In KiCad 8, there was a “Visible” check box in the text properties window. In KiCad 9 this check box is gone. Why?
Gone ? not as far as I can tell . . .
Application: KiCad PCB Editor x64 on x64
Version: 9.0.0, release build
Libraries:
wxWidgets 3.2.6
FreeType 2.13.3
HarfBuzz 10.2.0
FontConfig 2.15.0
libcurl/8.11.1-DEV Schannel zlib/1.3.1
Platform: Windows 11 (build 22631), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
OpenGL: Intel, Intel(R) UHD Graphics, 4.6.0 - Build 32.0.101.5768
Build Info:
Date: Feb 19 2025 17:46:53
wxWidgets: 3.2.6 (wchar_t,wx containers)
Boost: 1.86.0
OCC: 7.8.1
Curl: 8.11.1-DEV
ngspice: 44
Compiler: Visual C++ 1942 without C++ ABI
KICAD_IPC_API=ON
Locale:
Lang: en_GB
Enc: UTF-8
Num: 1,234.5
Encoded кΩ丈: D0BACEA9E4B888 (sys), D0BACEA9E4B888 (utf8)
Hmmm… I’m on nightly… then it must be gone in there… 
Application: KiCad PCB Editor x64 on x64
Version: 9.0.0-252-g215c3fdf77, release build
Libraries:
wxWidgets 3.2.6
FreeType 2.13.3
HarfBuzz 10.2.0
FontConfig 2.15.0
libcurl/8.11.1-DEV Schannel zlib/1.3.1
Platform: Windows 11 (build 26100), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
OpenGL: Intel, Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620, 4.6.0 - Build 31.0.101.2130
Build Info:
Date: Mar 11 2025 04:44:16
wxWidgets: 3.2.6 (wchar_t,wx containers)
Boost: 1.86.0
OCC: 7.8.1
Curl: 8.11.1-DEV
ngspice: 44
Compiler: Visual C++ 1942 without C++ ABI
KICAD_IPC_API=ON
Locale:
Lang: nl_BE
Enc: UTF-8
Num: 1.234,5
Encoded кΩ丈: D0BACEA9E4B888 (sys), D0BACEA9E4B888 (utf8)
Nightlies are for testing only . . . caveat emptor 
To be pedantic about terminology (and this is an important distinction!!) you’re on a testing build, which is different than a nightly.
- Nightlies are the x.99 builds - the development branch for what will be the next major version (currently 9.99, which will become 10.0 in early 2026). Because these are development builds for the next major version, they’ll have new features and file format updates, which means any project saved by a nightly can’t be opened in the current stable version.
- Testing builds are the x.0.y builds - builds from the stable branch that will become the next bugfix release of the current stable version (currently 9.0.1, which should be out in the next few weeks). These builds have bug fixes compared to the most recent release, but importantly no changes to the file formats so you can go back and forth between released versions and different testing builds from the same stable version.
As for your question about hidden text, as of shortly after 9.0.0 release you can’t do hidden text in PCBs/footprints anymore, and some options about plotting invisible text were also removed. This is an intentional change. The reasoning is basically that PCBs represent physical objects and invisible text is inherently nonphysical. Invisible text was ignored in DRC and other functions, but could be plotted as if it wasn’t invisible, and therefore could result in boards that passed DRC to have shorts or other issues when manufactured.
If you’d like to hide text, you can hide the layer it’s on, move it to another layer, delete it, etc.
Edit: to be completely clear, since this has been linked a few times now, the above applies to footprint text, not footprint fields. Footprint fields can still be hidden, though apparently there is a bug in 9.0.1 that hides the checkbox in some dialogs. You can still show/hide fields (not text) using the Footprint Properties dialog and the Edit Text and Graphics dialog. When the bug is fixed (9.0.2?) you’ll also be able to hide them using the properties panel and the properties dialog for the field.
True, and I normally don’t use nightlies, but there’s this memory leak issue with the current release that I want to avoid. I’ll stick with the nightlies for as long as there’s no version 9.0.1.
Still I find it odd that the checkbox is not present in the nightly…
Please excuse me if my question is 50% (??) off topic…
Is this sort of consideration an advantage to ordering boards using Gerber files?
The last time I ordered boards, I used 8.X…probably 8.07 and uploaded my KiCad pcb file directly to the vendor website. This all went smoothly and the boards were good. But it sounds to me like this method might introduce added risk when using the next 9.X version? So Caveat Emptor says it is better to use gerbers and review them carefully before uploading them to the pcb vendor?
1 Like
Personally I always use gerbers rather than uploading a board file (I personally have not used gerber alternatives like IPC-2581 or ODB++ although I think the same advantages apply).
With gerbers, I’m not at the mercy of the manufacturer’s KiCad converter, which among other things they need to make sure is up to date with every annual major release of KiCad. Instead I use a standard flow that all users of all EDA packages go through, which I expect to be better tested and more widely used than the KiCad-specific one. I can inspect the gerber output from KiCad to make sure it matches my design intent, and which then goes through an industry-standard flow to manufacturing.
Just my 2 cents. For what it’s worth I don’t have any experience directly uploading KiCad files, so I’m not trying to say it’s an inherently unreliable method, I just prefer the other flow in theory.
2 Likes
Testing not nightlies.
Is that the DRC memory leak (recently fixed) or another one?
You are right, sorry for the mix up 
The one I talked about here…
Ah that’s not a memory leak - it was an event handling issue.
1 Like
It is still gone in 9.0.1 RC2. Then it must be on purpose…
The only texts that I usually set to invisible are the component values on the fabrication layer, as they usually take up too much room. I can still set them to invisible in the component properties but not in the text properties. So it makes no sense to me…
1 Like
I was about to post about the same problem, not only in the footprint editor but also in the pcb editor, I have some copper areas as footprint that do not need a reference and it really took me a while to find out how to make them invisible from the silkscreen:
Selecting the text and hitting ‘e’, nop:
Clicking on the footprint and hitting ‘e’, nop:
Long clicking on the footprint, selecting footprint and hitting ‘e’, on the properties of the footprint dialog, but not on the properties side panel:
I very much would like to be able to click on the text and hide as before, being unable to create footprints with hidden text can stay if it has cause problems already, but I like being able to quickly remove unwanted stuff
EDIT: I noticed this changes in v9.0.1 and still is like this in the newest test build
Application: KiCad PCB Editor x64 on x64
Version: 9.0.1-99-g956a633d4d, release build
Libraries:
wxWidgets 3.2.6
FreeType 2.13.3
HarfBuzz 10.2.0
FontConfig 2.15.0
libcurl/8.11.1-DEV Schannel zlib/1.3.1
Platform: Windows 10 (build 19045), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
OpenGL: ATI Technologies Inc., AMD Radeon (TM) Graphics, 4.6.0 Compatibility Profile Context 24.9.1.240813
Build Info:
Date: Apr 4 2025 05:44:15
wxWidgets: 3.2.6 (wchar_t,wx containers)
Boost: 1.86.0
OCC: 7.8.1
Curl: 8.11.1-DEV
ngspice: 44
Compiler: Visual C++ 1942 without C++ ABI
KICAD_IPC_API=ON
Locale:
Lang: en_GB
Enc: UTF-8
Num: 1,234.5
Encoded кΩ丈: D0BACEA9E4B888 (sys), D0BACEA9E4B888 (utf8)
Same issue here on 9.0.1, it was an extremely useful feature to declutter the PCB editor.
Anyone knows any workaround?
Thanks,
1 Like