There’s plenty of CAD software for Macs nowadays but unfortunately SolidWorks for Mac isn’t one of them, even in 2023.
However the good news is you can install the Windows version of SolidWorks on macOS including SolidWorks 2023 on the latest Apple Silicon M1, M2 and M3 chip Macs.
Here we show you how to install Solidworks on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs plus we’ll give you a few tips about how to improve the performance of SolidWorks when it’s running on a Mac.
In our extensive testing and research, we found that using the Parallels virtual machine is by far the best way to run SolidWorks on a Mac and allows you to seamlessly switch between macOS and Windows at anytime.
Especially on the latest Apple Silicon Macs are much faster than the previous generation of Intel Macs and we found that SolidWorks runs incredibly well on Apple Silicon Macs with the M1/M2/M3 chips with no lag or instability.
Even better you can use the Community Download of SolidWorks 2023 for free too as long as its not for commercial use.
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Which Macs Can Run SolidWorks?
SolidWorks is a pretty RAM and CPU intensive application so you strongly recommend using a Mac with the M1/M2/M3 Pro, M1/M2/M3 Max or M1/M2 Ultra chip.
The M2 MacBook Pro with M2 Max or M2 Pro chip is ideal and so is the M2 Mac Studio especially with the M2 Ultra chip.
Base model M1, M2 and M3 Macs will run SolidWorks using this tutorial although may struggle with lag.
What Are The Options to Install SolidWorks on a Mac?
There are two possible methods to install SolidWorks on a Mac in 2023.
- Virtual Machine (Works on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs)
Virtual machines allow you to run macOS and Windows at the same time which is far more convenient as you can switch between your Mac and Windows in one click.
We’ve used a lot of virtual environments and Parallels is by far the best virtual machine for Mac as it makes it easy enough for anyone to install Windows on a Mac.
Using Parallels means you don’t have to restart your Mac when you want to use SolidWorks – you can just switch to macOS as you do when you want to use any other application.
Even better, Parallels can run Windows on M1, M2 & M3 Macs so that you can run SolidWorks on an Apple Silicon Mac including on the latest version of macOS Sonoma.
Although you can only run Windows 11 for ARM on Apple Silicon Macs (Windows 11 for ARM is a specially adapted version of Windows for ARM chips like the M1/M2/M3), Microsoft has added Intel x86 emulation inside Windows 11 ARM to run software that requires Intel chips like SolidWorks.
- Boot Camp (Intel Macs only – not available on Apple Silicon Macs)
Boot Camp is free in macOS but only allows you to run either Windows or macOS at one time. It also does not work on Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 Macs though so it’s not an option to run SolidWorks on Apple Silicon.
With Boot Camp, you also have to shutdown your Mac in order to use Windows. It can’t run Windows and macOS at the same time.
Although Boot Camp allows your Mac to devote all of its resources to running SolidWorks (thus in theory giving you smoother performance) both the latest Apple Silicon Macs and virtual machines have become more powerful in processing speed and RAM meaning SolidWorks now works better in a virtual machine than Boot Camp.
Generally, we don’t recommend using older Intel Macs to run SolidWorks as it doesn’t run half as well as using Parallels on Apple Silicon.
With this in mind, here we show you the best way to install SolidWork on a Mac in 2023.
How To Install SolidWorks on a Mac With Parallels
Follow these instructions to run SolidWorks on Mac using Parallels.
- Download Parallels for Mac and run the installer. You can use the free trial to try it first. For running SolidWorks on a Mac, we strongly recommend getting Parallels Pro because it gives you much more control over how many resources you your Mac allocates to Parallels which is very important in an application as resource hungry as SolidWorks.
- Double click on the Parallels download and when prompted by macOS click “Open” and then click “Accept” on the End User License Agreement.
- Parallels will now download the installer and then prompt you for your Mac admin username and password to continue the setup.
- Parallels will ask permissions to access your Mac Desktop, Downloads and Documents folders. Click on “Finish”.
- Parallels will then automatically download and Install Windows 11 when you click Install Windows. If you’re using an Apple Silicon M1, M2 or M3 Mac it will download and install Windows 11 ARM.
