What to do when SOLIDWORKS can’t find the “properties.txt” file

Have you ever tried to configure a feature and received the error message below…’The properties.txt file cannot be located’? Typically, this properties error is encountered after upgrading SOLIDWORKS to a new major release (year).

SOLIDWORKS error message

Resolving this error is straightforward. First, check to make sure that SOLIDWORKS is pointing to the correct location for this file. By default it is located at: C:\ProgramData\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS20XX\lang\english. This can be checked in Tools > Options > System Options > File Locations. In the drop-down menu, select “Custom Property Files”. Make sure that the correct major release. If the file path is wrong, you can delete the existing path and add the correct path.

If the file path is correct, the file itself may be missing. It can be copied from a colleague’s machine, or created from a new plain text file.

Open a new file using a plain text editor such as Notepad, and then populate it with the following list:

Length
Description
PartNo
Number
Revision
Material
Weight
Finish
StockSize
UnitOfMeasure
Cost - Total Cost
Cost - Material Cost
Cost - Manufacturing Cost
Cost - Material Name
Cost - Template Name
Cost - Stock Type
Cost - Stock Size
Cost - Cost Calculation Time
MakeOrBuy
LeadTime
CheckedBy
CheckedDate
DrawnBy
DrawnDate
EngineeringApproval
EngAppDate
ManufacturingApproval
MfgAppDate
QAApproval
QAAppDate
Vendor
VendorNo
Client
Project
Status
DateCompleted
CompanyName
Department
Division
Group
Author
Owner
Source
IsFastener
RouteOnDrop
SW-Part Number
DoNotSpin
PunchID
----AEC Classification----
IFC
Omniclass
Uniclass2015