What is a .KiCad_pcb file?
A .kicad_pcb file is a printed-circuit-board layout from KiCad. Created and opened by KiCad.
- Did you know
- KiCad is a free, open-source PCB suite backed by CERN, widely used in open hardware.
- A .kicad_pcb file is written in S-expressions, the nested parenthesised syntax borrowed from Lisp, and is plain readable ASCII.
- The S-expression board format arrived in KiCad 4, replacing the older .brd layout files with a more maintainable structure.
- What Analyser reads
- Identify CAD files and read header metadata: AutoCAD DWG (DXF now opens as a 2D drawing preview - see Diagrams), SolidWorks (SLDPRT, SLDASM, plus .sldreg Settings Wizard backups - release year, settings groups and the saved registry keys - and SOLIDWORKS Visualize .svap appearances and .svpj projects, opened as the ZIP packages they are), Fusion 360 (F3D), Inventor (IPT, IAM), Rhino (3DM) and Grasshopper (GH, GHX), SketchUp (SKP), 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Houdini, ZBrush, Maya, CATIA, Eagle, and KiCad.
- Depth of analysis
- .KiCad_pcb is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
- Open a .KiCad_pcb file
- Drag a .KiCad_pcb file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.