Finding part files for KiCAD

This article goes over how to download symbols, footprints, or 3D models from the internet and add them to KiCAD

You'd be surprised at how many symbols are in KiCAD, especially from big manufacturers, so it never hurts to try typing in a part number into the symbol menu to see if it comes up.

Footprint sizes are pretty standardized, so you can normally find the footprint on the datasheet based on the part number. The package is synonymous with the footprint

Mouser

• Go to the menu for a part in Mouser (example)
• Press the link for the ECAD Model field
• Download the files
  • Make an account if it's your first time)
• Unzip the zip file
• Navigate to the KiCAD directory
• There you will find the .kicad_mod file (footprint file) and the .sym file (symbol file)
• If you'd like the 3D model it will be in the 3D model directory as a STEP file

Digikey

• Go to the menu for a part in Digikey (example)
• Press the link for the EDA/ECAD Model field
• Pres select download format
• Download the formats you want
  • Select the KiCAD v6+ checkbox if you want symbol or footprint files
  • Select 3D if you want a 3D model
• Unzip the zip file
• The .kicad_sym file is the symbol file and the .kicad_mod file is the footprint file (found in footprints.pretty)
• If you'd like the 3D model it will be in the first directory as a STEP file

Adding to KiCAD

Follow the Contributing section of this article on how to add components to the common library.

When you download symbols or footprints the directories may be messed up, so make sure to check if the directories are correct. For example, in the symbol you can link to the footprint, and usually the directory doesn't work when you download it.

Remember you only need to copy the footprint file over to the common library. The symbol file doesn't need to be copied into the repo since it's copied into the .sym file when you import it.

Related articles

• Page:
  How to make PCB 3D Models
• Page:
  Setting up KiCAD
• Page:
  Finding part files for KiCAD
• Page:
  How to use common KiCAD Libraries
• Page:
  How to create a PCB Bill of Materials (BOM)