Solving the SOLIDWORKS Sheet Format could not be located error

You’ve taken the time to make a great drawing sheet format, and applied that format to a sheet in your drawing, and everything is great. Until you decide to double your drawing space by adding a second sheet, and are told that “The sheet format could not be located”.

Sheet Format Could Not Be Located

This problem, while frustrating at first, is actually quite straight forward to solve! The issue here is that the drawing template used lacks the necessary reference to that great drawing sheet format you wish to replicate.

Solving the problem

To solve the problem, follow these steps:

1. Open a blank drawing file using the drawing template in which you’d like to remedy the problem.
2. Right-click anywhere in your drawing sheet. Expand the menu by hovering your mouse over the arrows at the bottom, and select Properties…
3. The Sheet Properties Menu is now open (as shown here on the left). The outlined box contains the link where the sheet format is found. In this case, that link is likely wrong. Click Browse… and browse to the location where you’ve saved your drawing sheet format (*.slddrt).
4. Select Apply Changes to close the Sheet Properties Menu.
5. One more step! Make sure you save this new file as your new drawing template. Select File > Save As… and save as a Drawing Template (*.drwdot) in your templates folder. (SOLIDWORKS can be pointed to this location through Tools > Options > System Options > File Locations)
6. You’re done! When creating a new drawing, make sure you select this new drawing template as your starting point.

Sheet Properties

Learn more about Drawings

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