NOTE: This is accurate as of the date it was published. Advancements in technology may supersede what is identified below. Please refer to this article's history for changes and updates.
Overview
This document outlines the minimum system configuration for installation and minimum recommended workstation profile for running MicroStation 2023, 2024, and 2025.
This information can also be found in the "Readme" file of MicroStation 2025, which can be downloaded here: MicroStation 2025 ReadMe or in the installed MicroStation 2025 by selecting File > Help > Readme.
Installation Requirements
A CD drive or access to the Internet is required for product installation. The minimum system configuration for installation is:
Supported Operating Systems
Windows 11/ Windows 11 (24H2) - Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education
Windows 10 (64-bit)/ Windows 10 (22H2) - Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2022*
Bentley does not support its software running on Microsoft operating systems versions that Microsoft has "retired". For more information on Microsoft's application retirement policy, click here. For similar information on Bentley products, refer to the Bentley Product Support article.
*LumenRT is not certified on Windows Server 2022.
Internet
Internet connectivity is required to install the product. Installer will attempt to automatically detect your computer's proxy settings from the Internet Explorer. If required, the installer will show a dialog for entering user name and password. In the absence of internet connection, you can create a Deployment Image of the product and install it.
Communications Protocols
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
Virtualized Environments
Azure Virtual Desktop (Desktop Client)
Software Prerequisites
The Prerequisites for Bentley Desktop Applications are automatically downloaded and installed to your workstation while you install MicroStation. The contents of the Prerequisites for Bentley Desktop Applications include:
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8
Microsoft .NET Framework 8
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications core
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications localized
Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer (minimum v11.0, with 128-bit cipher strength. Microsoft no longer supports any versions before v11.0). Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer are not installed as part of the product pre-requisites.
Copyrights in all components are owned by Microsoft Corporation or one of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or licensors.
Supported Databases
The database versions supported by MicroStation are subject to updating after the product release. You can refer to the MicroStation database support in Bentley Communities for the latest information.
Minimum Profile
The minimum recommended workstation profile for running MicroStation is:
Processor
Intel® or AMD® processor 2.5 GHz or greater. MicroStation is not supported on a CPU that does not support SSE2. MicroStation is not supported on a CPU which does not have AVX instructions.
Memory
8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended. More memory almost always improves performance, particularly when working with larger models.
Hard Disk
25 GB minimum, 25-42 GB depending on additional installations such as Companion Features and Companion Products.
Video
See the graphics card manufacturer for latest information on DirectX drivers. 1024 MB of video RAM or higher is recommended. If insufficient video RAM or no graphics card supported by DirectX can be found, MicroStation attempts to use software emulation. For optimal performance, graphics display color depth should be set to 24-bit or higher. When using a color depth setting of 16-bit, some inconsistencies will be noted. For more information on recommended workstation profiles for MicroStation, see MicroStation System Requirements and Hardware Recommendations. .
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080 or higher.
MicroStation 2023 and 2024 Installation Requirements
A CD drive or access to the Internet is required for product installation. The minimum system configuration for installation is:
Supported Operating Systems
Windows 11/ Windows 11 (21H2) - Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education
Windows 10 (64-bit)/ Windows 10 (21H2) - Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education
Windows Server 2019
Windows Server 2022*
Bentley does not support its software running on Microsoft operating systems versions that Microsoft has "retired". For more information on Microsoft's application retirement policy, click here. For similar information on Bentley products, refer to the Bentley Product Support article.
*LumenRT is not certified on Windows Server 2022.
Internet
Internet connectivity is required to use some of the features of the product and installation of software pre-requisites, if not already installed on the machine.
Communications Protocols
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
Virtualized Environments
We certify to run on Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop on Windows Server 2019
- The version of MicroStation CONNECT Edition has to use SES licensing model
- Need to use CONNECTION Client 11.00.01.109 or above
- Need to have an unique ID for each person who will login to Citrix to use MicroStation
Software Prerequisites
The Prerequisites for Bentley Desktop Applications are automatically downloaded and installed to your workstation while you install MicroStation. The contents of the Prerequisites for Bentley Desktop Applications include:
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications core
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications localized
Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer (minimum v11.0, with 128-bit cipher strength. Microsoft no longer supports any versions before v11.0). Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer are not installed as part of the product pre-requisites.
