Description

You download Ansys Zemax OpticStudio from the Ansys Download Center, the same site you use for every other Ansys product. This article is for anyone installing OpticStudio on Windows.

Each release is a single zip file, for example OPTICSTUDIO_2026R1_WINX64.zip, which contains everything you need to install OpticStudio.

Solution

Download the Installer

1. Go to the Ansys Download Center and sign in with your Ansys account.
   
   Note: If the Download Center shows "You don't have permissions to access this page!" after you sign in, your Ansys account is not yet linked to your company's customer account. See ERROR - You don't have permissions to access this page (Ansys Download Center).
2. In the left menu, select Current Release.
3. Set Select Release to the release you want, for example 2026 R1, and set Select Operating System to Windows x64.

4. Under Primary Packages (Commercial & Academic Packages), select Optical ➜ Zemax OpticStudio (Full Package), and download its zip file.
5. Save the zip file to a local drive on the computer where you will install OpticStudio.
6. Extract the zip file on the same local drive.
7. In the extracted folder, right-click the installer and select Run as administrator.

Note: If your company has more than one OpticStudio edition, see HOW TO - Change Zemax OpticStudio License Priority.