- Parallels will then start to download Windows 11 from Microsoft.
- Once is has validated the install, Parallels will then start the Windows 11 installer on your Mac just as if it were installing Windows on a PC.
- When this is completed, you’ll get an “Installation Complete” message.
- To finalize the setup, Parallels will prompt you for your Parallels username or password. You can setup an account if you don’t already have one or sign in with your Apple, Google or Facebook account too.
- After you’ve signed-in, Parallels will give you access to a 14 day free trial but if you’ve purchased a Parallels license already, you can enter the license key next.
- Parallels will then display the Windows 11 End User License Agreement which you must click on “Accept” before continuing. You’ll then have full access to Windows 11 on your Intel Mac or Windows 11 ARM on an Apple Silicon M1, M2 or M3 chip Mac.
- Since you’re using a fresh install of Windows 11, the first thing you’ll need to do is install the latest updates for Windows 11 from Microsoft. To do this, go to the Windows Start Menu > Settings > System > Windows Update which is in the bottom left hand corner.
- Windows 11 may prompt you to activate it at this point but you can simply click “Close”. Windows 11 is free to use and you only need to activate it with a key if you want advanced customization options such as changing the wallpaper or desktop theme.
- Click on “Check for updates” button in the top right corner of the Windows Update screen and then install the updates. This can take some time depending on the speed of your internet connection.
- When you have installed all the updates, Windows 11 will then restart to apply them.
- Once Windows has restarted, you can then configure Parallels to optimize how it uses resources on your Mac. To do this, go to your Windows 11 desktop and select “Actions” from the Menu bar across the top and then select “Configure” at the bottom of the Menu. First you need to disable file sharing between Windows and macOS. SolidWorks does not support file sharing in Parallels you you need to select the General tab at the top of the Configuration window and select Sharing. In the “Share Mac” tab, uncheck all the options to share files between Mac and Windows.
- Do the same by unchecking “Access Windows folders from Mac” in the “Share Windows” tab.
- Next go to the Hardware tab and change the CPU settings from “Automatic” to “Manual”. We recommend allocating at least 8 cores to Parallels to run SolidWorks smoothly but the number of cores available will depend on which model of Mac you have. We do not recommend allocating any less than 4 cores however for running Solidworks.
- Then change the Memory setting to at least 10GB if available. The very minimum we would recommend is 4GB.
- Next go to the General tab and if you have the Pro version of Parallels, you can automatically optimize it even further for running CAD software like Parallels. To do this click on “Change…” next to “Configure For” and change the profile to “Design”.
- Restart Windows 11 for the changes you’ve made to the Parallels virtual machine to take effect. You’re now ready to install SolidWorks on your Mac.
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser in Windows and you can download SolidWorks 2023 for free if you choose the Community Download Edition. This is aimed at students, educators, military and sponsored organizations and is strictly not for commercial use. If you need to use SolidWorks commercially however, you need to purchase SolidWorks instead
- When you fill in the form, you will receive a download link for SolidWorks 2023. Download SolidWorks and then open the EXE file in Windows. Click “Yes” when prompted to unzip the SolidWorksSetup.exe file.
- Once unzippped, run the SolidWorks installer and you’ll be prompted to add your SolidWorks serial number.
- Next you’ll be asked to select which SolidWorks products to install.
- SolidWorks running in Parallels does not work with all SolidWorks features so you’ll need to click on “Change” in the top right and uncheck the following options: “SolidWorks Electrical” and “SolidWorks CAM”.
- Once you’ve done this, return to the Summary of selections and check the box at the bottom “I accept the terms of the SolidWorks license agreement” and then click “Download and Install” in the bottom right-hand corner.
- SolidWorks will then install in Windows on your Mac and you’ll see an “Installation is Complete” message when you’re done.
- Click on “Finish” in the bottom right-hand corner and SolidWorks will then prompt you to restart Windows on your Mac to complete the installation so click “Restart Now”.
