They say all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately that applies to SOLIDWORKS home use licenses (HULs).
What Is a Home Use License?
For those that are unfamiliar with a home use license, it is a standalone license that enables customers with SOLIDWORKS network licenses (SNLs) to install and run SOLIDWORKS on machines that aren't connected to the standard SolidNetWork license server. In other words, HULs allowed access to run and install a standalone license of SOLIDWORKS on machines outside of a company network. This type of licensing was available to customers who were on subscription and allowed HUL licenses for each SNL license.
Policy Change
Due to improved technologies and additional licensing offerings, SOLIDWORKS has decided to phase out home use licenses.
HULs were created to address usage outside of a company network when network technology was immature (20 years ago) and technology like VPNs and mobile workstations weren't widely available. Moving forward, users with activated HULs will still be able to use their SOLIDWORKS license until they deactivate or transfer it. New activations will not be possible.
New Home Use Options
Here are some suggested options for license usage outside of a company network:
- Connect to a company network using Virtual Private Network (VPN)
- Borrow a SolidNetWork license (SNL). Not sure how? Check out our tutorial on borrowing SolidNetWork licenses.
- Convert a SNL to standalone
- Purchase an additional standalone license (perpetual or term) and leverage online licensing if needed
If you have any questions or need help exploring alternatives, contact us and our technical support team will be happy to help! Thanks for reading!
