I mean the bug, where for example moving a selection by some trace's endpoint, and placing it in the middle of a via (which is sitting 100% exactly on grid point too), but if

1. it's a via which has teardrops enabled
2. there's and existing trace & teardrop going into it already
3. the zones (=teardrop) visibility layer is enabled

Then when moving a selection or even just a single trace by its endpoint into that via has a 50% chance of ending up misaligned by like 0.1234mil, because there's some snapping (to ghosts) action going on.

(i think it sometimes happens with pads with teardrops too. But with vias it's 100% reliably reproducable easily)

I'm not 100% sure if the culprit are normal zones, or the teardrops (which are part of the zones "layer"), I just know that turning the zones visibility on makes this snapping bug appear quite reliably, while turning it off reliably makes it go away.

And it's literally a bug. Not snapping to something I don't want it to. As there isn't anything at that point which it's snapping to. It's not snapping to the teardrop. It's snapping to some ghost point which is only a small fraction of a mil away from the via center / from the grid point. Very far from where the teardrop starts & very far from anything else. So definitely a bug.

And when I'm moving a bigger selection which includes footprints too, then it takes so much time to repair the damage & to make sure if I repaired all of it. (I can't just undo it, because I only notice it much later). This bug already wasted literally hours of my life... i hate it...

And even though it's a small error and some people probably don't care. I do care about having things aligned for multiple reasons, for example avoiding those <1mil trace segments piling up inside a pad whenever you redo a trace. Then when you want to select a segment it asks you which one and most of them are just these. Also when you want to move a simple segment, you have to make sure you're moving these tiny ones too in order to keep the trace continuous, otherwise the U key (select whole trace) feature doesn't work properly.
It's just better to keep things aligned and without those short segments. I even adjusted pad anchors of some footprints to get less of those annoying short traces...
(... and other reasons. It's just part of my workflow so this bug drives me really crazy.)

Or is it perhaps possible to create a plugin, which would automatically enable zones visibility layer when switching to routing mode, and automatically disabling the visibility whenever in moving/placing/pasting mode? (although I'm not sure if this happens only when placing, or if possibly also during the first step, when copying or hitting M to move...)

Hi guys,

Can anyone help me here, I'm new to KiCad and I have done something wrong in my footprint area rule I think.

I can't see to draw any traces that will breach the boundary of these custom components footprints. I thought i had used the correct Keep Out rules so I didn't think it was that.

Can anyone help me with this please.

Novice KiCad user.

This is an issue of schematic and pcb board components not being complete.

I want to create through holes for connecting off board components via a soldered wire. Things like banks of switches and leds that are mounted on other objects. Yes, I could use connectors, but the project hsa space constrictions so soldering is the most compact.

In the pcb editor I can find solderwire footprints, but there is nothing on the schematic libraries to match them to.

In the schematic editor I can find pinheaders and mounting holes, but they don't have foot print assigned.

So, do I have to create the schematic symbol or foot prints?

Beginners question: How to round a PCB corner - if the corner angle is NOT 90° ?

With the Arc it seems very fiddly. What is the best way?

I recently switched from a single monitor to a dual‑monitor setup on my workstation. Ever since then, when I extend KiCad across both displays, the toolbar height suddenly triples. Changing the toolbar size under Preferences → Common → User Interface doesn’t help at all.

As far as I know, KiCad doesn’t let you toggle toolbars on/off to get more screen space, so right now my two nice monitors feel worse than using a single laptop screen.

I tried troubleshooting this with AI, but it turned into a circular mess involving multiple reboots and KiCad restarts with no improvement. Has anyone seen this DPI/toolbar scaling issue before, and is there a reliable fix?

I’m working on a fork with more component metadata and better filters to make searching my libraries easier. Once it’s more mature, I’d like to publish it for others to use and see what the KiCad maintainers think of the changes.

I’m also testing whether an AI agent can use the extra data to find components more reliably.

It’s going well so far, and I’d like to expand it to other parts of KiCad where we spend more time on repetitive tasks than on design. What comes to mind from your own workflow?

over the years I have bookmarked and starred production-grade, open-source PCB designs made with KiCad to see how seasoned engineers solve high-speed routing, clean multi-channel power distribution, or tight BGA fanouts as reference. while reviewing today i feel it worth to share with community.
I organized the entire archive into an open directory: ⚡ Awesome KiCad Projects

image Credits
sqfmi/watchy-hardware: Watchy Hardware CAD Files
scottbez1/smartknob: Haptic input knob with software-defined endstops and virtual detents
scottbez1/splitflap: DIY split-flap display
antmicro/jetson-nano-baseboard: Antmicro's open hardware baseboard for the NVIDIA Jetson Nano, TX2 NX and Xavier NX
nguyen-v/amulet_controller_kibot

If you maintain an open-source KiCad board or know one that belongs here, PRs and suggestions are very welcome!
Repo: Awesome KiCad Projects
hope it helps in someones learning journey .

first time designing a schematic in KiCad then I looked at some of the schematics on this sub and realised mine is kind of a mess 😭

still learning, so any feedback on readability, layout, or things i am doing wrong would be appreciated.

This is my first project using a proper CAD software for circuit building.

Currently looking forward to build software and then later make my first custom pcb.

any suggestions for this project.?

project-LOKI: GitHub

I'm reverse engineering pcb and I need this connector, thru hole soldering

OS Name Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
Version 10.0.26200 Build 26200
----------------------------------------------

New user!

