First, run (search for it in the Start Menu). Run the "Diagnostics." It will tell you if your graphics driver is lying about being certified.
Before you draw your first extrusion, go to . Turn off "Enhanced graphics performance" if you have a gaming GPU. Turn on "Use Software OpenGL" only if you see black squares flickering.
Select This is non-negotiable. Without admin rights, the installer will try to write to system folders and fail silently, leaving you with a half-finished ghost of a program.
Second, open Windows Settings → Apps → SolidWorks 2020 → . Run the "Repair" function. Why? Because the first installation always drops a single registry key related to the Visual Basic runtime. The repair finds it instantly. Skipping the repair leads to random crashes when editing sketches. This is the secret knowledge. Phase 7: The First Launch (The Moment of Truth) Double-click the cube. The splash screen appears. The progress bar fills: Loading Toolbox... Loading Add-ins... Loading 3D Experience Platform... solidworks 2020 install
Now, create a new part. Draw a circle. Extrude it 1 inch.
Do not open it yet.
If you see the dialog with the blue background and the little house icon, you have succeeded. First, run (search for it in the Start Menu)
You have installed the forge. Now, go break some physics.
But before you can bend geometry to your will, you must first complete the sacred ritual: the Installation. This is not a mere software setup; it is the act of building your digital workshop. Done right, it’s silent and invisible. Done wrong, it’s a two-hour spiral into registry errors and .NET Framework grief.
Look at that cylinder. It is perfect. It is yours . Turn off "Enhanced graphics performance" if you have
Never let your computer sleep during this phase. The download manager is fragile. If it loses signal, it often doesn't resume—it just cries and starts over. Phase 6: The Post-Install Ritual (The Service Pack) Installation finishes. You exhale. The desktop icon appears—a beautiful blue cube.
SolidWorks 2020 introduced stricter validation. If your serial is for 2019, it will not work. Do not argue with the machine. It will not bend.
Prologue: The Right Tool for the Impossible
If you are downloading from the web, go make coffee. Then tea. Then consider a nap. SolidWorks 2020 is roughly 15GB. Even on good internet, the "Download Manager" has the emotional speed of a filing cabinet.
You have a concept. It’s a messy, beautiful tangle of fillets, extrusions, and complex lofts living only in your head. To bring it into the physical world, you need a forge. For millions of engineers and designers, that forge is SolidWorks 2020.