Copyrights in all components are owned by Microsoft Corporation or one of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or licensors.
Supported Databases
The database versions supported by MicroStation are subject to updating after the product release. You can refer to the MicroStation database support in Bentley Communities for the latest information.
Minimum Profile
The minimum recommended workstation profile for running MicroStation is:
Processor
Intel® or AMD® processor 1.0 GHz or greater. MicroStation is not supported on a CPU that does not support SSE2. MicroStation is not supported on a CPU which does not have AVX instructions.
Memory
4 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended. More memory almost always improves performance, particularly when working with larger models.
Hard Disk
25 GB minimum, 25-42 GB depending on additional installations such as Companion Features and Companion Products.
Video
See the graphics card manufacturer for latest information on DirectX drivers. 512 MB of video RAM or higher is recommended. If insufficient video RAM or no graphics card supported by DirectX can be found, MicroStation attempts to use software emulation. For optimal performance, graphics display color depth should be set to 24-bit or higher. When using a color depth setting of 16-bit, some inconsistencies will be noted. For more information on recommended workstation profiles for MicroStation, see MicroStation System Requirements and Hardware Recommendations.
Screen Resolution
1024 x 768 or higher.
Graphics Card Support
Below is list of current generation Graphic Cards that have been tested to work with MicroStation CONNECT Edition and newer in addition to these cards the previous generation cards that work with MicroStation V8i SS4 will also work fine. That list can be found here MicroStation V8i Requirements note that for best performance we recommend the newer cards listed below for CONNECT Edition, LumenRT and ContextCapture Products.
Please note that mobile workstations and laptops with mobile versions of graphic cards and processors will generally exhibit slower performance than their desktop counterparts due to their limitations in power delivery and cooling, which typically result in lower clock speeds, memory bandwidth and impact performance.
Make
Model
Tested for
Recommended
NVIDIA
P600
T400
T500
T600
P1000
T1000
T1200
P2000
P2200
T2000
P3200
RTX A2000
MicroStation CONNECT Edition
LumenRT
ContextCapture
P3200 and above when working with LumenRT and ContextCapture
RTX 6000 Ada
RTX 5000 Ada
RTX 4500 Ada
RTX 4000 Ada
RTX 4000 SFF Ada
RTX 2000 Ada
RTX A6000
RTX A5500
RTX A5000
RTX A4500
RTX A4000
RTX A3000
RTX A2000
P3200
P4000
RTX3000
RTX4000
P5000
RTX5000
P6000
RTX6000
GP100
RTX8000
GV100
RTX6000A
MicroStation CONNECT Edition
LumenRT
ContextCapture
For High end visualization, Path Tracer rendering, ContextCapture, and LumenRT VR
AMD Radeon Pro
WX2100
WX3100
WX3200
WX4100
WX5100
W5500
WX7100
W5700
W6400
W6600
W7500
W7600
MicroStation CONNECT Edition
LumenRT
ContextCapture
WX7100,W5700 and higher for LumenRT and ContextCapture
W7900
W7800
W7700
W6800
WX7100
W5700
WX8200
WX9100
MicroStation CONNECT Edition
LumenRT
ContextCapture
For High end visualization, Path Tracer rendering, ContextCapture, and LumenRT VR
Intel
Arc Pro A30M
Arc Pro A40
Arc Pro A50
Arc Pro A60
Built-in Intel® Arc Pro GPU with Intel® Core Ultra H Processors
Arc Pro B50 - 101.6862
Arc Pro B60 - 101.6862
MicroStation CONNECT Edition
LumenRT
ContextCapture
ISV Programs
MicroStation is tested on a range of machines and configurations from the main system integrators (Lenovo, Dell, HP), you can refer to the vendors' ISV web pages for an up to date list of tested desktop and mobile workstations:
When installing or uninstalling this product, you must be logged on with Administrator rights.
