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SOLIDWORKS Document Manager Library is Invalid and How to Fix It

Occasionally, when performing certain tasks in SOLIDWORKS or PDM, you may encounter the error: 

 

“The SOLIDWORKS Document Manager library is invalid. Please contact your administrator.”

Viewing error message popup graphic explained in this blogpost

This error message indicates that the ‘swdocumentmgr.dll‘ file is either missing, has an incorrect version, or is corrupted by an incomplete or damaged SOLIDWORKS installation. This DLL contains a set of tools that can be used inside macros, plugins, and other applications to access SOLIDWORKS files.

 

The steps below outline the most effective ways to resolve the behavior.

Solution 1: Repair the SOLIDWORKS Installation (Recommended)

Repairing SOLIDWORKS is the quickest and most reliable fix in most cases. This process will automatically restore missing or corrupted shared files.

 

  1. Close all SOLIDWORKS products and exit PDM
  2. Navigate to Windows Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features
  3. Locate your installed version of SOLIDWORKS
  4. Right-click and select Change (this launches the SOLIDWORKS installation manager)
  5. Choose Repair
  6. Follow the prompts to complete the repair
  7. Test SOLIDWORKS to see if the behavior has been resolved

 

If the initial repair doesn’t resolve the behavior, you can attempt a repair with these additional steps to rename the swdocumentmgr.dll. The system will no longer be able to locate the file and therefore create and register a new file.

 

  1. Close all SOLIDWORKS products and exit PDM
  2. In Windows File Explorer, navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared
  3. Rename dll to swdocumentmgr_old.dll
Viewing file navigation in windows file explorer
  1. Navigate to Windows Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features
  2. Locate your installed version of SOLIDWORKS
  3. Right-click and select Change (this launches the SOLIDWORKS installation manager)
  4. Choose the Repair option
  5. Follow the prompts to complete the repair. The system creates a new dll and registers it automatically.
Viewing file navigation to SOLIDWORKS Shared location
  1. Test SOLIDWORKS to see if the behavior has been resolved

Solution 2: Manually Registry the Required DLL Files

If the repair doesn’t resolve the behavior, manually registering the DLL is the next step.

  1. Open a Windows Command Prompt and run it as Administrator (Windows search for cmd, right-click and select Run as Administrator).
Viewing graphic walkthrough of windows command prompt and administrator selections
  1. Navigate to the SOLIDWORKS Shared Folder by entering the command below and pressing enter.

    cd “C:\Program Files\Common Files\SOLIDWORKS Shared”
Viewing the navigation and program file command run
  1. Register the DLL file by running the command below and pressing enter.

    regsvr32 SWDocumentMgr.dll
Viewing the administrative command prompt success popup
  1. Test SOLIDWORKS to see if the behavior has been resolved. If the behavior persists, connect with MLC CAD Systems technical support for assistance.

Technical Support

Get help from our team by Calling us at 800-364-1652. You can also get assistance by clicking the Technical Support button or the Email Our Experts button below. 

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Last Updated On
byRick Braine
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