Activating Your Online License with SOLIDWORKS 2018

Activating Your Online License with SOLIDWORKS 2018

Table of Contents

Do you own a standalone license of SOLIDWORKS, yet find yourself working on multiple computers throughout the day? If so, you understand how cumbersome it can be to have to deactivate and reactivate your license on each computer you choose to work from. Previously, this was accomplished by transferring your license through the use of the activate/ deactivate option found in the Help drop down menu. This method works fine (provided you remember to deactivate your license before leaving the office), but SOLIDWORKS has recently developed a solution to make the process even easier.

New for SOLIDWORKS 2018 is the introduction of online licensing, which allows licenses to be assigned to individual users, wherever they may go. This enhances the user experience by allowing users to work with their license on any computer that has SOLIDWORKS installed, all without the need to manually activate/ deactivate each time. It will also allow you to copy any custom settings to each computer that you work on- no Copy Setting Wizard required! Additionally, Offline Mode allows users to retain their license for up to 30 days, even outside of internet-accessible areas.

image

With the addition of SOLIDWORKS Online Licensing, there are now three different licensing options to choose from:

Standalone License:  Ties the SOLIDWORKS license to a single computer – this is the preferred licensing method when several users share the same computer, as maybe the case with multiple work shifts.

Online License: Ties the SOLIDWORKS license to a single user, allowing them to login to their MySolidworks account on any computer where SOLIDWORKS is installed. This allows for exceptional flexibility and provides the ability to copy  custom settings.

Network License: Uses a server to distribute SOLIDWORKS licenses on demand. Simply check out a product license when desired, and check it back in when you’re done. This is a great option for companies where employees only use SOLIDWORKS products for a small portion of their day.

To Activate Online Licensing:

  1. To begin, first deactivate the SOLIDWORKS license from the standalone computer.
  2. To deactivate, open SOLIDWORKS and click Deactivate Licenses from the Help drop down menu, following the prompts.

Click Deactivate Licenses from the Help drop down menu

  1. Once deactivated, login to www.mysolidworks.com (to register a new user account, please refer to this article written by Kevin Chow).                 
  2. Once logged in, select Admin Portal under the drop down menu below your name.

Select Admin Portal under the drop down menu below your name

  1. If you are having difficulty accessing the Admin Portal, you may need to reach out to your Admin Portal Administrator and have them add you as a “member”.
  2. To activate online licensing for an individual user, search through the members of your organization, select the user and choose the product you would like to convert to online licensing.

Select the user and choose the product you would like to convert to online licensing

  1. On the Product Details page, click Change to Online Licensing. (Note: your current SOLIDWORKS license needs to be deactivated in order to convert to Online Licensing.)

Click Change to Online Licensing

  1. Once the license activation type has been changed to Online, restart SOLIDWORKS. Upon the first restart, SOLIDWORKS will display an error message. Simply close SOLIDWORKS and restart again.

Upon the first restart, SOLIDWORKS will display an error message. Simply close SOLIDWORKS and restart again

  1. After the second restart of SOLIDWORKS, you will be greeted by a login menu where you can use the same login credentials used for MySolidworks.com

  1. Once successfully logged into SOLIDWORKS, you will see a blue icon in the upper right corner that will allow you to control your MySolidworks login.

Once successfully logged into SOLIDWORKS, you will see a blue icon in the upper right corner that will allow you to control your MySolidworks login

Online licensing will be available for all SOLIDWORKS 2018 products and beyond, with the exception of SOLIDWORKS PDM. Additionally, existing network licenses will not be able to use online licensing. There is no need to be on subscription to have access to SOLIDWORKS online licensing – it is 100% optional, and can be reversed if desired by following the same steps above and converting the license activation to standalone. For more information, request a SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD quote or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

Mark Dolinar

Mark Dolinar

Mark Dolinar is an Applications Engineer in our Bothell, WA office.
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
William Samaro
William Samaro
2 years ago

Great info, Thanks!
Question; When will this feature be made available for all users? I was told by my reseller that this option is being rolled out in multiple phases, and only a select few will have access, until all (3 or 4) phases are released. Is this true? If so, when can we expect all users to have access?

Forgetting to log off at home, makes work at the office rather difficult!

Thanks

-Bill

solidworks cad dual monitors

Free Upgrades on SOLIDWORKS