Latest Release and Notes

This release brings important improvements to Desktop Connector with enhanced user experience, better performance, and critical bug fixes.

While upgrading is optional, our support team will recommend testing your workflow with the latest version to access the newest features and improvements.

February 2, 2026 (v17.1.0.16)

Download Desktop Connector v17.1.0.16 now

What's new

16.x to 17.x migration improvements

• Smoother upgrade experience: When upgrading from version 16.x to 17.x, Desktop Connector automatically checks your workspace and backs up any files that don't match what's stored in the cloud. If many files need attention, Desktop Connector will archive your files and resubscribe to your projects automatically, giving you a fresh start.

Learn more about Preparing Projects for Version 17.x.

Performance improvements

• Reduced memory usage with many projects: Desktop Connector now uses significantly less memory when subscribed to many projects. This improvement makes Desktop Connector more efficient on systems with many project subscriptions.

• Faster project scanning: Desktop Connector now spends less time scanning for changes in projects you haven't recently interacted with, resulting in faster overall performance.

Enhanced user experience

• Windows 11 context menu improvements: Desktop Connector menu items now appear directly in the Windows 11 context menu without requiring users to click "Show more options." This improvement makes it faster and easier to access Desktop Connector features when right-clicking on files and folders.

• Renamed "Create viewable" to "Process for viewing": The right-click menu option has been updated to align with Autodesk Docs terminology.

• Administrator controls for delete notifications: Admins can now disable delete notifications or configure the deleted file threshold that triggers a delete notification for a specific machine or user through the registry. By default, users are notified when 1 or more files are deleted, but administrators can adjust this threshold to any number or turn off notifications entirely.

• Free Up Space now works on folders: The "Free Up Space" option is now properly enabled for folders that contain downloaded files, making it easier to free up disk space at the folder level.

• Duplicate filename detection: Desktop Connector now notifies you in the Troubleshooter when it detects duplicate file name entries from long and short 8.3 filename variants in your workspace, helping you understand why certain sync operations may be failing.

• Reset Utility no longer requires exiting Desktop Connector first: The Reset Utility can now safely shut down Desktop Connector when it runs, eliminating the need to manually exit Desktop Connector before running the utility. Learn more about the Reset Utility.

Upload with References improvements

• Improved upload settings clarity: The "Always upload with references" setting has been renamed to "Always ask to include references" with a helpful tooltip that explains when files are uploaded with or without the upload with references dialog, making it easier to understand this option.

• Show only files with issues: A new toggle on the Select page allows you to filter the file list to show only files with missing references or other issues. This makes it easier to focus on resolving problems before uploading. The toggle can be turned on or off as needed, and is disabled when no issues are found.

• Circular and self-reference detection: When resolving missing referenced files, Desktop Connector now detects if the file you choose would create a self-reference (a file referencing itself) or a circular reference (files referencing each other in a loop). If detected, you'll see a warning icon with a clear message explaining the issue so you can choose a different file.

• See parent files of missing references: When a file is missing, the tooltip now displays both its parent files and the missing file's path, making it easier to understand file dependencies and resolve missing reference issues.

• Change resolved file references: After resolving a missing referenced file, you can choose a different file if needed, giving you more flexibility to correct file references.

• Warning when unchecking files: If you uncheck files in the Select page and click Next, a warning dialog will appear explaining that unselected files will not be uploaded and may create missing references that could prevent others from opening or viewing the complete assembly.

• See all files in folders: When dragging folders into the Upload with References dialog, all original files contained in those folders are now displayed even if you cancel the Inventor Project File selection, making it easier to see what will be uploaded.

• Better error messages for long paths: When the Upload Dialog cannot retrieve referenced files because a file path exceeds the Windows OS path length limit, you'll now receive a clear, appropriate error message explaining the issue.

Learn more about Upload with references.

Bug fixes and stability

Stability improvements

• Responsive project additions: Desktop Connector now remains responsive when errors occur during the initial sync while adding a project, instead of freezing.

• Safer file and folder operations: Desktop Connector now handles the combination of creating files and renaming parent folders without crashing.

• Clean application exit: Exiting Desktop Connector while the Reference Explorer or Upload wizard dialogs are open now closes both the dialog and application properly.

• Long path handling in upload dialog: Dragging files with paths that exceed the Windows path length limit into the Upload wizard no longer causes a crash.

• Locked file scanning: Desktop Connector no longer crashes when scanning files that are locked by another application (such as temporary files created by Office applications).

• Temporary file handling: Desktop Connector no longer crashes when a temporary file (such as an AutoCAD .tmp file) is deleted by the authoring application during scanning.

• Remote sync stability: Desktop Connector no longer crashes during remote sync after creating placeholder files but before completing the database update.

Sync reliability

• Workspace scanning loops: Workspace scanning no longer gets stuck in a loop when a remote sync fails but modifies the workspace in some way.

• Lock icon display: Desktop Connector no longer gets stuck applying a lock icon to read-only files, which previously prevented sync from completing.

• Remote move operations: Unexpected failed jobs no longer appear on the Home Screen when a remote sync bulk move is interrupted.

• Move sync errors: Users no longer see unexpected failed move jobs for files they didn't touch, with errors indicating duplicate files.

• Remote delete for long paths: Remote sync of file or folder deletions now works correctly for long paths. Desktop Connector also detects and remediates duplicate placeholders caused by this issue.

Upload reliability

• File integrity during upload: Editing and saving a file while its upload is in progress now correctly captures all changes, preventing discrepancies between local and cloud versions.

• Re-uploading assemblies: Uploading the same assembly with references multiple times no longer fails due to existing read-only files in the destination.

• Clearer read-only error messages: When uploading files that would replace existing read-only files, the error message now clearly explains the issue.

• Solibri file uploads: Solibri files no longer fail with "failed to copy file to temporary folder" errors during upload operations. Desktop Connector now correctly handles Solibri temporary files (~$...smc).

File and folder operations

• Folder replace operations: Moving a folder and replacing it with a new folder of the same name now completes as expected without unexpectedly deleting the original folder.

User interface

• Delete notifications after reinstall: Desktop Connector no longer shows delete notifications for files after uninstalling and reinstalling the application.

• Troubleshoot button visibility: The Troubleshoot button no longer disappears from the Home Screen toolbar. Disabled toolbar buttons also no longer show a blue hover effect.

• Troubleshoot download action: The "Fix All" action in the Troubleshooting tool now correctly triggers download operations for files that need to be downloaded.

Related resources

• Learn more about What is Desktop Connector.
• Explore Historical Releases of Desktop Connector for previous updates.