It sounds technical, slightly mysterious, and sometimes controversial. Does it speed up your software? Stop crashes? Or is it something else entirely?
The hosts file is a powerful networking tool, but it is not a backdoor to bypass licensing ethics. For legitimate users, there are safer, supported ways to control SolidWorks. For everyone else—do your engineering career a favor and go through an authorized reseller. Have a legitimate question about SolidWorks network configuration? Talk to your VAR (Value-Added Reseller) or Dassault Systèmes support directly. Solidworks Host File Block
If you’ve spent any time in online CAD forums or talked to a seasoned IT admin, you’ve likely heard the phrase “block SolidWorks in your hosts file.” Or is it something else entirely
127.0.0.1 localhost ::1 localhost 127.0.0.1 solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 www.solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 register.solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 licenses.solidworks.com 127.0.0.1 swym.3ds.com 127.0.0.1 events.3ds.com For everyone else—do your engineering career a favor
The is a plain text file on your computer that acts like a local phonebook. It maps hostnames (like www.google.com ) to IP addresses. When you type a web address, your computer checks the hosts file first before asking the internet’s DNS servers.
In this post, we’re demystifying the SolidWorks hosts file. We’ll explain what it actually does, how to modify it correctly, and the critical legal and practical risks you need to know before hitting "save." Before we talk about SolidWorks specifically, let’s cover the basics.