What is a Registry Reset? How to Reset SOLIDWORKS to Default Settings

“We need to do a registry reset.”

Scary words?

They don’t have to be.

Sometimes our expert SOLIDWORKS Engineers will suggest this when troubleshooting issues to determine whether your SOLIDWORKS registry needs resetting to default.

A registry reset will affect your menus, toolbars, custom shortcuts, and file locations, and set them back to the default SOLIDWORKS settings.

Our Engineers are trained to deliver registry resets and restore previous registries, so you can rest assured our team know what they are doing.

How To Backup Your SOLIDWORKS Settings

Before performing a registry reset, we always recommend taking a backup of your current SOLIDWORKS settings. This makes it straightforward to restore them if needed.

To backup your SOLIDWORKS settings, head to the dropdown next to Settings > Save/Restore Settings. This will launch the Copy Settings Wizard.

Select the Save Settings option.

Choose a suitable location for backups – we recommend creating a folder for your SOLIDWORKS settings on your local drive – and name it with the current date.

e.g. MySOLIDWORKSsettings_2023_04_11

Click Finish to complete the backup.

How To Reset Registry In SOLIDWORKS 2023

SOLIDWORKS 2023 streamlined the registry reset process. The SOLIDWORKS registry can now be reset directly through the Copy Settings Wizard.

The wizard now also prompts you to backup as part of the process.

Select the dropdown next to Settings > Save/Restore Settings to launch the Copy Settings Wizard.

This opens in a separate window to SOLIDWORKS – make sure you close the SOLIDWORKS window at this point.

Choose the third option to Reset Settings and click next.

Here you can back up your current settings through Save and Reset Settings

Choose a location and name the settings file as above.

Click Next and Finish to reset all of your SOLIDWORKS settings to default.

How To Reset SOLIDWORKS Registry Through Windows

If you aren’t using SOLIDWORKS 2023 or later, the registry needs to be reset through the Windows Registry Editor.

We recommend making the most of your SOLIDWORKS subscription by calling our expert Technical Support team on 01926 333 777 to guide you through the process.

You will need Administrator rights to conduct a registry reset.

1. 1. Save your work & close SOLIDWORKS.
   2. Search for ‘regedit’ in the Windows Start Menu and open the Registry Editor app.

1. 1. Browse to the following folder within it:

      HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWARESOLIDWORKSSOLIDWORKS 20xx

      

   2. Right click on and rename the ‘SOLIDWORKS 20xx’ folder to ‘SOLIDWORKS 20xx_OLD’20xx is a placeholder for whichever year of SOLIDWORKS (e.g. SOLIDWORKS 2022) you are running.

      IMPORTANT: Do NOT delete folders or keys. Deleted folders or keys are not recoverable and may cause issues with your installation.

1. Reopen SOLIDWORKS. This will encourage SOLIDWORKS to recreate the registry key with default settings.

Modifying the Windows registry can be a risky operation when you don’t know what you are doing.

Incorrect modifications can result in irreparable changes to the system or application, so we recommend that only a professional SOLIDWORKS Engineer carries out the operation.

How To Restore SOLIDWORKS Settings

If you’ve backed up your SOLIDWORKS settings, then restoring them is straightforward.

Any SOLIDWORKS settings file can be double clicked. Then, follow the wizard to restore the previous settings.

TOP TIP – Naming settings files with dates prevents confusion during restoration.

The restore settings wizard can also be accessed through the Copy Settings Wizard under Save/Restore Settings > Restore Settings and then browsing to the appropriate file.

Looking For More Tips?

Sign up to our CPD-accredited training courses.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a complete beginner or are intimately familiar with CAD, our friendly and expert trainers are ready to help you get the most out of SOLIDWORKS, either online or in a classroom local to you.

We also have a load of free SOLIDWORKS tutorials across our site.

Don’t forget, with a SOLIDWORKS subscription, you can contact our expert Technical Support team to help you out with new commands and modelling tips.

Call us on 01926 333 777 or drop an email to [email protected] and one of our certified SOLIDWORKS Engineers will be in contact.