Solidworks Host File Block Install -

The hosts file can only block a connection by misdirecting a domain name. A firewall can block all network activity from a specific application, regardless of the server it is trying to reach. For blocking an entire program like the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager, a firewall is a more robust solution.

SolidWorks, like most modern professional software, includes built-in telemetry, license validation, and update-checking routines. During a standard installation, the SolidWorks Installation Manager (SWIM) attempts to connect to various servers owned by Dassault Systèmes. These connections serve several legitimate purposes:

The installer hangs or throws an error immediately after you enter your serial number. solidworks host file block install

Over the years, SolidWorks has used a dynamic set of domains for activation, validation, and telemetry. Based on firewall logs and community analysis, the following domains are critical to block for a completely offline installation environment. Note that this list evolves; Dassault may add new domains in service packs.

Locate the SolidWorks Installation Manager in the list. Ensure both and Public checkboxes are marked. The hosts file can only block a connection

Newer versions of SolidWorks (2022 onward) have hard-coded fallbacks that detect hosts file redirection and refuse to proceed. Solution: You must either:

To ensure Windows uses the new hosts file settings immediately, you must flush the DNS cache. Over the years, SolidWorks has used a dynamic

At its core, the Hosts file is a plain-text computer file used by an operating system to map hostnames to IP addresses. Think of it as a local, manually edited address book for your computer. Before your computer queries a Domain Name System (DNS) server on the internet to find out where a website (like www.solidworks.com ) lives, it always checks its own local hosts file first.

127.0.0.1 license.solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 sw.install.solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 activation.solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 register.solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 log.solidworks.com

If you run into any specific error codes during this process, please let me know: What is the installer showing?