Borrowing Licenses

You can borrow a SolidWorks license to use the software from a remote location. You must be connected to the license server to borrow the license, but not necessarily to use it.

Borrowed licenses cannot be transferred. They are valid only for the system on which they are borrowed.

The license is lent for a specified period of time and the license is removed from the pool of available licenses. The maximum borrow period (default, 30 days) is specified in the license file.

System administrators can customize borrowing with options in an options file; for example:

Define users or groups that are allowed to borrow licenses.
Set the number of licenses that cannot be borrowed.

See: <SolidNetWork_License_Manager_install_dir>\Docs\flexuser\toc.htm

To borrow an SNL license:

In Windows, click Start, All Programs, SolidWorks <version>, SolidWorks Tools, SolidNetWork License Administrator.
On the License Borrowing tab:

Select a date in Borrow until.

Select the products to borrow, then click Borrow, and click Yes to confirm.
Click Refresh. The Expire Date column indicates when licenses will expire.

Click OK.

To run SolidWorks, you must borrow a SolidWorks license. The SolidWorks Office Professional and SolidWorks Office Premium licenses enable only the add-ins associated with them, not the SolidWorks application.

To return a borrowed license:

In Windows, click Start, All Programs, SolidWorks <version>, SolidWorks Tools, SolidNetWork License Administrator.
On the License Borrowing tab:

Select the products you want to return, then click Return, and click Yes to confirm.
Click Refresh. The Expire Date column is blank, which indicates the licenses have been returned.

Click OK.

Licenses do not need to be returned to the license server after the expiration date. At midnight on the expiration date, the license file on the remote system no longer allows SolidWorks to run while disconnected from the license server, and the license is automatically returned to the available license pool.