How to Install and Configure the SolidWorks PDM Client

A step-by-step run through the Windows client install, the Web2 browser client, Mac options, and the errors that stop an install cold.

You can get a workstation connected to a vault — checking files in and out from SolidWorks, with a local vault view on disk — in a single session, provided three things line up: the client version matches the server, the Windows account has administrator rights, and the machine can reach the archive server. Most failed installs come down to one of those three.

This guide covers the Windows client install for SOLIDWORKS® PDM Standard and Professional, the Web2 browser client, what Mac users can and cannot do, and the errors that come up most often.

1. What the client does, and why the install matters

The client is what connects a workstation to the vault. It creates the local vault view, adds the check-in and check-out commands to Windows Explorer, and loads the add-in that puts those same commands directly in SolidWorks. Without it a workstation can see files on a share, but has no vault, no version history, and no file locking.

• PDM Standard is bundled with SOLIDWORKS Professional and Premium and runs on SQL Server Express
• PDM Professional runs on full SQL Server and adds the Web2 browser client

(Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS PDM product documentation, accessed 31 August 2026.)

Client types matter too. A CAD Editor seat gets the CAD add-ins and full check-in and check-out; a Contributor seat handles non-CAD documents; a Viewer seat is read-only. Pick the wrong one and the add-in you expect never appears.

2. Before you install: requirements and preparation

Check all of these before you run anything:

• Windows 10 or 11 Pro or Enterprise — there is no native macOS client
• Client and server on the same release year
• Windows administrator rights on the workstation
• Network access to the archive server and the SQL Server host
• Vault login credentials, and the archive server hostname or IP

Write the archive server name down before you start. The View Setup wizard asks for it, and a workstation that cannot resolve it stops there.

3. Install the Windows client

3.1 Installation steps

1. Run setup.exe from the SOLIDWORKS installation package.
2. Select Modify, or Install individual components on a machine with no existing installation.
3. Choose SOLIDWORKS PDM Client in the product selection.
4. Set the edition to Standard or Professional, matching the server.
5. Select the client type: CAD Editor, Contributor, or Viewer.
6. Add the CAD add-ins you need, then complete the installation and reboot if prompted.

3.2 Create the local vault view

• Run View Setup from the Start menu
• Enter the archive server hostname or IP and connect
• Select the vault, and set a local path such as C:\Vault
• Choose whether the view is for all users or just the current one
• Log in with vault credentials to confirm the connection

Keep the vault view on a local drive. A view created on a mapped network drive or a redirected folder causes cache problems that look like random check-out failures later.

3.3 Post-install configuration

• Confirm the license is available — Professional pulls from a network license server
• Check the add-in is enabled in SolidWorks under Tools → Add-Ins
• Set the Explorer columns to show state, version and checked-out-by
• Test a check-out and check-in on a scratch file before handing the machine over

4. Set up the Web2 browser client

Web2 gives browser access to a Professional vault from Windows, Mac, or a phone. It is a server-side component, not something installed per workstation.

4.1 Server setup

• Install Web2 through the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager on a server with IIS enabled
• Configure the IIS site, the application pool identity, and its permissions
• Add an SSL certificate if the site is reachable from outside the network
• Point Web2 at an existing local vault view on that server

4.2 User access

• Users sign in through a browser at a URL such as http://yourserver/SOLIDWORKSPDM
• Web2 handles browsing, downloads, check-in and check-out, and basic workflow transitions

(Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS PDM Web2 documentation, accessed 31 August 2026.)

5. What works on macOS

There is no native macOS client. The routes that do work:

• Web2 — browser access to a Professional vault, no install on the Mac
• Virtual machine — Parallels or VMware Fusion running Windows with the client installed
• Remote desktop — connect to a Windows workstation that already has the client and a vault view

A virtual machine gives full CAD editing; Web2 does not. Choose on whether the Mac user is editing models or reviewing them.

6. Troubleshooting the common failures

6.1 The installation fails or the client is missing

• Client and server on different release years — align them and reinstall
• PDM not listed in the installer — the installation package is incomplete; download the full set
• Install runs but no Explorer commands — the reboot was skipped

6.2 Vault view errors

• No server or vault listed — add the archive server manually by hostname or IP
• Access denied — check archive server permissions for the account
• View created but empty — the account has no folder permissions inside the vault

6.3 License problems

• Professional needs a free network license — check availability in SolidNetWork License Manager
• License pulled but wrong client type — rerun the installer and change the type

6.4 Performance

• Explorer slow in the vault — exclude the vault cache folder from antivirus scanning
• Large assemblies slow to open — get latest on the whole reference tree rather than file by file
• Duplicating a project by copy and paste — use Copy Tree so references follow the copy

7. Cloud and on-premise product data management: how the models differ

Both models cover the same job — versioned, permissioned engineering data with a controlled release path. They differ in where the software runs and who runs it.

8. What to check before you call it done

• Client and server release years match on every workstation
• Each vault view sits on a local drive and is excluded from antivirus scanning
• Web2 is in place if anyone needs browser or Mac access
• A check-out, edit, and check-in round trip works from inside a real assembly
• Someone owns the backup of the archive and the database, and has tested a restore

External resources

• GoEngineer — PDM client installation guide
• SOLIDWORKS official help
• Engineering.com — product data management coverage
• Javelin Tech — PDM support blog

Where Sibe fits

Not every team is at the point of standing up a PDM. If you are two to thirty engineers, have no full-time admin, and would rather not buy a server this quarter, cloud CAD document management covers version control, revision workflows and design reviews without any of that.

Sibe is a collaboration-first CAD Document Management platform with a native SolidWorks add-in. Engineers check files in and out directly in SolidWorks, and Sibe tracks every version as they go. There is no archive server to provision, no SQL instance to license, no IIS site to configure, and no client-to-server version matrix to keep aligned — you install the add-in, point it at your folders, and start working. Sibe mirrors your folder structure in a local cache folder, so the tree on disk looks like the one your team already knows.

• Automatic version and revision control on parts, assemblies and drawings
• Assembly references resolved automatically, including parts shared across projects
• Free public share links and QR codes — reviewers open the model in any browser with no account and no viewer install
• Revision and approval workflow with released files locked and a full audit trail
• Live in under 20 minutes

See CAD file management and cloud version control for SolidWorks, or the pricing page for what a seat costs.

No servers, no VPNs, no admin hassles.

Book a free 20-minute demo or try Sibe free for 14 days — no credit card.