You can view the most recent Release Notes here.
For a list of fixed SPRs, click here.
Refer to What's New, available from the Help menu, for descriptions of new functionality.
SOLIDWORKS 2019 SP5 is the last release to support SOLIDWORKS Explorer as a stand-alone application. The supported functions such as Pack and Go, Rename, Replace, and Move are available in the file shortcut menus in File Explorer.
SOLIDWORKS PCB 2023 SP5 will be the last supported release of SOLIDWORKS PCB and SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector.
For current information about SOLIDWORKS active products and End of Life products, see SOLIDWORKS and SW PDM System Requirements. For Microsoft Operating System Lifecycle information, see Microsoft’s Lifecycle FAQ - Windows.
SOLIDWORKS 2019 SP5 is the last release to support the Windows Server® 2012 R2 operating system. SOLIDWORKS 2020 products will not install on Windows Server 2012 R2.
SOLIDWORKS 2018 SP5 is the last release to support the Windows Server® 2012 operating system. SOLIDWORKS 2019 products will not install on Windows Server 2012.
SOLIDWORKS 2020 SP5 is the last release to support Microsoft® Excel 2013 and Word 2013.
SOLIDWORKS 2018 SP5 is the last release to support Microsoft® Excel 2010 and Word 2010.
SOLIDWORKS 2021 SP5 is the last release to support SQL Server® 2014.
SOLIDWORKS 2019 SP5 is the last release to support SQL Server® 2012.
For optimum graphics performance and stability, see Hardware Certification.
To ensure successful installation and optimum performance, see SOLIDWORKS and SW PDM System Requirements.
To use SOLIDWORKS PDM 2020 with SQL Server® 2014 or SQL Server® 2014 Express, you must install Service Pack 3 or later. To upgrade your SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2014 Express installation to SP3, download the service pack here.
For SOLIDWORKS Visualize 2021 to work properly with NVIDIA iRay GPU support, NVIDIA driver 451.48 support for CUDA® 11.0 or newer is required.
To ensure successful installation and optimum performance, see Prerequisites and System Requirements.
For a comparison of render performance across different NVIDIA graphics cards, see SOLIDWORKS Visualize Benchmarks.
Beginning with SOLIDWORKS 2020 SP1, subscription service customers can use Early Visibility Online to test from a browser. Log in to MySolidWorks and, from the top menu, click SOLIDWORKS <release>/EV. EV testing is available in the weeks leading up to the release of each service pack from SP1 onward.
Beginning with SOLIDWORKS 2020, DVD distribution media is provided only on request. Contact your Reseller for more information.
Beginning with SOLIDWORKS 2021, customers who have requested DVD upgrade shipments will receive three DVDs.
Some antivirus software prevents proper installation of SOLIDWORKS. For more information, see Antivirus Products.
To modify an installation of SOLIDWORKS PDM Server and its components, use Programs and Features from the Windows Control Panel. You cannot modify the installation with SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager (SLDIM), even if that is what you used to install SOLIDWORKS PDM Server.
Some fonts that shipped in prior versions of Windows have moved into optional features in Windows 10. When upgrading to Windows 10, these fonts might not be installed on your system. If you find that a SOLIDWORKS document uses a font that is no longer installed on your computer, refer to Microsoft Knowledge base article 3083806.
When you save a drawing document as a PDF file, and the drawing contains non-English (non-ASCII) characters, the appropriate fonts must be available to render the characters. If the specified font is not installed on your computer or does not support Unicode character glyphs, then the Arial Unicode MS font is used. If the Arial Unicode MS font is also missing, then the characters fail to render. The Arial Unicode MS font is not provided with Microsoft® Office® 2016 software. (See Windows 10 Fonts Missing, above.) Workaround: To install the Arial Unicode MS font, install both Microsoft® Office® Professional Plus 2013 (minimal installation with only International Options enabled) and Microsoft® Office® (2016 or later).
Recommendation: Use the 64-bit version of Microsoft Office. If you are embedding Microsoft Office 32-bit OLE objects in your SOLIDWORKS documents, refer to Microsoft Knowledge base article 983396 to fix OLE objects displaying as an icon.
The SOLIDWORKS 2021 SP5 login feature is changed from SOLIDWORKS ID to 3DEXPERIENCE ID. Log in with 3DEXPERIENCE ID instead of SOLIDWORKS ID to synchronize your SOLIDWORKS settings from one computer to another.
In most cases you can use your current username and password, or you can create a new 3DEXPERIENCE ID. Use the Remember me option on your personal computer to minimize the need to refresh your login.
Microsoft SQL Server® 2019 is supported beginning with SOLIDWORKS 2020 and SOLIDWORKS PDM 2020.
The Dissolve Feature command is consolidated into the Break Link command. The command name no longer changes because of the file type of the 3D Interconnect link.
Beginning in SOLIDWORKS 2021, an updated algorithm calculates the surface area and volume of a model. The new method is faster and, in many cases, more accurate. This might cause the value to change, even if the same value has been reproducible across multiple releases. The change is more noticeable if you select the Lower (faster) accuracy level in the Mass/Section Property Options dialog box. Select the Higher (slower) accuracy level to yield values closer to the nominal value.
SOLIDWORKS 2007 and earlier allowed unsupported surface fill technology. The software allowed faces that were not G2 continuous at the boundary. This issue was rectified in SOLIDWORKS 2008 and later versions. If you import SOLIDWORKS 2007 and earlier models with surface fill and related features, the software prompts you to update the data if it detects a legacy feature.
The SOLIDWORKS Forum add-in is no longer included with SOLIDWORKS 2021. You can access the SOLIDWORKS User Forum by clicking User Communities from the Help menu or Welcome dialog box.
The Copy Settings command is removed from the user interface. To copy a plastics simulation study, use the Duplicate Study command.
SOLIDWORKS Visualize now supports the latest NVIDIA Ampere generation of GPUs.
SOLIDWORKS Composer and SOLIDWORKS Composer Sync support SOLIDWORKS 2006 to 2021 versions of import formats. In About Supported Import Formats, the versions are listed incorrectly.
Composer Help is now available in these five new languages: Czech, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese-Brazilian, Polish, and Turkish.
There are no items for this service pack.
In the Mass Properties dialog box, you can specify the Inertia Tensor matrix values to use positive (+) notation (default) or negative (-) notation. Previously, the software used only positive notation. For more information, see Mass Properties Dialog Box.
There are no items for this service pack.
There are no items for this service pack.
If you spin the mouse wheel fast while zooming in or out, the zoom action accelerates by four times the regular speed. This is useful for viewing large models.