: Using unsupported cards (like Intel Integrated Graphics) or outdated drivers frequently triggers this crash.
Does the crash happen Mechanical, or only during meshing/solving ? What graphics card is installed in your system?
Navigate to your ANSYS installation folder and look for the prereq folder. Re-run the installers for Microsoft Visual C++ and .NET . Additionally, you can run the AnsConfigWorkbench.exe utility found in the installation directory to re-register the app's components. Summary Checklist Rename the %AppData%\Ansys\vXXX folder. Update GPU drivers to the latest version. Clear space on your "Scratch" drive. Disable Antivirus temporarily to test.
During mesh generation or the initial parsing of massive boundary conditions, ansyswbu.exe may exceed the physical RAM allocations managed by the operating system.
A crucial distinction: ansyswbu.exe crashing does mean your simulation results are invalid. The solver may have completed correctly. To check: : Using unsupported cards (like Intel Integrated Graphics)
Rename the folder corresponding to your version (e.g., v232 for 2023R2) to v232_old . Relaunch Workbench. B. Clear Temporary Files
: The simulation mesh or model size has exceeded your system's available RAM or virtual memory.
: If you suspect the GPU is the issue, force ANSYS to use software rendering. Open Ansys Workbench -> Tools -> Options -> Graphics Workspace and change the graphics device from Direct3D or OpenGL to Software Rendering . Corrupted User Preferences
If the basic troubleshooting steps do not resolve the issue, it is time to look at the diagnostic file mentioned in the error prompt. This file contains the stack trace of the crash. Navigate to your ANSYS installation folder and look
: High-fidelity faceting parameters can exhaust system memory. In Workbench, go to Tools →right arrow Options →right arrow
One of the most common and frustrating runtime errors encountered by engineers and simulation specialists using ANSYS Workbench is the prompt: This error typically leads to an immediate crash of the software, resulting in lost unsaved project data and a significant interruption to workflow.
The crash occurs when opening a specific project, but new projects work fine. Diagnostic file may show XML parsing error or unexpected end of file .
: Settings or temporary files in the %Appdata% or %Temp% folders often become corrupted. Summary Checklist Rename the %AppData%\Ansys\vXXX folder
: Sometimes the current file is corrupt; duplicating the project and working on the copy can resolve the issue. Comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide 1. Reset User Profile Settings
ansyswbu.exe error is a general crash notification indicating that the ANSYS Mechanical executable has failed. The diagnostic file (usually a
Ensure that the ANSYS Licensing Client and backend solver executables are allowed through your Windows Defender Firewall. Summary Checklist
Look in your project directory or your temporary folder (type %temp% in the Windows Run dialog). Look for files with a .dmp extension or text files prefixed with AnsysWbu_Diagnostic .