Why a CommandManager Tab May Appear in One Mode but Not Another

The CommandManager is the toolbar that appears across the top of the SOLIDWORKS window by default. The CommandManager displays different toolbars based on the type of document you are working on. Options that appear in the default part mode may not appear in the default assembly or drawing modes, and vice versa.

Tabs can be added or removed from your CommandManager by right-clicking in your CommandManager and selecting or unselecting the tab, but what if the tab you need in assembly mode does not appear in the list of tabs to add, yet shows in part or drawing mode?

How to Copy Tabs to the Assembly or Drawing CommandManager

Copying tabs from one CommandManager profile to another can be done with a few simple steps. This streamlines the process of moving a tab from the parts profile to either the assembly or drawing profiles.

To copy a tab from one profile to another:

1. Open an existing or new part in SOLIDWORKS.
2. Right-click on any tab in the CommandManager, then select Customize.
   

   Customizing the CommandManager

3. Right-click on the tab that is missing from assembly or drawing mode, then select Copy Tab to Assemblies or Copy Tab to Drawings.
   

   Copying tabs from one profile to another

4. The tab will be added to the CommandManager of the selected mode.

Further CommandManager Customization

The CommandManager can further be customized to add new tabs or rename tabs. The Add Tab button will bring up a longer list of additional tabs that can be added to the CommandManager. After adding a new tab, you can delete, rename, or hide the additional tabs.

Adding additional tabs for CommandManager customization

You may notice that some tabs appear in black text while others have purple text. The tabs in black text are your tabs that are currently shown. These tabs will always appear shown until they are selected to be hidden. They can be hidden by right-clicking on the tab and selecting Hide Tab.

The tabs in purple text are your hidden tabs. These tabs only appear after right-clicking the CommandManager and selecting Customize. Once the customization window is closed, these tabs will no longer appear unless they are selected to show. They can be shown by right-clicking on the purple tab and selecting Show Tab.

Resetting the CommandManager to Default Through Windows Registry

If you find that multiple tabs are completely missing from the list of tabs to enable in the CommandManager, it’s possible that your SOLIDWORKS installation has become corrupt or more specifically, SOLIDWORKS keys within your Windows Registry have become corrupt. Resetting the CommandManager registry key will reset the CommandManager to default and restore any missing tabs.

Be very careful when making modifications to the Windows Registry as this may cause serious instability on your system. As such, you will need full administrative permissions on your computer to be able to edit them. Please note to always take a backup before any system changes to avoid further issues.

Prior to following the steps below to modify your registry, we recommend utilizing the Copy Settings Wizard to save any custom SOLIDWORKS settings to a safe location on your machine.

To reset the CommandManager to default:

1. Close all SOLIDWORKS instances.
2. Click the Start button and type “regedit” in the search bar to find and open the Registry Editor.
   

   Opening the Registry Editor

3. Please navigate to the following location within your Registry Editor: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\SOLIDWORKS 20XX\User Interface\CommandManager.
4. Right-click on the CommandManager entry and select Rename. Rename the entry “CommandManager_OLD”.
5. Close the Registry Editor and relaunch SOLIDWORKS.

When SOLIDWORKS is launched starts it will re-create a new “CommandManager“ registry key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\SOLIDWORKS 20XX\User Interface\CommandManger. The missing tabs should now appear in your CommandManager, and you can begin re-customizing as needed.

Should you run into any issues or require further assistance, open a ticket with our Technical Support team here.