Use the SOLIDWORKS Copy Settings Wizard to save and restore your custom menu and system options

After spending the time in SOLIDWORKS to customize all your toolbar, menu, shortcut and system options, the last thing you want to do is go back and do it all over again.  A computer crash, registry corruption, or simply switching to a new computer can put you right back to square one.  The SOLIDWORKS Copy Settings Wizard is the answer.

The wizard allows you to backup your essential SOLIDWORKS settings so you can get back up and running quickly.

Running the SOLIDWORKS Copy Settings Wizard

Once you have SOLIDWORKS setup exactly as you like it and working smoothly it’s time to backup your settings.

First close SOLIDWORKS and go to Windows Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS [YEAR] > SOLIDWORKS Tools > Copy Settings Wizard [YEAR]

In the SOLIDWORKS Copy Settings Wizard you can choose to either Save Settings or Restore Settings from a file you have previously saved.

Copy Settings Wizard

Save Settings

Let’s choose Save Settings and pick Next.

You can then Browse to a safe location to save the settings file (.sldreg) and then select which settings you want to backup from the list in the dialog as shown below.

Copy Setting Wizard Save Settings

Pick Finish and then OK and the .sldreg file will be saved to the specified location.

Restore Settings

Now if you need to recover after a crash, or if you have a new machine with a fresh SOLIDWORKS install, you can restore your personalized settings by simply double-clicking on the .sldreg file or activating the SOLIDWORKS Copy Settings Wizard again from the start menu and picking Restore settings.

Copy Settings Wizard Restore

In the dialog choose which settings you want to restore/be applied to your SOLIDWORKS installation. Note if there are multiple installations of SOLIDWORKS on your machine they will be listed here.

NOTE if you are upgrading to a new version of SOLIDWORKS (i.e. 2015 to 2016), it is recommended to set up your customizations again from the defaults and save the 2016 customizations.  This will avoid any errors, and time in the long run, that could occur when trying to import a previous version settings.  When the new settings are set up be sure to save the new version for backup.

Pick Next > and you will be presented with three options for the destination of the file

Settings Destination

In the dialog there are three destination options to choose from, SOLIDWORKS have provided explanations for each choice in the dialog so you can which setting best suits your setup. Depending on whether your machine is part of a network or there are roaming profiles for your system setup you will likely pick the current user option. But contact your IT support for more information about your system setup.

To apply settings just to your own profile pick the Current User option

Copy Settings Wizard Destinations

Pick Next >, then Finish. When the settings have been applied you will receive a confirmation dialog, pick OK and restart SOLIDWORKS to ensure your settings have been applied.