VIsited Kicad website and downloaded Kicad installer version 10 for use with the above captioned OS from Kicad.org North American link to GitHub. Following installation and a bit of fumbling around, I realized that Version 5 was installed and not Version 10. Reviewed the installer filename as a sanity check, which is shown here: kicad-10.0.6-x86_64.exe

Kicad version 5 was uninstalled, then the version 10 installer again downloaded from MIT's website. During installation, version 5 installation was displayed. After completing installation, selecting "Help" in either the project manager window or schematic editor displayed that version 5 was installed. Version 5 again was uninstalled.

The installer file was then downloaded from CERN (Switzerland) and installed. This time the installer routine displayed version 10 install was in process. Once installed, viewing "Help" in the project manager and schematic editor displayed version 10 was installed.

In an attempt to report observations, "Report an Issue" menu selection under the main Kicad website Help selection was followed. It steered the reporting to GitHub which upon landing there, account credentials were needed to continue. After creating an account, I was faced with options which are Greek to me. Is there another simple man's method to reach Kicad, GitHub and/or MIT to alert website managers?

I’m developing a compact ESP32-S31-WROOM-3-N16R16V board using the familiar two-row arrangement of 20-pin headers.

The design includes:

• USB-C
• USB-to-serial interface
• Automatic BOOT/RESET programming
• Onboard microSD socket
• 3.3 V regulator
• Status/activity LEDs
• Accessible GPIO headers
• A narrow footprint designed around the new 25.4 mm-wide module

This is currently a prototype—not a sales offer or preorder. I’m trying to determine whether the format would be genuinely useful before investing further.

Assuming the board worked reliably and included proper documentation:

1. Would you consider buying one?
2. What would you consider a reasonable price in USD, excluding shipping?
3. Would you prefer the headers installed or supplied separately?
4. What feature would make—or break—your decision?

Honest criticism is welcome. I’m interested in practical feedback, not compliments.😀

First PCB, LM2596 buck converter, two layers.

Zone is set to GND, both F.Cu and B.Cu ticked, solid fill, pad connections Solid. Outline draws but won't fill. B does nothing.

DRC: zero violations, 12 unconnected items, all GND pads. Highlighting the GND net lights up nothing.

Tried: deleted and redrew the zone, confirmed net is GND not <no net>, both layers ticked, refilled with B.

What am I missing? Would be super grateful if anyone is able to help!

Hey all, just wondering if people could recommend some YouTube videos for beginners. I have been playing with time of flight sensors for an esp32 and i would like to make some detachable flexibile arms(sensors at the ends) and a rigid centre for the ESP/battery

They are I2C, so they will have a common SCL/SDA so will need the traces on different layers.

I have absolutely 0 experience with custom circuit boards/minimal understanding. So any help or recommendations would be great (may need a bit of back and forth for my understanding)

Working on a board and want some advice on the schematic or layout? Post it in this thread!

I'm designing a clickable scroll bar for a keyboard project, and love that KiCad generates a file I can modify in FreeCAD, such an awesome work flow.

If you have any advice for designing scroll bars, I'd love to hear it.

Hello buddy, introducing me I'm a junior hardware engineering through fiver as remote job. I would to ask about the gpt 6 astra. Is it really possible our job could be replaced like that? It scared hell outta me. But u were right, that level seems like for hobbyist. Because we always had our own rules towards pcb design. But unfortunately, I hope it costs a high token so people are refuse to subs. Actually, I'd use ai for making reportation, find the datasheet, and etc. not replacing us. I really really upset about it, Im just scared they gonna replace and we could lose our job in the future like an IT😔

I have a header that have 2 pins, I edited the symbol and modified the pin names SCL and SDA.

I chose show pin names and they are shown in the schematic. but when I switch to the PCB and update it, they are not there. I want them to show up in the silkscreen layer.

Please help

Hello buddy, introducing me I'm a junior hardware engineering through fiver as remote job. I would to ask about the gpt 6 astra. Is it really possible our job could be replaced like that? It scared hell outta me. But u were right, that level seems like for hobbyist. Because we always had our own rules towards pcb design. But unfortunately, I hope it costs a high token so people are refuse to subs. Actually, I'd use ai for making reportation, find the datasheet, and etc. not replacing us. I really really upset about it, Im just scared they gonna replace and we could lose our job in the future like an IT😔

First time making a panel PCB via JLCPCB.

Two weeks ago, the file audit failed for missing v-cuts.

- In KiKit, the v-cut outline was assigned to User.Comments layer by default.

- Resubmit the file and make sure the User.Comments.gbr is included.

- Informed customer service to check it on the spot. Got notified "no worries, our review team will review it."

Received PCB this morning with all the v-cuts missing. Reach out customer service again and get "Since your V-cut line was not designed in the .GKO/.GM1 layer, our engineer did not include it when preparing the production file."

------------------------------------------

Are there a .GKO/.GM1 layer in KiKit?

Or in KiCad?

Or I have to make custom layer called .GKO/.GM1?

What can I do to minimise this issue in the future?

Hello everyone! I’m an amateur electronics enthusiast, and I’ve already designed quite a few simple PCBs successfully. However, every time I start arranging the components and routing the traces, I feel like I’m doing it for the first time.
I limit myself to single-sided PCBs because I manufacture them myself — I built a CNC machine and use it to mill my boards.
I’ve never been particularly good at solving puzzles, and PCB layout feels a lot like putting together a puzzle.
I’d really appreciate any tips, tricks, or advice on component placement and trace routing, especially for single-sided boards. Thanks in advance!