- When Windows restarts, you’ll see all of the SolidWorks applications that have been installed down the left hand side of your Windows desktop.
- Double-click on the SolidWorks 2023 desktop shortcut to launch SolidWorks in Windows on your Mac. SolidWorks will prompt you to activate the product with the serial number you entered earlier. Just click “Next” to do this and then click on “Accept” when presented with the license agreement. SolidWorks will then open in Windows.
You should find that SolidWorks works very well on your Mac with no lag or stuttering when manipulating 3D objects and designs.
How To Make RealView Work In SolidWorks on a Mac
RealView doesn’t work by default when you install SolidWorks on a Mac but there is a workaround you can use to make it work.
To get RealView working in SolidWorks running on Windows on your Mac follow these instructions:
- Open the Windows Registry Editor in Windows 11 on your Mac.
- In the Registry Editor along the left hand folder nest, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SolidWorks/AllowList/Current and double click the Renderer entry on the right.
- Select and Copy the string that appears that will be something like “Parallels using Apple M2 Pro (Compat)”. It will differ according to whichever model of Mac you are using.
- Go back to the folders on the left and select HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SolidWorks/AllowList/G12Shaders/Other and then right-click on it and select New > Key from the context menu that appears.
- In the new folder that appears rename it as the string you copied earlier i.e. “Parallels using Apple M2 Pro (Compat)”.
- Making sure that the folder you have renamed is highlighted, on the right you need to right-click on the Default file and select New > DWORD 32-bit value.
- In the new DWORD that is created rename it “Workarounds”. Right click on it and select “Modify”.
- In the Data Field that appears type “4000480” and leave “Hexadecimal” selected.
- Go back to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SolidWorks/AllowList/ and this time click on the Vendor value.
- Right click on Vendor and copy the text in the Value Data field which should be “Parallels and Apple”.
- Go back to HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SolidWorks/AllowList/ and right click on AllowList to create a new key and paste the name of the folder as “Parallels and Apple”.
- Right click on the right of the screen and select New > Key > New > DWORD 32-bit value. In the new DWORD that is created rename it “Workarounds”. Right click on it and select “Modify”.
- In the Data Field that appears type “4000480” and leave “Hexadecimal” selected.
- You can now close the Registry Editor in Windows and restart SolidWorks 2023. You should now see that RealView Graphics is now available in SolidWorks on your Mac.
- When you select “RealView Graphics”, SolidWorks will use the GPU to render objects in 3D.
- Finally, you need to make these changes in the Windows Registry in order to make OpenGL and RealView work in macOS running SolidWorks on Parallels. You should be good to go after that.
Note that because this is a workaround to get RealView working on a Mac it’s not officially recognized by SolidWorks meaning that advanced options such as OpenGL and Enhanced Graphics Performance are not available in System Options > Performance.
When Will SolidWorks Be Available For Mac?
For the moment, this is by far the best way to run SolidWorks on macOS.
The makers of SolidWorks Dassault Systems has outlined its reasons for not making Solidworks for Mac and it basically comes down to a matter of resources and technical limitations.
Dassault Systems does produce software such as eDrawings and DraftSight for Mac and if you just need a SolidWorks viewer for Mac so you can open diagrams, the company has made eDrawings for Mac which allows you to view (but not edit) DWG and DXF files on Mac.
However, the relatively small Mac user base and the complexities of CAD Software such as Solidworks means that the company simply can’t justify the investment required to produce a full Mac version of Solidworks.
Dassault Systems has however released SolidWorks Xdesign which does work on a Mac.
There is the also interesting OnShape project headed by a former SolidWorks CEO and a group of ex-employees that’s aiming to create a online alternative to SolidWorks.
At the moment, the functionality isn’t quite on a par with Solidworks but OnShape is developing rapidly and it’s quite possible that in a few years, OnCloud will basically be SolidWorks online and be accessible on any platform including Mac.
Early reviews have called OnShape “Google Docs for CAD” due to it’s ease of use for a CAD software and cloud based deployment that works on any platform.
