Hi,
I’ve been using KiCAD 4 for quit sometime and I still have some projects I am developing with it, and I wanted to download Version 5 to test it and use some features available in it. But the issue is if I download it will it remove version 4 I am still using, or they will both live in my computer side to side with no problem?
What’s your operating system? With the Windows installer your should be able to change the location. However, you probably want to keep the installations separate, including the environment variables and component libraries. Check out this thread: Any ultimate Guide on how to use KiCad 4 and 5 on one System?
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Yes, reynaud is the right one. However, it’s a bit difficult to install several package versions on Ubuntu (or Debian) and this one unfortunately replaces the version 4. Therefore you could consider compiling it yourself, it’s not impossibly difficult. One option is to use a virtual machine. You can also try Flatpak or Snappy package for version 4, replacing the “native” kicad with version 5 from reynaud’s ppa.
where can I find the Flatpak link for version 4?
Even if you manage to install both versions, you can not arbitrarily switch between them on the same project.
Back in 2016 I was working on a pretty nice project (STM32 board) but I had to switch back from the nightlies to a stable KiCad for another project because there were too many bugs in the nightlies at that time.
After switching to the stable version for another project I could not open the STM32 project anymore.
Hmmm, a little test:
- Opening project file: Works.
- Opening EEschem with schematic: Works.
- Opening PCBnew:
After clicking OK, PCBnew starts, but the whole PCB design is gone, just an empty sheet.
Kicad nightly supports more in the footprint side. So not all kicad nightly footprints can be used by kicad 4
On the schematic side it is much worse. Opening your project with kicad nightly will force you to remap it. Meaning you can never again open the same project with kicad 4.
I am not planning to port previous projects in kicad 5, I want only to test it and use the new features.
Maybe a bit pedantic but you know that kicad 5 has not been released right? It is a nightly build in the feature freeze face phase intended to become kicad 5.
I would guess a lot of the problems you currently encounter with installing nightly in parallel to v4 might be solved once kicad 5 is finally released. (But it might require users to inform the devs that they would like this possibility. This is done via bug reports)
what do you mean “post withdrawn by author”?
It’s just an automatic message when the author of the message has deleted the message. In this case they discussed about a misspelling or something like that and those messages don’t need to be visible in the future.
EDIT: you can do that for your own post with the three-dots icon menu in the bottom of your message. Try that and I’ll delete mine likewise… 
Thanks every one, I have been able to install version 5 tho version 4 is gone.
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