Important:
If you are upgrading from a previous major release (for example, 17.x to 2027.x), we recommend running the Reset Utility, uninstalling, and then reinstalling. For minor release upgrades, you can upgrade in place. For complete instructions, see Update Desktop Connector.
What's new
Enhanced user experience
- Improved file lock/unlock behaviors
- File locks are now properly tracked across Desktop Connector restarts, preventing stale locks from blocking other users.
- If a file is renamed or moved while Desktop Connector is not running, the lock is correctly associated with the file's new name/location upon restarting.
- Updated Forma branding: The Change Workspace dialog now correctly displays "Autodesk Forma" branding instead of the previous "Autodesk Docs" references.
Application compatibility
- Local thumbnail support for downloaded files: When used with AutoCAD 2027.1, Desktop Connector now extracts thumbnails for locally downloaded DWG files (synced or always available) when cloud thumbnails are not yet available. DWG thumbnails will appear in File Explorer and AutoCAD's Autodesk Projects tab. Earlier versions of AutoCAD are not affected by this change.
- Solidworks 2026 support: Desktop Connector now supports file operations for Solidworks 2026, including thumbnail previews and metadata extraction.
Bug fixes and stability
Stability improvements
- Fixed database-related crashes: Resolved crashes caused by internal database concurrency issues. Desktop Connector now uses a more reliable database connection strategy across all storage components, preventing intermittent crashes reported by some users.
- Fixed crash when signing in with a different user: Resolved a crash that could occur when signing out and signing back in with a different Autodesk account.
- Fixed crash during sign-in initialization: Resolved a crash that could occur during Desktop Connector startup related to identity service initialization.
- Fixed crash during startup: Resolved a crash that could occur during Desktop Connector startup.
- Fixed crash when restoring deleted files: Resolved a crash that could occur when choosing to restore files from the delete prompt.
- Fixed Revit freeze with Civil 3D topography links: Resolved an issue where Revit could freeze when opening models that include Civil 3D surfaces linked using the Link Topography tool.
Sync reliability
- Fixed copy and paste failures: Resolved an issue where copy-and-paste or drag-and-drop operations into a connected drive could fail if an application add-in process did not respond in time. Desktop Connector now helps users troubleshoot the error instead of only blocking the operation. For more information, view the Missing Components troubleshooting page.
- Fixed home screen not refreshing: Resolved an issue where the Desktop Connector home screen did not update after adding or subscribing to projects when the home screen was pinned or previously displayed the "No projects selected" message.
- Fixed folder status after freeing up space: Resolved an issue where a folder's status could remain as "sync pending" in File Explorer after performing "Free up space," even though the files inside the folder were correctly freed. The folder status now updates to "Online" as expected.
Revit behavior changes and known issues
If you use Revit with Desktop Connector, review the updated Revit behavior changes and known issues before upgrading. Key items include:
- IFC links not loading in Revit 2026 and earlier: Revit 2026 and earlier versions have a known issue handling IFC link paths with Desktop Connector 2027.x. Revit 2027 includes the fix. If you cannot upgrade Revit yet, rolling back to a previous Desktop Connector version is a temporary workaround.
- Autodesk Forma naming in link paths: Revit link paths now display Autodesk Forma:// instead of Autodesk Docs:// when using Desktop Connector 2027.x. This is a display-only change and does not affect functionality.
- Slow "Reload From" for topography links is resolved in this release, as noted in Stability improvements above.