I use a M3 Pro MacBook Pro an allocated 8 cores and 24 gb ram to windows but solidworks only functions extremely slow. I have no clues what’s the reason, have anybody an idea?
Oh, how I wish this would work for me…I’m running Macbook Pro Max M1 Apple Silicon, install goes fine, though upon launching the launch screen reaches the verifying license message then simply closes without launching Solidworks. I running Parallels 19 and Windows 11.
Can you confirm which license you’re using it with? Is it an educational one or a commercial one that you’ve purchased?
I’ve purchased the commercial.
This tutorial is for the educational version but there’s no reason it shouldn’t work with a commercial license. Is it possible that you’re trying to use the same license twice? A Solidworks license is only valid for one install so if you’ve already installed it on another Windows PC and used that license, then that could be why it’s not working.
So, here’s the only thing that I wondered might be an issue. In addition to Parallels, I also have Crossover installed, which I rarely use. When I originally unzipped and launched the installer, by mistake I launched it from my mac outside of my Parallels virtual Win11 and Crossover launched. Also, I may pasted my serial number before noticing it was running via crossover. I caught the mistake and quickly closed the install. However, once I was installing from Parallel, when launching the setup, my serial number auto filled the dialog. As stated in the original post, installing is not a problem, though, could the mistake with Crossover be the problem?
That is likely to be the problem. Once you’ve registered the license, you can’t use it again. If you contact Solidworks and explain the problem they may be able to revoke the registration and allow you to use the serial number again.
I have the same problem. But I didn’t install and use SW license before. And I didn’t have solution yet. Could you figure out it?
This must be an issue with the educational license you have been given. Have you contacted SolidWorks?
License is commercial and official
If you’ve never registered the license before then it should work. It’s best to contact SolidWorks directly about this.
Hi, I am also using an Mac with a M1 Pro chip. I tried to change the settings in the registry, but I have some problems. I hope that you can help me….
After I created a basekey and a Dword_32 I can’t value the hex code 0x4000480. It’s just possible to set 0x04000480.
SW works fine, but the graphics are not as good as normal.
Can anyone send me a full manual with pictures??
cheers!
just use use RealHack in Windows, it makes all these settings.
https://grabcad.com/library/how-to-activate-realview-with-real-hack-6-solidwork-2019-1/files
I’ve tried doing the registry edit for my MacBook pro M1 with SW-2020, but the realview graphics button is still greyed out. is there anything else I can try?
I’m considering buying a 16″ Macbook M1 Pro with 16GB. Is that enough RAM to support Solidworks using Parallels? (I was a little confused by the resource breakdown in the article.) Thanks for your help.
You need at least 8GB of RAM to run Solidworks using Parallels so and M1 Mac with 16GB is enough.
Thank you!
You provided the Registry edits for using NVIDiA and ATI, but is it possible to use the RealView and Open GL on a M1 Arm Mac?
You can find the registry edits for running Solidworks on M1/M2 Macs here.
if you have win 11 and its not working – install that and restart
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170
It seems that Microsoft has taken down the links for the “Windows 10 on ARM”. Do you have any other current links that can direct me to loading Windows 10 for ARM to run on my M1 MacBook Pro via Parallels for SolidWorks?
You should be able to find one as per the instructions here.
Hi there, Running Parallel 17 and trying to install Solidworks. I followed all steps, installed dev Windows 10 for ARM64 based PC and installed Solidworks 2020. When i start the program it just crashes. I have allocated 4 cpus and 8 gb of ram for the VM but when i try changing the graphic settings as shown above, Parallel 17 doesn’t have the DirectX10 option. Could that be the reason SLDWRK isn’t running? Thanks
This is an invalid tutorial now that you can’t install windows 10 on M1 Macbook Pro. There is no solution to install solid works on M1 Macbook.
I’m running -13 i5 Air with 8GB. Solidworks runs and by optimizing solidworks graphics, it can run even better. Have been using it for years now. Waiting to upgrade to new M1, when there’s enough info that SW runs properly and all other features are robust.
