Upgrading to SolidWorks 2026 Student Edition

This article details how to successfully perform an upgrade to SolidWorks 2026 Student Edition from a previous version.

Information

This article details how to successfully perform an upgrade to SolidWorks 2026 Student Edition from a previous version.

Environment

• Windows 11

Process

1. Log in with administrative credentials to the machine needing the upgrade
2. Open Add/Remove Programs
3. Click SOLIDWORKS 20XX SPXX and select Uninstall/Change
4. Choose Yes when prompted by User Account Control
5. At the Summary screen of the SOLIDWORKS 20XX SPXX Installation Manager, ensure all SolidWorks products are checked
   1. Click Change to the right of Advanced Options
6. At the Advanced Options screen, select all check boxes, then click Back to Summary
7. Under Advanced Options, ensure that Uninstall Method shows Complete Uninstall
8. Click Remove Items
   1. Removal will take approximately 30-60 minutes
9. Reboot the machine when complete
10. Log back in with admin credentials and open Add/Remove Programs once again
11. Uninstall any leftover reference to Microsoft SQL Server
    1. You may need to search for and remove leftover Microsoft SQL Server entries from the below Registry locations
       1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
       2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
12. Reboot the machine
13. Log back in with admin credentials and open File Explorer
14. Delete the following directories if they exist:
    1. C:\SOLIDWORKS Data
    2. C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp
    3. C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server
    4. C:\Program Files (x86)\SOLIDWORKS PDM
    5. C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server
    6. C:\ProgramData\Dassault Systemes
    7. C:\ProgramData\SOLIDWORKS
    8. C:\ProgramData\SOLIDWORKS Electrical
    9. C:\ProgramData\regid.1995-09.com.solidworks
15. Open Registry Editor and delete the following locations if they exist:
    1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks
    2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks Corporation
    3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\SolidWorks
16. Reboot the machine
17. Navigate to \\configmgmt.in.grcc.edu\staging\solidworks2026student
18. ​​​​​​Double-click StartSWInstall.hta
19. Click the Install SOLIDWORKS products now button
20. Installation should take roughly 45-60 minutes to complete
21. Launch SolidWorks 2026
22. At the SOLIDWORKS Product Activation screen, do the following:
    1. How would you like to activate? Activate over the Internet (recommended)
    2. Contact Information (Required) → E-mail: jefferyvanderveen@grcc.edu
23. If you see Activation/Reactivation Succeeded, product activation was successful
24. SolidWorks 2026 will be ready for use