition FAQs sheet. You can use either of the following links to access the FAQ sheet:
https://www.solidworks.com/support/frequently-asked-questions?tid=293
https://www.solidworks.com/sw/education/All_product_support_req_form.html

Please contact your SOLIDWORKS reseller for pricing.

Explore the resources below — from getting started guides to deep-dive content on how AI is transforming design and engineering workflows.

SOLIDWORKS AI Overview

Getting Started with Cloud Services

Latest Features & Updates

AI CAD Tools & Workflow Optimization

How AI is Changing Daily Life for Mechanical Engineers

AI Innovations You Can’t Ignore: The Future of Design

SOLIDWORKS AI Demo

We offer a variety of resources to help you get started and learn more about SOLIDWORKS AI.

• For an overview of all core materials on SOLIDWORKS AI, from product design to how we train our AI systems: https://www.solidworks.com/product/solidworks-design/ai-overview
• To deep dive into how the SOLIDWORKS AI Virtual Companions work to bring intelligence and design efficiency into your existing workflows: https://www.solidworks.com/product/solidworks-design/ai-virtual-companions
• To explore the AI Tools that you can apply today as part of your design process: https://www.solidworks.com/solution/solidworks-ai-cad-tools-workflow-optimization
• For information about how to buy SOLIDWORKS AI Tokens to power automation and optimization with the AI Virtual Companions: https://www.solidworks.com/solution/ai-tokens

Send an email to support@tangix.com

For all exams, the minimum version necessary is listed on the information page of that exam.  Please go to www.solidworks.com/certification and click on the individual exam information page links on the left.

Active subscription members can access the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional exams. For each SOLIDWORKS Design seat you purchase, your engineering team receives six free exams per year, making it easier to strengthen skills and validate expertise.

• The CSWA (Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate) establishes professional credibility for users new to SOLIDWORKS who’ve completed beginner SOLIDWORKS training courses. It validates foundational knowledge and core SOLIDWORKS CAD skills, ensuring it’s an essential tool for early-career professionals or those transitioning into a new design field.
• The CSWP (Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional) identifies users with a strong command of SOLIDWORKS software fundamentals. It’s the benchmark for professionals who operate the software in a corporate setting or full-time role for 40 hours per week over six months or more.

SOLIDWORKS certification can strengthen your entire engineering team by proving verified skills, training and commitment on their path to becoming SOLIDWORKS experts. It helps distinguish your team and shows you meet recognized industry standards for SOLIDWORKS training. 

• Active SOLIDWORKS Design (single-user license)
• SOLIDWORKS Design with Cloud Services
• Collaborative Designer for SOLIDWORKS
• SOLIDWORKS xDesign on Public Cloud, Private Cloud, or VAR Use tenants

(Academia, Makers, and Student tenants are excluded from this initial rollout and will be evaluated separately.)

All allocated tokens are visible to administrators in the Members Control Center on the 3DEXPERIENCEplatform. Admins can track licenses and remaining token balances at the tenant level.

Note that SDKs (Student Design Kits, or Student Standard) are a limited version based on the SOLIDWORKS Standard package. Add-in products like Toolbox, Simulation, Routing, etc. are not included in the SOLIDWORKS Standard package. You can check the products that are included in Standard and other packages by using the link below:

www.solidworks.com/solidworks-3d-cad

If you want to use add-in products, please purchase the SOLIDWORKS Student Edition license through this link: www.solidworks.com/studentstore

You can stream SOLIDWORKS to HTML5 compatible browsers, including the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge, on desktop devices, including Windows, Mac, Chromebooks, and Linux PCs.

This error is related to the installation of prerequisite VC++ components. To troubleshoot the issue, try reinstallation of VC++ components manually:

1.  Go to Start > User Account > User Account Control Settings. Set it to “Never Notify”. Restart the system
2.  Login as administrator
3.  Uninstall VC++ redistributable components (2008 and 2010 and 2012, 2013, 2015) from Programs and Features
4.  Restart the computer
5.  Login as administrator
6.  Reinstall: VC++ 2008 and 2010 and 2012, 2013, 2015
   
   [a] downloaded files\prereqs\VCRedist9\vcredist_x86.exe and vcredist_x64.exe
   [b] downloaded files\prereqs\VCRedist10\vcredist_x86.exe and vcredist_x64.exe
   [c] downloaded files\prereqs\VCRedist11\vcredist_x86.exe and vcredist_x64.exe
   [d] downloaded files\prereqs\VCRedist12\vcredist_x86.exe and vcredist_x64.exe
   [e] downloaded files\prereqs\VCRedist14\vcredist_x86.exe and vcredist_x64.exe
    
7.  Restart your computer
8.  Login as administrator
9.  Install SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS for Makers is DIY CAD software designed for personal, non-commercial use. If you sell your products and make more than $2,000 USD in revenue per year, you will no longer be eligible to use the software.

Your reseller provides first line support for SNL or Standalone products

For questions about monitoring and consumption, your organization's tenant admin is the first point of contact — they have full visibility in the Members Control Center and can track token usage across your team. For purchasing, billing or account questions, contact your SOLIDWORKS Reseller Partner. You can share questions and feedback about tokens, skills, and more directly in the SOLIDWORKS application within LEO and AURA through the feedback button.