SOLIDWORKS release updates and bug fixes periodically thoughout the lifecycle of a major release. These are called Service Packs and it is important to make sure you update to the latest service pack when convienent. The first release of a year version will be SP0.0 and the final release will usually be SP5.0. If you are on an active subscription and haven’t used an administrative image to install, please follow the instructions below to update your service pack.

Before you start, you can check which version and service pack you are currently running in the bottom left hand corner of the SOLIDWORKS screen.

In our example, we’ll update from 2025 service pack 4.0 to service pack 5.0

Step 1

With SOLIDWORKS open, go to the ‘Help’ icon, or question mark,  in the top right hand corner of the screen and then select ‘Check for Updates..’ from the drop down

You can also access this by typing ‘Check for updates’ into the Windows search and it will show you an app with a SOLIDWORKS icon called ‘Check for updates’

Note: Depending on your Administrative rights on the computer, you may see an permission elevation request. If you do not have the admin details, please speak to your IT team. We have also seen situations where check for updates will not run at all if you do not have the appropriate rights on the machine. If this is the case for you, you’ll need to login to the machine as an admin user or run the app as an administrator and use the login details for the admin user.

Step 2

The SOLIDWORKS installation manager should appear on screen and run a check for available updates. Here you can choose what version you would like to update to – as we are only one service pack behind the latest in our example, we only get the choice for sevice pack 5.0. Note that Beta versions may be listed. These are not recommended for production use.

Note: If you have run the check for updates from within SOLIDWORKS, you will need to close the open session – as the upgrade procedure cannot complete with SOLIDWORKS running.

Once you have selected the version you want, click ‘Next’

Step 3

After a brief pause, the installation manager for the version you selected will appear. It is highly likely you will see a message regarding a Windows reboot pending, if you have recently rebooted the machine, click ‘Ok’. If not, it is recommended you click ‘cancel’ and reboot the machine, then restart this process. If the message appears a second time, please click ‘Ok’.

Step 4

Select ‘Install on this computer’ and then press Next

Step 5

You will now be on the summary page and you can check ‘accept the terms of the SOLIDWORKS license agreement’. You’ll also see an estimation of the download size and installation size. If you are happy to contine press ‘Download and Install’

The software will download and start installing once the download has completed.

If you have any issues during the process, please contact your Technical Support Team.

Written by Theo Collins