Considering SW for a MBP late 2013 15″ i7 2.3ghz 16mb graphics intel iris pro cpu builtin and Nvidia geforce gt 750m pcie with automatic graphics switch supported for both graphics
Should I be considering another software other than SW re noted issues.
Nice guide!! but I have a 2017 MacBook Pro with touch bar 8gb RAM i5 3.1 ghz and solidworks don’t run well…do you know how to help me? I tried to start solidworks on parallels…the program start very well but after a while it crash when I tried to extrude or cut extrude a draw….I don’t know what to do…maybe I have to change some different setting on the regedit
Unfortunately using Solidworks in Parallels can be unstable and sometimes due to the graphical demands of the application. Certain actions such as extruding can cause the situation you describe and the best thing to try is installing Windows using Boot Camp instead as described in the article.
Hey Pedro, I am currently trying to get solidworks 2017 to run smoothly on my MBP 2017 with intel HD graphics 630 1536MB & Radeon Pro 560 4GB.
How did you manage to get it running smoothly on yours?
Thanks
Kev
I am in the same situation
Hello, I am using Solidworks 2017 on my MacBook Pro 2017 with Intel Iris Plus 650 Graphics via Bootcamp, I solve the OpenGL, after modify the registry works very fluid, but I can not solve the realview, I’m try to put the hex number 30008, 30408, 31408, 40000 on the registry and doesn’t works the realview. Could you help me please?
I am also having the same issues using the same machine, and I am running solidworks 2017 on Windows 10
Great Article, I just have a couple of follow up questions.
1) Do I follow the same steps as above even if I am not using an NVIDIA graphics card and am running solidworks 2017 on windows 10?
2) Once I properly configure Solidworks will it get rid of the lag
Solidworks 2017 only works with NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards. Once configured, there will be little lag depending on your setup and specs.
First, thank you for bearing with me. So, a couple questions: 1) how do I figure out the hex values for my graphics cards? 2) Do I have to change the values in the Parallels folders even if I am using Bootcamp? If so, do I only change the values in the Parallels Inc. & Intel Inc. folders?
You definitely don’t have to worry about Parallels folders if you’re using BootCamp. You need to check your Mac specs by going to the Apple logo in the top left of your screen and selecting “About This Mac..” to see which graphics card you’re using to know which hex values to use.
I have a new 2017 MacBook Pro with 8GB DDR3 RAM and 2.3 GHz i5 DC. I installed the 64 bit Windows 10 software using bootcamp, and am having several issues using Solidworks 2017-2018. It is usually laggy, and sometimes quits altogether unexpectedly. I am worried about slowing it down even further with the graphics card tweak you suggested; do you have any advice at making Solidworks as functional as on a PC? Thanks
Windows 10
Yes to make RealView and OpenGL work you’ll still need to edit the registry. You can find instructions how to open the registry in Windows 10 here.
I have a 2017 13″ MBP (with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650) running Solidworks 2017 in Bootcamp. Do I have to adjust the registry? If so, how do I do it? Thank you so much.
Which version of Windows you are using?
I have a 13″ mid 2010 mbp with 2.4 GHz intel core 2 duo, 16 GB RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce 320M 250 MB video card… I want to run solidworks (2017 preferably) on bootcamp. which would be the best windows os for me? Windows 7, 8 or 10?
With 16GB of RAM you will be fine with Windows 10. It’s always best to install the latest version of Windows possible as applications like Solidworks generally stop supporting older versions of Windows after some years. Check the Solidworks hardware and system requirements for more info.
Bummer. I’ve tried lots of other keys with no luck. Has anyone with the intel graphics HD 4000 card had success with getting real-view to work?
Sorry it hasn’t worked for you. You might find this conversation helpful which includes user comments with intel HD 4000 solidworks realview problems. If it solves the problem for you, or if you find a solution, be sure to let is know here 🙂
Hi, really helpful article. I followed your instructions (I’m running solidworks 2016 on parallels) but I have an Intel HD Graphics 4000 (mbp late 2012) instead of a nVidia. Any idea what the correct “workaround” hex value is for me? Following your instructions, I was able to get the RealView icon to show up, but when you click on it it doesn’t do anything – just adds a little shadow around the part.
