Table of Contents

Install or update PDMShell

PDMShell installs for your Windows account and does not require administrator privileges.

Looking for the SOLIDWORKS PDM add-in instead? See Install the PDMShell add-in.

Download and install PDMShell

Download the latest PDMShell

The download is a ZIP file containing the signed PDMShell installer.

If you need to test Premium features, request a 7-day PDMShell trial license after installing.

  1. Open your Downloads folder.
  2. Right-click pdmcli_installer.zip and select Extract All.
  3. Open the extracted folder.
  4. Double-click pdmcli_installer.exe.
  5. Wait for PDMShell to open.

PDMShell is added to the Start menu and Windows Installed apps. A Desktop shortcut is also created.

Update PDMShell

The startup screen shows loading progress, the installed version, and standalone license status. When attention is needed, it shows license or update actions.

PDMShell 4.0.85 startup controls

Rendered startup state with sample license status. No licensing request was made.

Read the release notes before updating
  1. Select Update now when an update is offered.
  2. The updater starts downloading automatically.
  3. Wait while it checks for blockers and installs the update; if a blocker is found, follow the recovery steps below.
  4. The updated version opens automatically.

Choose Open PDMShell to continue without installing the offered update. Interacting with the startup notice stops its automatic continuation countdown.

Your shortcuts and settings are preserved. You do not need to uninstall the previous version first.

If the update is interrupted, review the updater's Details and the recovery steps below. You can also use Download installer to install the latest version using the steps above.

Processes blocking installation

Starting in 4.0.91, the updater checks for processes using installed files, running from the installation folder, or using that folder as their working directory. A Processes blocking installation panel lists each detected application's name, PID, executable path and reason.

  1. Save work in the listed applications.
  2. Close the affected application normally, or select it and choose Close application to request a normal window close.
  3. Select Recheck to refresh the list.
  4. Select Retry when you are ready to attempt the update again.

Force terminate… is a separate, confirmed last resort and can lose unsaved work. For Windows Explorer, use Restart Explorer… instead: finish file transfers first and expect the desktop and taskbar to restart. PDMShell does not automatically close applications. Process actions do not automatically retry installation.

Services, critical processes, other users' processes and processes that cannot be safely identified are not controllable from this panel. An incomplete scan is reported; an empty list does not prove that every lock has been found.

If pdmcli.mcp.exe reappears, the AI client may be restarting its MCP server. Close or disconnect that client before rechecking. Do not repeatedly terminate the replacement process.

“Failed to remove existing application directory”

This error can mean a process still holds the installation directory open, even when no individual file lock is reported. Version 4.0.91 fixes the installer wrapper holding its own working directory inside the existing installation. It does not remove locks held by other applications.

If your older updater cannot show the blocker panel, download the current installer using the button above, extract it to Downloads and run it from there. Save work and close affected applications first. If the failure continues, expand Details and include the installer log with your support request:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\velopack\velopack.log

Do not delete the installation folder or the PDM plug-in cache as a first troubleshooting step.

General Settings And Privacy

PDMShell Settings opens at a compact default size and groups options into vertical sections.

PDMShell General settings page with startup, vault login, editor, and console sections

Under Settings > About PDMShell > Privacy, use Share installation data with Blue Byte Systems to control optional reporting. It is enabled by default. Disabling it affects future installation-data collection only; it does not remove previously submitted data and does not turn off licensing or update checks. The General screenshot uses test values, not recommended defaults.

Install from Microsoft Store

  1. Open Microsoft Store.
  2. Search for PDMShell.
  3. Select Get or Install.
  4. Open PDMShell from the Start menu.

The website download may receive new versions before the Microsoft Store. If the Store version is older, use the download button on this page.

System requirements

  • Windows 10 or Windows 11
  • SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2014 or newer
  • SOLIDWORKS 2017 or newer for commands that open or process SOLIDWORKS documents

4.0.89 and newer disable Prefer 32-bit for standalone PDMShell and its managed helpers. AnyCPU runs as 64-bit on 64-bit Windows so it can load 64-bit PDM components. If check-in reports a missing file-format component on an older build, update first; if it persists, include the exact error and installed PDM client version in your support request.

Need help?

Visit the Blue Byte Systems support page or email support@bluebytesystemsinc.zohodesk.com.

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