SolidWorks 2025 Installation Issue – Main Application Not Launching After Multiple Attempts

Hello, I’ve been experiencing serious issues trying to install and use SolidWorks 2025 SP02. I've spent several hours — nearly an entire day — trying to get it working properly, and I’m still unable to launch the main application. It has been very stressful and discouraging, as I need the software for my academic work and nothing I’ve tried has resolved the issue.

 

Here’s a detailed summary of what I’ve encountered:

 

🔧 Installation Steps Taken:
I downloaded and ran the official SolidWorks 2025 SP02 installation manager.

The installer completed successfully, and additional components such as:

eDrawings

SOLIDWORKS Visualize

Flow Simulation

Plastics

CAM
were all installed and visible in my system.

 

However, the main SolidWorks application is missing:

No SolidWorks shortcut appeared on the desktop or in the Start Menu

No sldworks.exe is found in the expected folder:
C:\\Program Files\\SOLIDWORKS Corp\\SOLIDWORKS

 

The SOLIDWORKS subfolder doesn't even exist — only folders for add-ons are there

🔁 Actions I’ve Already Tried:
I performed a full uninstall and reinstall three separate times

I manually deleted:

Program files

AppData folders

Temporary files

Registry entries

 

I booted into Safe Mode to remove files locked by the system

I used both the Repair and Modify options through the Installation Manager

I double-checked the installer options and download location

Yet after every attempt, I still do not have access to the main SolidWorks program. Every time I open the installation folder, the application executable is missing, and there is no way to launch SolidWorks itself.

 

I Need Help With:
Confirming whether the main SolidWorks program was actually included or skipped during installation

Understanding why sldworks.exe and the core application are not being installed

Whether this is a known issue with the SolidWorks 2025 SP02 installer or license

Any step I may have missed that could resolve this

 

Edu SOLIDWORKS