If SOLIDWORKS crashes or freezes after displaying the “Initializing VBA engine” or “Loading the registry” message on the splash screen, this could indicate an issue with the SOLIDWORKS registry. Performing a registry reset can help resolve this problem and restore SOLIDWORKS to its default state.
*Important
Modifying the registry incorrectly can impact your system’s functionality. If you are unsure about following these steps, we recommend consulting your IT team or reaching out to our support team for assistance. Please note that resetting the registry will erase any custom settings in SOLIDWORKS. To save your configurations before proceeding, we suggest using the SOLIDWORKS Copy Settings Wizard.
Steps to Reset the SOLIDWORKS Registry:
- Open the Windows Start menu and search for Regedit.
- Launch the Registry Editor.
- Navigate to this location in the Registry Editor:
- Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks
- Locate the folder labeled SOLIDWORKS XXXX, where XXXX corresponds to your software’s version year (e.g., 2018, 2019, 2020, etc.).
- Rename the folder by appending OLD to the end, for example: SOLIDWORKS XXXX OLD.
- Close the Registry Editor.
- Reopen SOLIDWORKS.
Upon reopening, SOLIDWORKS will create a new registry key. If the issue was caused by corruption or missing data, this should resolve it.