How to use PartReel files in KiCad

Downloaded files from PartReel? Here is how to add them to KiCad.

1. Symbol (.kicad_sym)

1. KiCad → Preferences → Manage Symbol Libraries
2. In the Global or Project tab click + → select the downloaded .kicad_sym file
3. Place the symbol from the schematic editor

2. Footprint (.kicad_mod)

1. Put the .kicad_mod file inside a folder named like MyLib.pretty (KiCad manages footprints per .pretty folder)
2. Preferences → Manage Footprint Libraries → + → add that .pretty folder

3. 3D model (.step)

1. Open the footprint in the footprint editor → Footprint Properties → 3D Models
2. Point it at the downloaded .step file

The web preview uses .glb (display only); use .step in KiCad.

4. Install PartReel as a KiCad library (recommended)

Easiest — KiCad's own Plugin and Content Manager. Register PartReel once and install/update from inside KiCad; it registers the symbol and footprint libraries for you:

1. KiCad main window → Plugin and Content Manager → Manage… → +
2. Paste this repository URL: https://partreel.com/pcm/repository.json → OK
3. Open the Libraries tab → PartReel Library → Install → Apply Pending Changes
4. Done — the parts are in your symbol chooser. When PartReel adds parts, PCM shows an update; one click refreshes everything.

Only need a few parts? Install the Fetch plugin instead

The library package installs ~450 parts at once. If you would rather pull parts one at a time from the full 21,000+ catalog, install PartReel Fetch from the same PCM repository (Plugins tab). It adds a search button to the PCB editor toolbar: search, pick a part, and only that part's symbol and footprint are downloaded into the current project and registered in the project library tables.

Drawing the schematic first? You do not need the PCB editor. Run partreel-fetch.cmd from the plugin folder (Windows), or python -m partreel_fetch with KiCad's Python — it picks up your most recent KiCad project automatically, and the parts appear in the schematic symbol chooser under PartReel. (KiCad has no schematic-editor plugin API yet, so the toolbar button can only live in the PCB editor.)

Manual alternative (same content, two files)

If you prefer not to use PCM, these two files give you the same curated set (~450 gate-verified parts) offline:

1. Download PartReel.kicad_sym (all symbols in one file) and PartReel-pretty.zip (footprints — unzip somewhere permanent)
2. Preferences → Manage Symbol Libraries → + → add PartReel.kicad_sym, nickname PartReel
3. Preferences → Manage Footprint Libraries → + → add the unzipped PartReel.pretty folder, nickname PartReel
4. Open the symbol chooser and type a part name. Placing a part brings its footprint along automatically. No network, no waiting.

Re-download both files occasionally to pick up newly added parts. For anything outside the curated set, search the full 21,000+ catalog at partreel.com or through the MCP server.

Experimental: live HTTP library (not recommended)

KiCad 8+ can also pull part metadata over the network (partreel.kicad_httplib). It works, and the endpoint stays up for anyone already using it, but we do not recommend installing it alongside the offline files, for reasons that are inherent to KiCad's HTTP-library design rather than to PartReel:

• Duplicate entries — parts served over HTTP also exist in your offline PartReel library, so they appear twice in the symbol chooser.
• Startup pause — KiCad fetches every part one-by-one when the chooser first opens (about 20 seconds here), and repeats it after each restart.
• Metadata only — the spec cannot deliver symbols, so PartReel.kicad_sym is required anyway; the HTTP library adds nothing you don't already have offline.
• Network coupling — if this site is slow or unreachable, your schematic editor waits on it.

Use the offline files above instead, and re-download them when you want newer parts.

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