How to Use Educational and Commercial Versions of Archicad on the Same Computer?

If educational (EDU) and commercial licences of Archicad coexist on the same computer, the program may start by default in educational mode.

This can happen even if a valid commercial licence exists on the computer. In these cases, you can create a shortcut or launcher that forces Archicad to open in commercial mode.

This article explains how to do this on both Windows and macOS, and it can be repeated for each version of Archicad installed on the computer.

When to use this procedure

• When the computer has both EDU and commercial licences installed or available at the same time.
• When Archicad starts in EDU mode even though you want to work in commercial mode.
• When you need a specific shortcut to make sure a particular version of Archicad always opens in commercial mode.

Windows

Important: This process does not remove the educational licence. It only creates a shortcut that forces Archicad to start in commercial mode.

Step 1 - Open the folder for the desired version

1. Go to the folder where the version of Archicad you want to open in commercial mode is installed.
2. For example: C:\Program Files\GRAPHISOFT\Archicad 29
3. Inside that folder, locate the Archicad Starter.exe file.

Step 2 - Create a shortcut

1. Right-click Archicad Starter.exe.
2. Create a shortcut in the same folder, or use Send to > Desktop to create it on the desktop.

Step 3 - Edit the shortcut

1. Right-click the newly created shortcut and select Properties.
2. On the Shortcut tab, find the Target field.
3. At the end of the field's content, add the following: /NOEDU
4. Make sure to leave a space before /NOEDU.
5. Click Apply and then OK.

Note: Do not remove or modify the original text in the Target field. Only add /NOEDU at the end.

Step 4 - Open Archicad from that shortcut

1. From then on, whenever you start Archicad using that shortcut, the program will open in commercial mode.
2. Repeat the process for each installed version of Archicad you want to configure.

macOS

Important: On macOS, the recommended method is to create a small application with Automator that launches Archicad in commercial mode.

Step 1 - Open Automator

1. Open Automator from the macOS Applications folder.
2. Select New Document.
3. Choose the Application type.

Step 2 - Add the Run Shell Script action

1. In Automator's search field at the top, type Run Shell Script (or Ejecutar script de shell on Spanish-language systems).
2. Drag that action into the panel on the right.

Step 3 - Paste the launch command

1. In the script field, paste the following command:

open -na "/Applications/GRAPHISOFT/Archicad 26/Archicad 26.app" --args -noedu

2. Replace the version number if it corresponds to a different Archicad installation.

Example: If you're using Archicad 27 or Archicad 28, you need to modify the path so it exactly matches the name of the installed application.

Step 4 - Save the application

1. Save the application in the location you prefer.
2. Give it a clear name, for example: Archicad 26 No Edu
3. From then on, whenever you open Archicad using that application, it will start in commercial mode.