Currently users may experience technical issues when installing educational Archicad versions, especially with unattended installation at educational facilities.
This guide shows how to install Archicad with EDU licenses to prevent technical issues.
Single-seat installation with individual activation
- Download your preferred version (Archicad 28 or 29) together with the corresponding update (at least Archicad 28.3.1 or 29.1.0). Both are available via your account myarchicad.graphisoft.com or at graphisoft.com/downloads.
- First, install the main version (Archicad 28 or 29) without activating the license.
- Then install the update (Archicad 28.3.1 or newer, or 29.1.0 or newer).
- Finally, activate your license. Your username and serial number are available in your myarchicad.graphisoft.com account.
Note on Archicad 27 and earlier versions
Archicad 27 and earlier versions can only be installed with a license that expires before 23 March 2027. If you have received a license with a longer validity, please contact edu@graphisoft.com and we will provide a suitable license.
Please also note that these versions can generally only be used until 23 March 2027. From that date onward, Archicad 28 and newer versions will be available. We therefore recommend planning your upgrade accordingly.
Installation in unattended mode – recommended procedure
For unattended deployment we currently recommend Archicad 29 with a license that expires before 23 March 2027. This installs in a single step.
Note: If your license expires after 23 March 2027, please reach out to edu@graphisoft.com and we will issue a suitable license for your unattended deployment.
- Download the Archicad 29 Release installer from graphisoft.com/downloads.
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Run the installer with the EDU parameters:
<full path to installer> --eduSerialNumber <serial number> --eduUserID <user ID> - Archicad starts in EDU mode. No separate activation step is required.
A detailed description is available in the BIM Manager Install Guide.
Notes:
- Enter the serial number without hyphens. Your myarchicad.graphisoft.com account displays it in groups separated by "-"; these are not part of the serial number.
- Use the Release installer, not an update installer – the update installers do not process the --eduSerialNumber and --eduUserID parameters.
- For unattended deployments we recommend Archicad 29 rather than Archicad 28, as the improvements described below apply to Archicad 29.
Return to the standard workflow
This is a transitional arrangement:
- From early October, the Archicad 30 Release installer supports unattended EDU installation with any license, as described in the BIM Manager Install Guide..
- From early November, Archicad 29 Update 3 (29.3) does the same for existing Archicad 29 deployments.