How to Activate Your SOLIDWORKS Online License

Ever since online licensing was introduced to SOLIDWORKS 2018, we have received countless questions from customers about how they can implement it at their companies. Join Alignex engineer Travis Quick as he walks you through the entire process from start to finish, and explains why online licensing might be for you. 

Hi, Travis here again from Alignex. One of the things we have been discussing with our customers are the various ways we can use our SOLIDWORKS products, specifically online licensing.

In this video we will be discussing:

• What is online licensing?
• Who can use this functionality?
• Why would we want to use online licensing? 
• How can I set up my admin portal?
  
  

SOLIDWORKS Licensing

SOLIDWORKS licensing is first broken up into two main groups:

• Network Licensing
• Standalone

SNL users, thanks for watching, but it's time to get back to work. Online licensing is only available for standalone activation. 

Standalone activation uses two methods to activate. 

• Machine Activation - one machine used by one or more users
• Online Licensing - tied to a specific user able to use SOLIDWORKS on multiple machines

Why Online Licensing?

You may be asking yourself, why would we want to use online licensing? Well let me ask you, have you ever received the "Activation Count Exceeded" message when starting SOLIDWORKS? Are you fed up with the transfer/activate process when switching from one system to another?

If the answer is no, thank you for watching, you can also get back to work. For everyone else, online licensing might be the solution that works for you.

Online Licensing Requirements

Before we start talking about setup, here are some quick requirements for online licensing:

1. Online licensing is only available for SOLIDWORKS 2018 & newer
2. You need to create a SOLIDWORKS ID*
3. All existing activations must be transferred from those systems

*All users that plan to take advantage of online licensing must have a SOLIDWORKS ID. 

Online Licensing Setup

Let's get down to the nitty gritty. How do we set up and administer our online licensing?

• Access my.solidworks.com 
• Login with your customer ID
• Click the drop-down next to your name
• Select the Admin Portal

Important technical note, the first person that logs into the Admin Portal under your company assets will be given the opportunity to declare themselves as the Admin.

So Now What?

With the Admin setup complete, let's take a look at how this affects our daily workflow when launching SOLIDWORKS.

When launching SOLIDWORKS, the Admin Portal will reflect in real-time serial numbers that are currently being used. When you have successfully set up online licensing, give it a try! Simply close SOLIDWORKS and repeat the login process on another computer with SOLIDWORKS installed. 

Conclusion

Online licensing is optional. You do not have to use it if you are happy with your current licensing arrangements. It's also not permanent. You can toggle from online to machine activation at your leisure. 

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