“A Newer Version of This Product is Already Installed” Error when Installing SOLIDWORKS
If you are trying to install SOLIDWORKS and you get the error “A Newer version of This Application is already Installed. Installation stopped …” then this article is for you.
This error appears when updating, modifying, or installing an older version of SOLIDWORKS after installing SOLIDWORKS 2021 SP2 software. The issue occurs because of a change in the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) version 7.1, introduced in the SOLIDWORKS 2021 SP2 software. Earlier versions of the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager installer do not recognize the new VBA 7.1 components. Therefore, the installer starts a new installation of the older version of the program. The new VBA 7.1 installation then blocks the software installation.
To resolve this error, perform the following steps:
- 1. Uninstall the VBA 7.1 Microsoft Pre-Req
a. Download the attached file “Uninstall_VBA.txt”.
b. Rename the file to “Uninstall_VBA.bat”. You might need to show file name extensions if they are not showing already.
c. Right-click the “Uninstall_VBA.bat” file and then click “Run as administrator”.
- 2. Rerun the installation of SOLIDWORKS and the original “a Newer Version…” error should not show up. If you are going to install multiple versions of the Software, make sure you start with the older versions first.
- 3. If applicable, repair any newer installations (2021 SP2 or higher) that were already on the computer using these instructions: How to Repair SOLIDWORKS Installation. After this, all versions of SOLIDWORKS should work.
As always, if MLC CAD Systems is your reseller, feel free to reach out to us and we would be happy to assist further if needed.