Need to install older version of Inventor to access Read Only Mode

[testsubject]

We recently started using Inventor 2022 and I went to install it to be able to access Read Only mode but it appears that I can only do this with 2023. 

Is there a way to install the trial of Inventor 2022 to gain access to 2022 Read Only?

At my company I do not have access to Inventor; I just wanted to use something other than Inventor View 2022 to view files....

[CCarreiras]

Hi!

You can ask here for older versions.

https://ava.autodesk.com/modular/

[andrewiv]

You can actually use RO mode from 2020 forward, it's just that the install is not separate.  You have to install the full Inventor and RO mode gets installed with it.

[testsubject]

Andrew,

That is what I expect but I have an issue with doing that; we are currently using Inventor 2022 and I do not want to cause any problems by installing Inventor 2023 (to get access to RO Mode.)

I do not have install rights to the pro version (Inventor 2022) that everyone in my office is using. 

The suggested route is to install Inventor as a trial version to get access to RO Mode but that only allows me to install 2023, not 2022.

[mcgyvr]

You can view 2022 files with Inventor RO 2023.. 

[johnsonshiue]

Hi Bob,

Each Inventor release is a separate product, which gets installed in a separate folder. Though the executables are always named Inventor.exe, having multiple releases on the same machine is supported. I used to have 9 releases of Inventor on my machine for testing purposes.

Many thanks!

[testsubject]

Johnson,

Thanks for the reply.

My concern is that after installing Inventor 2023 and setting it up for RO Mode, I open a file saved in 2022 and this forces an upgrade to 2023 to open it. Will this change the existing file to 2023 or will it still stay 2022?

The rest of the engineering team are on 2022 and there is no plan to change to 2023 in the near future.

I attempted to find Inventor 2022 to install it but only 2023 is available for trial....

I do not want to create problems.....

[mcgyvr · Accepted solution]

Its "read only"... It does NOT change the existing file. 

[testsubject]

Thanks!

The reason I keep asking is because the trial version allows for 2023 editing and I do not want anything to happen.

[DarrenP · Accepted solution]

like what was said

Inventor Read Only means read only it does not allow you to save the file

see screenshot

notice the save button is greyed out

& here:

[DarrenP]

youshould have another shortcut icon in your start menu for Inventor Read Only

[mcgyvr]

---

@testsubject wrote:

Thanks!

The reason I keep asking is because the trial version allows for 2023 editing and I do not want anything to happen.

---

@testsubject  I don't see any functionality for "editing" anything in 2023 Read Only Mode.. If you can edit you aren't in read only mode and are probably running full Inventor. 

https://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2023/ENU/?guid=GUID-64995BEF-2E8F-4074-BEFC-116D295FC8BD

Important: Inventor Read-only Mode is intended for viewing. A file can't be edited or saved in Read-only Mode and doesn't support the creation of 3D model based annotations, 2D annotations, or 2D dimensions.

[testsubject]

Fantastic! Thanks!