Hi Matthew, Glad it helped. For Intel graphics cards, try this to make RealView work on SolidWorks in Parallels on Mac:
Create two new keys:
Realview Graphics:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\SolidWorks 2016\Performance\Graphics\Hardware\Gl2Shaders\Other\Parallels using Intel HD Graphics 4000 OpenGL Engine
Add value Workarounds: 0x04000480
Open CL:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\SolidWorks 2016\Performance\Graphics\Hardware\Intel\Parallels using Intel HD Graphics 4000 OpenGL Engine
Add value Workarounds: 0x09
If this doesn’t work, try adding these two keys instead:
..\Performance\Graphics\Hardware\Gl2Shaders\Other\Parallels using Intel HD Graphics 4000 OpenGL Engine.
DWORD Workaround value 4000480.
..\Performance\Graphics\Hardware\Intel\Parallels using Intel HD Graphics 4000 OpenGL Engine.
DWORD Workaround value 4000480.
Hope it helps!
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, neither of these combinations worked for realview. Both of them resulted successfully in the “use software open GL” being unchecked, but neither of them worked for RealView exactly. They both caused the realview icon to show up under the television screen drop-down, but when clicked, realview didn’t work. Under the first set of keys, (4000480 and 9), nothing happened when I enabled realview. Under the second set (4000480 and 4000480), The part gets a small shadow, but no real improved rendering.
Any other ideas? I’ve tried combinations of keys 40000, 9, 4000480 and 9000000 with no luck.
Thanks so much for your help.
No problem. The only thing we can suggest is try searching for other RegEdit Graphics\Hardware keys and make sure that they match the others and that the hexadecimal value is the same. 4000480 usually works.
https://youtu.be/bdHqGpQcdeQ
Interesting video comparison between Solid Edge v Solidworks in Parallels. Seems to work pretty well although we’d still recommend using Boot Camp instead of Parallels to install Solidworks on Mac.
Nice article. I’m currently using SW 2016 on an iMac (via Parallels). Any idea of how to get the Command Key/Apps Screen issue?
Specifically – whenever you try to rotate a part in SW (middle mouse button and Command key) the Windows App screen pops up. That means hitting ESC each time you finish rotating a part.
Any ideas?
BTW – I’m running Windows 8.1.
Hi, It should be possible to prevent this happening by remapping the keyboard shortcuts in Parallels so that the CMD key no longer activates anything. Let us know if it works!
Hello… I have a 2014 Mac Mini with an Intel(R) Iris(TM) Graphics 5100 graphics card.
What modifications should I make in the registry editor?
Thank you!
Hi, The instructions in the article are for an Intel Mac. However, if you’ve followed them closely and read the comments here and are still stuck, you might find this article helpful. Let us know if you find a solution.
Hi… I tried with the Workarounds value 4000480 for both directories and it worked quite well (Real View included), except for the fact that when, for example, I draw something in Sketch Mode, extrude it and then go back to Sketch Mode to edit it, I don’t see the ghosted silhouette of the extrusión I did while editing the sketch. I only see the sketch itself. This is no the way it works on SolidWorks running on a PC as far as I’ve seen it. You always see the solid being modified as you edit the sketch.
I tried to use the Workarounds value 0x09 but I don’t really know which value to put in the ‘Edit DWORD’ pop-up window. If I put 9, the outcoming number is 0x00000009. Which is the correct number I should type in order to get 0x09 as a result?
Thank you!
There are some disadvantages to running Solidworks on Mac this way and one of them is that it doesn’t work and look exactly the same as on Windows when it comes to subtle features like the ghosted silhouette of extrusions. You may be able to find a solution on the forum we referred you to earlier but if not, this is one of the minor glitches you have to live with.
I’m having a problem installing solidworks 2013 or later in parallels, a pop up apears saying “installation manager could not be found” please help me.
It sounds like you may be trying to open an ISO file of Solidworks 2013? If so, you need to mount the ISO file in a virtual drive instead.