Getting started
FalCAD runs in a web browser or as a desktop application. Both are the same application, and your projects move freely between them.
Open FalCAD
- In the browser: go to app.falcad.com. Nothing to install. Local projects need no account.
- On the desktop: download the Windows installer or the portable build from falcad.com/download.
- With an account: create one at falcad.com to keep projects in the cloud, share them and edit them together.
Start from a template on the welcome screen (an LED circuit, a 555 blinker, an Arduino sketch, a Verilog counter and more), or open a project folder you already have.
The workspace
| Area | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Top bar | project name and unsaved-changes badge, save, the command search (Ctrl+Shift+P / ⌘⇧P) |
| Side bar | Explorer (the documents of your project) and Library (symbols to place) |
| Editor tabs | schematic, code and other workbenches, one tab per document |
| Inspector | properties of the selection; with nothing selected, a summary of the document |
| Bottom panel | Problems (live electrical rule check), Netlist, Output |
| Status bar | cursor position in project units, zoom, error and warning counts |
Every action is also a command. Open the command palette with Ctrl+Shift+P and type what you want to do. Shortcuts are listed in the palette and can all be changed under Keyboard shortcuts.
Start a project
On the welcome page, pick a template:
- LED + resistor — a complete, simulatable circuit (start here)
- Arduino blink — an ATmega328P with an LED on pin D13 and the blink sketch
- Verilog counter — a parameterized counter and a testbench
- Empty project
Then continue with Your first schematic.
Working offline
Nothing in local editing needs a network connection or an account. See Projects, files and offline work.