It is highly recommended that you close any programs and disable any antivirus software that is running prior to the installation of this software. Be sure to turn on your antivirus software when you are finished.
If your system is protected by firewall, make sure you enable the following URLs on the firewall:
MicroStationCONNECT Edition is designed so it can be installed and safely coexist on the same workstation as an existing MicroStationV8i or MicroStation V8 XM Edition commercial release. It will not attempt to upgrade or uninstall the existing commercial release, and by default it installs its program and configuration files to different locations than the other commercial release. When you install MicroStationCONNECT Edition it creates the registry entries responsible for file associations. If you do not want this to happen, during installation, in the Select Features to install list, turn off the File Association check box. MicroStationCONNECT Edition also creates the registry keys for VBA-initiated launching. Windows architecture allows for only one program to own these registry keys and the existing MicroStationV8i or MicroStation V8 XM Edition Commercial Release should continue to function normally by default.
If you installed MicroStationV8i and MicroStationCONNECT Edition on the same workstation and then uninstalled MicroStationV8i, you must run the Repair tool to make sure the registry and file associations are correct. Note: If you used Microsoft's program to uninstall, the Repair tool will work correctly. However, if you used a third-party's product to uninstall, it may have removed files needed by MicroStation. For the procedure to repair MicroStation, refer to the topic To Repair MicroStation.
When you install MicroStationCONNECT Edition, the following items are installed with it:
Product Documentation
Example WorkSpace (MetroStation)
Visualization Content
CONNECTION Client
Bentley DGN Indexing Service
Bentley DGN Preview Handler
Bentley DGN Thumbnail Provider
Bentley iModel ODBC Driver
Bentley DgnDb iModel Importer 1.6 (64 bit)
Bentley DgnDb iModel Importer 2.0 (64 bit)
By default, the following Technology Preview features are also installed:
AnchorPoint
AutoConsDimsTool
Calculated Column
CloneItems
ColumnVisibility
CoordinatesExpression
DisplayRulesRibbon
Export with Display Rules
EditCellInPlace
Import
ItemTypePropagation_Break
ItemTypeText
LoftSolid
MaintainTableSeed
MinMax
NewFolder
OPCAttach
OPCExport
ParametrciCellPropertyTextFields
ReferenceScale
RightClickMenu
SerialNumberColumn
Summarization Grouping Aggregation
TableStyle
Import
TransposeRowsColumns
XButton
Note: Take advantage of this Technology Preview, a non-public software service and/or application for evaluation purposes only. Please use the Technology Preview in your normal business environment as needed to form an opinion concerning the performance of the Technology Preview. Bentley personnel would welcome your valued feedback concerning the performance of the Technology Preview as you evaluate the capabilities. Please be aware that at some point, you may receive notice from Bentley that such use must cease or this Technology Preview will become unavailable to you. As we receive feedback, this Technology Preview may also be enhanced, updated or also discontinued without notice. As a Technology Preview, it is provided to you "as-is" without the benefit of any Bentley warranty, indemnity or support obligation.
For details of these features, refer to MicroStation help.
Visualization content in the form of ready-to-render cell libraries is installed. It also contains LumenRT ready cell libraries.
Bentley DGN Thumbnail Provider is required to correctly view DGN thumbnails on Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 operating systems. Immediately after installing Bentley DGN Thumbnail Provider, you still may not see the correct thumbnails for DGN files. This will be corrected by rebooting or re-logging onto the system.
The Bentley iModel ODBC Driver is used to expose properties in iModels as an ODBC data source. It offers direct access of iModels from ODBC-compatible third-party applications such as Microsoft Office, reporting systems, and Business Intelligence applications. It allows application developers to use familiar tools to access and present iModel data from databases. When the driver is installed, the Bentley iModel ODBC Driver User Manual (Bentley_iModel_ODBC_Driver_User_Manual.pdf) is also installed.
Bentley DGN Thumbnail Provider, Bentley DGN Indexing service, Bentley iModel ODBC Driver, and Bentley DgnDb iModel Importer are installed as separate applications. When you uninstall MicroStationCONNECT Edition, these applications are not removed. If you do not need them, you will have to uninstall them separately.