Pack and Go for Inventor Functionality Missing in File Explorer

With Autodesk Inventor installed, the Windows file explorer should provide several Inventor-related functions when an Inventor file is selected, then right-clicked. For example, Design Assistant, Pack and Go and iProperties should appear among the selections in the right-click menu. That is the preferred and default behavior.

But sometimes those Inventor-related options are not available.

.IAM_RMB_menu_doesn't have_PnG

This right-click menu when an Inventor .iam file is selected, should have Pack and Go listed as an available option.

Autodesk's technical article notes that this can be caused by Windows User Account Control (UAC) being disabled in Windows 10. 

From the Autodesk technical article, it states that this issue is caused by a change in Windows for EnableLUA (Enable Limited User Account).

From Microsoft's article, the default value for this in Windows 10 is 1. This means that Windows notifies the user when programs try to make changes to the computer. When EnableLUA is set to 1, the Pack and Go option is available from a right click menu when selecting an Inventor file in the file explorer (outside Inventor).

Open REGEDIT and check the value for EnableLUA to see if it's set to 0, here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

If it is, that means it was selected for programs that are not certified for Windows 10 because they do not support UAC.

If such a program is not a concern, then you can fix it permanently in REGEDIT by setting the EnableLUA data value from 0 to 1 in the registry key above, then reboot.

After rebooting, the Inventor-specific options in the right-click menu for an Inventor file should be restored, like this:

.IAM_RMB_menu_has_PnG

About the Author

Bob Felton

Sr. Technical Support Specialist, Manufacturing<br><br>Bob Felton has been supporting Autodesk products for over 25 years including core AutoCAD, P&ID, Plant 3D, AutoCAD for Mac, AutoCAD Mechanical, and Vault. His background is in graphics with an Applied Sciences degree and ten years manufacturing experience drafting, as well as technical illustration, image editing, and even patent drafting.

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