In Autodesk Moldflow, Error 99998 is a critical licensing failure where the solver (Insight) cannot acquire a valid license to run a simulation. The "exclusive" aspect
typically refers to a configuration where a specific license level or server is required but unavailable Common Root Causes Missing Insight License
: You may have a license for Synergy (the user interface) but not for Insight (the solver). Version Mismatch
: Using a product key for the wrong version year (e.g., trying to run Moldflow 2023 with a 2019 license). License Level Discrepancy
: Attempting an analysis that requires an "Ultimate" license level while only having "Standard" or "Premium". Connection/Timeout
: The client machine cannot communicate with the license server, or the request times out before the server responds. Step-by-Step Troubleshooting 1. Verify License Configuration
Ensure Moldflow is pointed to the correct license type and server. Windows Start Menu Autodesk Moldflow Insight 202x License Configuration Check that the License Level (Standard, Premium, or Ultimate) and License Type match your subscription. Confirm the Server Name or IP address is correct. Use the format port@servername if a custom port is required. 2. Check License Availability (LMTools) If using a network license, use the Autodesk License Manager (LMTools) to see if licenses are actually available: on the server. Server Status tab and click Perform Status Inquiry Look for the Insight feature codes: (Standard), (Premium), or (Ultimate). autodesk moldflow error 99998 exclusive
Ensure they are not all currently checked out by other users. 3. Resolve Connection Issues
: Ensure firewall ports (typically 2080 and 27000-27009) are open on both the client and server. Timeout Variable
: If the server is slow to respond, add a system environment variable FLEXLM_TIMEOUT with a value of (10 million) to give the request more time. Registry Check : Verify the ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE entry in the Windows Registry ( HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\FLEXlm License Manager ) points to the correct server. 4. Address "Exclusive" Linux Solver Issues
Create a daily scheduled task that runs:
lmutil lmstat -a > C:\Logs\moldflow_license.log
Review for signs of hung licenses before they cascade into error 99998.
If you have exhausted all the above fixes and still see Error 99998 Exclusive, gather the following for Autodesk Technical Support:
.out or .log) showing the error.Provide this data via the Autodesk Subscription Center. In rare cases, Autodesk may provide a hotfix or script to patch the project database. In Autodesk Moldflow, Error 99998 is a critical
FLEXlm stores license borrow information in local cache files (e.g., debug.log, license.lic cache). If these files become corrupted—often after a forced shutdown or system crash—Moldflow may think it already has an exclusive license (false positive) and refuse to acquire a new one, or conversely, think it has no permission at all.
Depending on your Moldflow version (2018 to 2025), the error may appear as:
"Error 99998: Unable to open study exclusively. The study may be open in another session or you do not have write permissions."
Or:
"Failed to open project database exclusively (Error 99998). Another user may have the study open. Modify the study settings or contact your administrator."
Sometimes, the error appears silently in the solver log when launching an analysis: Solver log file (
Opening study: C:\MFProjects\MyProject\Study_001
Error 99998: Exclusive lock could not be obtained.
Analysis aborted.
The keyword "exclusive" is your clue. This is not a mesh quality issue or a material data error. It is an I/O and permission conflict.
Once you’ve fixed the immediate error, adopt these best practices to avoid recurrence.
Add the following folders to your antivirus exclusion list:
C:\Program Files\Autodesk\MoldflowC:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\Autodesk\MoldflowC:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\TempD:\Moldflow_Projects)After adding exclusions, restart the antivirus service or reboot.
Moldflow waits a short time for an exclusive lock. You can increase this timeout via the Windows registry:
regeditHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\ParametersDWORD: SessTimeout and set to 300 (seconds).DWORD: FileInfoCacheLifetime and set to 0.This gives Moldflow more time to negotiate the exclusive lock over slow networks.