How to update to the latest SOLIDWORKS Service Pack

Each year there are typically five SOLIDWORKS service pack updates released to address SPRs (Software Performance Reports), providing an even better 3D modeling experience.

The update process is quick, provided you have done all the necessary prep work.  This post will guide you through the best practices for an update.

The SOLIDWORKS Service Pack Download:

This will be the longest process of the update but you do have the option to leave it downloading and continue working in SOLIDWORKS.  Here are 3 methods for downloading the installation files:

1. In SOLIDWORKS click Help > “Check for Updates” or in Windows click Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager > Check for Updates
2. Download from a SOLIDWORKS Customer Portal account by browsing to customerportal.solidworks.com.  Select “Downloads and Updates” and choose the version of SOLIDWORKS to download.
3. The Background Downloader is found in the Windows task tray.  It can be started from Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager > Background Downloader.  This can automatically check for updates and start the download (by default to My Documents\SOLIDWORKS Downloads)

SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager

When launching the Installation Manager (running the Setup.exe), you have the option for ‘Individual (on this computer)’ or ‘Download and Share all files’.  The ‘Individual’ option will only download the files required to update the existing installation (a patch).  The Download and Share option will download the entire installation files of that service pack.  This option is very useful as the downloaded files can be transferred to another computer to update or perform a fresh install straight to the latest service pack.

It’s recommended to store the full downloaded file set on another drive or server in case you have a hard drive failure.

Background Downloader

The Background Downloader is found in the Windows Task Tray.  If ‘Automatically Download Updates’ is enabled, any newer service pack or major release will start downloading in the background.  By default it will save to Documents\SOLIDWORKS Downloads.

Background Downloader Disabled

If you are having difficulties downloading through the Installation Manager, please review the Troubleshooting your Installation Manager Download blog post.

The SOLIDWORKS Service Pack Installation:

Now that you have the full installation file set downloaded (by default it is saved under Documents\SOLIDWORKS Downloads), you can now start the Installation.  Be sure to log into Windows as the full LOCAL Administrator account.  It’s crucial to have full permissions over all folders and registry keys on the local machine

For a more detailed description of the Installation process, please review our SOLIDWORKS Installation Guides on our support page.