Activation Count Exceeded: How to Transfer a SOLIDWORKS License

The mass adoption of hybrid working, combined with the end of SOLIDWORKS online licensing, has seen the need for transferring SOLIDWORKS licenses rise in recent years.

Let’s run you through how to deactivate your SOLIDWORKS license and transfer it to an alternative machine.

Why do I need to Deactivate my SOLIDWORKS license?

A SOLIDWORKS standalone license can only be activated on one machine at a time.

If you would like to use your SOLIDWORKS license on another machine, it needs to be deactivated to free up the license, otherwise it’s likely you’ll encounter an ‘activation count exceeded’ error.

Should you run into that error at any stage, then run through the steps below to deactivate the license on the other machine before attempting to activate the license again.

If in doubt, give our expert Technical Support team a call to get you sorted quickly.

So, if you use a desktop machine in the office and a laptop workstation at home, you will need to deactivate your SOLIDWORKS license at the end of the session if you need to next use it on a different machine while you are working from home.

IMPORTANT: A SOLIDWORKS license is the property of the buyer, and any use must be in line with both the SOLIDWORKS EULA and the contractual obligations of the employee.

How to deactivate a SOLIDWORKS License

To deactivate a SOLIDWORKS license or SNL server, you must have access to the machine it is installed on, whether by physical or remote means.

Follow the steps below to deactivate your SOLIDWORKS license.

Note that this does not uninstall the SOLIDWORKS software from the machine, it just removes the license key and renders SOLIDWORKS unusable until the license is reactivated.

Step 1 – Open SOLIDWORKS and Question

Open SOLIDWORKS and head to the question mark icon in the top right corner of your SOLIDWORKS screen.

Step 2 – Menu Options

Select ‘Licenses’ from the drop down, and then from the fly out menu, select ‘Deactivate…’

Step 3 – Activation Wizard

A new window of the SOLIDWORKS Activation Wizard will appear.

Here, you can select the licenses you want to deactivate, either using CTRL to select multiple or the select all button.

We recommend choosing the option to deactivate ‘Automatically over the internet’ for the fastest result.

However, if the license is on a computer without internet access, then the ‘manually via email’ option should be used.

This will prompt you to save a Request file. The request file will need to be emailed to [email protected] and you should receive an automated response from Dassault Systèmes within 10 minutes to confirm your activation status and allow you to proceed.

Step 4 – Enter your Email

SOLIDWORKS activations require a valid email for reference.

This is only logged against the activation and is not used by Solid Solutions, any members of the TriMech Group, or Dassault Systemes for anything other than informational purposes or in the rare event of a licensing issue.

Click ‘Next’, the deactivation process will start.

Step 5 – Deactivation Success!

It’s a pretty painless process, and you’ll get a message informing you of a successful deactivation on completion.

Click ‘Finish’ to close the Activation Wizard. The license is now free to be activated on another machine.

How to Transfer a SOLIDWORKS License

Once you have deactivated your SOLIDWORKS license, you can transfer it to a new machine by activating it on the other computer.

To activate a license on a new machine, please do the following:

Step 1 – Open SOLIDWORKS on the New Machine

When you open a deactivated version of SOLIDWORKS, the Product Activation Wizard should run automatically.

Choose the option ‘I want to activate my SOLIDWORKS product now’ and click ‘Next’.

Step 2 – Choose Your Licenses

Look familiar? Yep, the same wizard runs both the activation and deactivation processes of SOLIDWORKS. Talk about a monopoly…

To activate SOLIDWORKS, select any or all the licenses you want to activate, either using CTRL to select multiple or the select all button.

As with deactivation, we recommend choosing the option to activate ‘Automatically over the internet’ for the fastest result.

However, if the license is on a computer without internet access, then the ‘manually via email’ option should be used.

This will prompt you to save a Request file. The request file will need to be emailed to [email protected] and you should receive an automated response from Dassault Systèmes within 10 minutes to confirm your activation status and allow you to proceed.

Step 3 – Enter your Email

SOLIDWORKS activations require a valid email for reference.

This is only logged against the activation and is not used by Solid Solutions, any members of the TriMech Group, or Dassault Systemes for anything other than informational purposes or in the rare event of a licensing issue.

Click ‘Next’ to begin the activation process.

Step 4 – Activation Succeeded

The selected licenses will return their expiry date and let you know that the activation succeeded.

Click ‘Finish’, and SOLIDWORKS will open.

If you are struggling with activating or deactivating your SOLIDWORKS license, then get in touch with our expert Technical Support team on 01926 333777 who will ensure your installation is successful.

For PCs where the serial numbers have not yet been added to the installation, please refer to our guide to learn how to change a SOLIDWORKS serial number.

Deactivating and activating SOLIDWORKS licenses allows you to maintain flexibility, avoid activation issues and ensures that you are using your license in compliance with its terms and conditions.