Introduction

A couple of years ago Autodesk introduced us to the Autodesk Desktop App. At that stage it was called differently but its essentials did the same thing. The main task of the Desktop App is to keep the User informed about updates and new versions of their software.  The Desktop App will only work effectively if the user has been assigned a license by the Contract Manager in the Autodesk Account found at: http://manage.autodesk.com and then the user logs into the Desktop App.

Installation

The Autodesk Desktop App gets installed by default with any of the newer Autodesk software.  Now with any software something might go wrong, and the Desktop App needs to be reinstalled. I have seen instances where Desktop App dialogue box is empty upon start-up. There is nothing shown inside the dialogue box. Like the image below. There are documents on the Autodesk Knowledge network on how to fix some of these particular issues but for this example we’ll reinstall the App.

Uninstall

This seems easy but there are some pitfalls. First you need to close the app on the Program tray by right-clicking the Icon and selecting Exit.

As the app is a Service you need to turn off the service if it did not switch off automatically. To do this right click on the Task bar at the bottom of the screen and access the Task Manager. In the task manager find the “Background Processes” section, scroll down to find the Desktop App and Rightclick and select “End Task” option.

This would have closed the service and the App is now ready to be uninstalled. You can uninstall the Autodesk Desktop app from your Windows Control Panel as shown.

Installation

To Install the Autodesk Desktop App you can visit the following website to install. https://www.autodesk.com/desktop-app

Selecting the “Install Now” button will ask you to accept a license agreement and then start the process of downloading and installing.

Just following the steps and run the software. It will start downloading.

And then install.

Once the process is done the would open again or ask you to log in. Do so and the app will be ready to be used.

Conclusion

Sometimes you need to update\refresh software. Especially the Autodesk Desktop App that is used as a support tool for Autodesk software updates that can stretch between versions. Although the Desktop App periodically update itself there are instances where you need to reinstall to update the App. If you need any further assistance please contact us at: https://www.mgfx.co.za/contact/