Review prerequisites¶
The GitM installer checks for its prerequisites and aborts if any is missing. It does not bundle or install them for you. Install these first.
This page is the single-workstation view. IT admins deploying to many machines should read Review prerequisites (IT) for the fleet version.
Required before running the installer¶
| Prerequisite | Why | How the installer checks it |
|---|---|---|
| .NET Framework 4.8 | The add-in targets .NET Framework 4.8. | Registry …\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full Release ≥ 528040. |
| Git for Windows | All version control runs through the git CLI. |
Runs git --version. |
| Git LFS | Large CAD files are stored in LFS; locking uses LFS locks. | Runs git lfs version. |
If any are missing, the installer shows an error listing what to install with download links, and exits without installing anything.
Where to get them¶
- .NET Framework 4.8: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-framework/net48 (already present on most Windows 10/11 machines).
- Git for Windows: https://git-scm.com/download/win (includes Git Credential Manager, the recommended auth path).
- Git LFS: https://git-lfs.github.com — after installing, run
git lfs installonce to register the LFS hooks.
Also required¶
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
- SolidWorks installed (the add-in loads into the 64-bit SolidWorks process). Supported target versions are SolidWorks 2022–2025.
- Administrator rights to run the installer (it writes COM and SolidWorks registry keys).
Verify the prerequisites yourself¶
Open a terminal and run:
git --version
git lfs version
Both should print a version. For .NET 4.8, check Windows "Installed apps" or the registry key above.
Expected result¶
All three prerequisites report present, so the installer will proceed rather than abort.
Troubleshooting¶
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Installer immediately shows a "requires the following prerequisites" error | One of .NET 4.8 / Git / Git LFS is missing. | Install the named items, then re-run setup. |
git lfs version fails though Git is installed |
Git LFS not installed or not on PATH. | Install Git LFS, run git lfs install. |
Known limitations¶
- Prerequisites are not bundled. The original PRD called for the installer to bundle Git and Git LFS and install them silently; that is not implemented. On a fresh, non-technical machine, someone must install the three prerequisites by hand first. See Known limitations and discrepancies.