I’ve just installed KiCad 7 on Ubuntu 22.04, and I can’t find any schematic symbol libraries, nor can I find any option to import a symbol library. Can someone please explain to me what I’m doing wrong? Please keep in mind that I have no experience with KiCad. Thanks.
Hello and welcome @Darwin_von_Corax
Did you install from https://www.kicad.org/?
Are only the Symbol libraries missing or are the Footprint & 3D libraries missing also?
Did you select the “recommended” installation?
I followed the instructions to add the KiCad PPA and install using apt. On first run the “Copy default global symbol library table” option was disabled, so I opted to create an empty symbol table. I then discovered that my installation was broken, so I uninstalled and reinstalled, but have not subsequently been given the option to import a symbol table.
This is because the program is installed separately to the libraries. Uninstalling Kicad only uninstalls the program, not the libraries.
Your original installation installed both, but the libraries were probably empty, just empty folders installed. Kicad sees the folders and assumes the libraries are present so deletes the option to install them.
You need to find the kicad program and delete the four library folders named: 3Dmodels, footprints, symbols & templates. They are four of the ten folders listed within Kicad.
I don’t know what OS you are using. I use Mint which uses 22.04. I find Kicad with this path:
File System > User > Share > Kicad
When you have deleted these folders you can rerun the Kicad installation and you will be prompted to add the libraries. Select the “Recommended” choice.
In Windows uninstalling KiCad uninstalls also libraries.
What uninstalling not uninstall is configuration where lists of selected libraries are saved (in this case empty lists).
At running KiCad after installing it second time it not asks about libraries because there are lists saved in configuration.
I suppose something like that is also for other systems.
I used KiCad only at Windows so I can describe problems with updating from V6 to V7 I had. Hope it can help.
When I run KiCad V7 for the first time it noticed that there were V6 previously installed and asked me if I want to use V6 configuration. I accepted and KiCad copied V6 configuration to be V7 configuration.
I don’t understand why it copies (I think) all configuration files except library lists that are also in the configuration directory. Then when I run Schematic for the first time it asked me if I want default libraries list or empty or selected by me list. I wanted to use the same list as previously so I wanted to show to KiCad the right file (library list) but the window it opened to find that file don’t shows hidden/system files so I could’t select the right file.
The solution was to first copy those two files (symbol library list and footprint library list) to any normally accessible directory so I was able to select it when Schematic or Pcb Editor asked for it.
That way I had my lists the same as in V6.
More about it here:
@jmk t didn’t work. I uninstalled with the --purge option, deleted /usr/share/kicad, and also did sudo apt autoremove and deleted /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/kicad, and I still have no schematic symbols. (I’m using Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS.)
This happens when you make the wrong choice at first run, or you made a first run before library packages were installed. On subsequent runs (even with a new install) it sees that ~/.config/kicad/7.0/{fp,sym}-lib-table are there, so doesn’t prompt you again. Remove or move aside those two files.
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