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How do you version SolidWorks files without PDM?

Larry Wu, CEO, Kyumi · Last updated October 20, 2026

Between releases, versioning SolidWorks without PDM comes down to five habits: fixed file names, renaming and copying only with reference-aware tools, a dated snapshot of the working folder before risky changes, one owner per subassembly, and a backup that leaves the building. It protects work in progress; released revisions are a separate routine.

Versions are not revisions

A revision is a released, approved state of a part: Rev B goes to the supplier. That routine (a release owner, a released folder, revision letters) is covered in How do you do revision control without PDM?.

A version is every save in between. SOLIDWORKS PDM creates a new version each time a file is checked in, and lets you view, compare and restore earlier versions (SOLIDWORKS Help, Versions and Revisions). Without PDM, nothing records those versions for you. Day-to-day work gets lost in five ways:

  • Overwrites. Someone saves over a file another person changed an hour ago.
  • Broken references. A part is renamed, copied or moved outside SolidWorks, and the assembly can no longer find it, or finds the wrong one.
  • No history between releases. Rev B shipped three weeks ago, and the version from last Tuesday that worked is gone.
  • Two people, one assembly. The second person to save wins.
  • A dead laptop. The only copy of this week's work was on it.

In our discovery calls, engineers on teams without PDM described several of these problems: manual copies that people forget to make, files spread across machines and drives, and two people changing the same parts.

Why renaming breaks assemblies

When you save an assembly, SolidWorks stores the path and name of each component in the assembly file (SOLIDWORKS Help, Saving an Assembly). If a component is missing, SolidWorks searches for it, and its first rule is to use any open document with the same name (SOLIDWORKS Help, Search Routine). So a test copy of a part with the same file name can quietly end up in your assembly if that copy is open, or sits in a folder SolidWorks searches.

Two tools rename safely. Right-click the file in File Explorer, choose Show More Options > SOLIDWORKS > Rename, and select Update where used, which lists every document that references the file so you can pick the ones to update (SOLIDWORKS Help, Rename Document). For copies and moves, one SolidWorks reseller recommends Pack and Go for every copy, move or rename operation (GoEngineer).

Worked example: 200-0510 battery enclosure

A five-person team has one CAD owner for the enclosure and a second engineer who does the lid. Rev B is released. Rev C work is under way.

/200-0510 Battery enclosure/
  /wip/                       working files, names never change
    200-0510.SLDASM           top assembly (CAD owner)
    200-0510.SLDDRW
    200-0511.SLDPRT           base plate (CAD owner)
    200-0520.SLDASM           lid subassembly (second engineer)
    200-0521.SLDPRT           lid
    200-0522.SLDPRT           gasket
  /snapshots/
    2026-10-14_before-lid-rework.zip
    2026-10-17_after-drop-test.zip
  CHANGELOG.txt
  /released/  /_obsolete/     see the revision control note

The routine:

  1. Name files by part number and never change the name. No "_v2", "_final" or "_new" in native file names.
  2. Rename or copy with SolidWorks tools, never with plain File Explorer.
  3. Snapshot before anything risky. Before the lid rework, the CAD owner runs Pack and Go on 200-0510.SLDASM into a zip named with the date and reason. Snapshot again at the end of each week.
  4. Write one line per snapshot in CHANGELOG.txt: 2026-10-17 | JL | gasket 2.0 to 2.4 mm after drop test leak | 2026-10-17_after-drop-test.zip.
  5. Split ownership by subassembly. The second engineer owns 200-0520.SLDASM and its parts. The CAD owner opens it read-only, using the External References option to open referenced documents with read-only access.
  6. Turn on the multi-user environment (Tools > Options > System Options > Collaboration) for both people. Users share a file when they load it from the same location; others get read-only access, SolidWorks can check whether files opened read-only were changed by someone else, and Reload brings in the latest save (SOLIDWORKS Help, Multi-User Environment).
  7. Set SolidWorks backups. Under Tools > Options > Backup/Recover/Version, set backup copies per document (1 to 10) and auto-recover every few minutes. A backup is the document as it was before the last save, so it undoes today's mistake, not last month's. The backup and auto-recover folders must be on your local system, not a network drive (SOLIDWORKS Help, Backup/Recover/Version Options).
  8. Keep working files out of cloud-sync folders. A sync client can corrupt a file by taking control of it during a save, and corrupt files cannot be fully repaired, so restoring from backup is the better route (GoEngineer). Our advice: work in a local or server folder, and sync the snapshots folder instead.
  9. Back up off the machine. Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, on two types of media, with one copy off-site (CISA).

Ways to keep versions between releases

Method Good for Main risk
SolidWorks backup copies Undoing a bad save from today Up to 10 copies, in a backup folder on your PC by default; not a dated history
Dated Pack and Go snapshots plus a changelog History between releases at no cost Depends on someone remembering; zips pile up
Cloud-drive file history An off-site copy you can restore Syncing open files can corrupt them; restoring one file can leave the assembly pointing at mismatched versions
Git with Git LFS and file locking Full history, and locks that stop two people editing one file (Git LFS) Binary files like SLDPRT can't be merged in practice; the team has to be comfortable with Git
Multi-user environment on a shared server folder Two or three people in one assembly Every user has to turn it on; it controls access, it does not keep history
SOLIDWORKS PDM Check-in, check-out and a version on every check-in Server setup and admin time

When this stops working

These habits rely on people. Signs you have outgrown them:

  • More than two people edit the same assembly most days.
  • Someone has lost work to an overwrite or a broken reference this quarter.
  • Snapshots get skipped in busy weeks, so the changelog has gaps.
  • You need to know who changed a file between two snapshots, not just that it changed.

At that point the question is which PDM, not whether. See PDM vs PLM: which does a small hardware team need?

FAQ

Does SolidWorks keep a version history without PDM?

Not a full one. The Backup/Recover/Version options keep 1 to 10 backup copies per document, each taken before a save, in a backup folder on your PC by default. That undoes a recent bad save, but you cannot browse it by date or reason.

How do I rename a SolidWorks part without breaking the assembly?

Right-click the file in File Explorer, choose Show More Options > SOLIDWORKS > Rename, and select Update where used, then pick the assemblies and drawings that reference it to update. Renaming in plain File Explorer leaves assemblies looking for a file that is no longer there.

Can two people work in the same SolidWorks assembly without PDM?

Yes, if each person owns a separate subassembly and both turn on the multi-user environment under Tools > Options > System Options > Collaboration. Others then open your files read-only and reload when you save. If the multi-user environment is off, the last save still wins.

Is it safe to keep SolidWorks files in a cloud-synced folder?

It is risky for files you have open. A sync client that takes control of a file during a save can corrupt it, so we keep working files in a local or server folder and sync closed snapshots.

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