: Installation or modification of licensing services requires local administrative rights to write to the Windows registry. Related SOLIDWORKS "Block" Features
You must run Notepad as an administrator to save changes. Add Entries: Solidworks Host File Block
This is the target audience for the host file block. However, users should be aware that modern SolidWorks versions (2022 and later) have introduced and hardware fingerprinting . Simply blocking the hosts file is no longer sufficient. Crackers now use "loaders" that inject code into RAM to spoof the license server response, rendering the hosts file obsolete. Solidworks Host File Block
The "SolidWorks Hosts File" Trick: Solving Connection Lag and License Gremlins Solidworks Host File Block
The SolidWorks Host File Block is essential for several reasons: