How to Install, Move, or Recreate the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox
The SOLIDWORKS Toolbox is included as an add-in with SOLIDWORKS Professional, Premium, and Ultimate. The SOLIDWORKS Toolbox can either be stored locally, on a network drive, or in SOLIDWORKS PDM to access by multiple users. This guide will focus on installation, moving, and even recreating the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox.
Jump to Installing SOLIDWORKS Toolbox
Jump to Installing SOLIDWORKS Toolbox to an existing installation
Installing SOLIDWORKS Toolbox
This section contains instructions for installing SOLIDWORKS Toolbox on a new installation of SOLIDWORKS. If you are adding SOLIDWORKS Toolbox to an existing SOLIDWORKS installation, then skip to the next section.
- As long as your SOLIDWORKS license includes SOLIDWORKS Toolbox, then the SOLIDWORKS installation manager will select SOLIDWORKS Toolbox automatically on the ‘Product Selection’ page as shown below. Click Next to proceed.
- On the Summary screen, next to Toolbox/Hole Wizard Options, click Change.
- Under the option Create a new SOLIDWORKS Toolbox, the default file path is entered C:\SOLIDWORKS Data. This folder will contain the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox and Hole Wizard database and components. You can also choose to connect to an existing SOLIDWORKS Toolbox folder of the same SOLIDWORKS version. For example, if your company uses an existing network toolbox location, you can connect your SOLIDWORKS Toolbox to that same network location.
- If you are installing only one version of SOLIDWORKS on the machine, then you can leave the default name SOLIDWORKS Data. When upgrading SOLIDWORKS to the next version, the installer will upgrade the folder listed to the next version automatically.
- If you are installing multiple versions of SOLIDWORKS, since the toolbox and hole wizard are version specific, you will need to differentiate the folders per version. Consider adding a version suffix such as ‘C:\SOLIDWORKS Data 2025’ This will help you direct each version of SOLIDWORKS to the correct SOLIDWORKS Data folder and avoid confusion.
Click Back to Summary.
- Review the Toolbox/Hole Wizard Options to verify the location and then click Download and Install.
- Once complete, the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox add-in will be available in Tools > Add-ins and then the SOLIDWORKS Task Pane Library tab. The SOLIDWORKS Data folder will be displayed in the specified location and listed in SOLIDWORKS Tools > Options > System Options tab > Hole Wizard/Toolbox
Installing SOLIDWORKS Toolbox to an Existing SOLIDWORKS Installation
If you already have SOLIDWORKS installed but did not include SOLIDWORKS Toolbox, or if you’re upgrading from SOLIDWORKS Standard to SOLIDWORKS Professional, Premium, or Ultimate, then the installation can be modified to include SOLIDWORKS Toolbox using the same SOLIDWORKS installation manager as shown below.
- Open Windows Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features. Right-click SOLIDWORKS <version> and select Change to launch the SOLIDWORKS installation manager.
- In the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager, select the Modify If the installation manager does not display a Modify option, then your SOLIDWORKS was most likely installed using an administration image, and additional steps will need to be taken, and you should contact the SOLIDWORKS admin or your IT group for guidance.
- Click Next until you land on the Product Selection Expand the SOLIDWORKS category and make sure SOLIDWORKS Toolbox is selected. Click Next to proceed.
- Note the Toolbox installation location was set when SOLIDWORKS was installed and cannot be changed in the installation manager. The SOLIDWORKS Toolbox location/folder also manages the Hole Wizard database. Since all versions of SOLIDWORKS include Hole Wizard, this location was set regardless of installing the actual Toolbox. Don’t worry, the location of your Toolbox/Hole Wizard used in SOLIDWORKS can be changed from within SOLIDWORKS in the next section of this guide.
Click Modify Now to add the Toolbox.
- Once complete, the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox add-in will be available in Tools > Add-ins and then the SOLIDWORKS Task Pane Library tab. The SOLIDWORKS Data folder will be displayed in the specified location and listed in SOLIDWORKS Tools > Options > System Options tab > Hole Wizard/Toolbox file location option.
The SOLIDWORKS Toolbox is now ready to be used.
Move SOLIDWORKS Toolbox
The SOLIDWORKS Toolbox can be moved or renamed at any time. For a multi-user environment, it’s highly recommended to share the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox folder to a network drive or manage it in SOLIDWORKS PDM. This ensures all SOLIDWORKS users are referencing the same SOLIDWORKS Toolbox for all assemblies.
- Note the current SOLIDWORKS Toolbox location in Tools > Options > System Options tab > Hole Wizard/Toolbox
- Navigate to the current location and COPY the entire folder. DO NOT attempt to reorganize the folder or only copy certain sub-folders. The entire folder must be copied.
- PASTE the entire folder to a new directory.
- Update the folder location in Tools > Options > System Options tab > Hole Wizard/Toolbox
- You can now access SOLIDWORKS Toolbox from the new location.
The Toolbox file location can also be changed in the Windows Registry Editor, which can be beneficial when the location needs changed for multiple SOLIDWORKS users.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\SOLIDWORKS <version>\General
Toolbox Data Location
Recreate Default SOLIDWORKS Toolbox
If the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox becomes corrupted in some way or if you want to start with a default SOLIDWORKS Toolbox for any reason, it can be recreated with a few short steps.
- Note the current SOLIDWORKS Toolbox location in Tools > Options > System Options tab > Hole Wizard/Toolbox
- Close all SOLIDWORKS applications.
- Navigate to the SOLIDWORKS Toolbox folder location and rename the folder to include suffix ‘SOLIDWORKS Data_OLD’ or similar. This step will hide the folder from the SOLIDWORKS installation manager.
- Run a repair on SOLIDWORKS. The SOLIDWORKS installation manager will not be able to locate the original Toolbox folder specified in the Toolbox folder path as it was renamed in step #3, so the system will create a new default SOLIDWORKS Data folder (or whatever the name is of the folder listed in the installation manager).
- Launch SOLIDWORKS and test the toolbox. The ‘SOLIDWORKS Data_old’ folder can be deleted.
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