TRACE Boardviewer
Getting started with TRACE Boardviewer
A boardviewer is most useful with the schematic and the datasheets next to the board. This guide shows how to open a board in TRACE, attach its documents, search across all of them, jump between board and schematic, measure and keep notes.
Steps
- Run TRACE
- Open a board
- Attach the schematic, PDFs and images
- Search everything at once
- Cross-probe in the split view
- Check names with Link and aliases
- Read and search the PDF
- Keep notes with measured values
- Measure on the board and on images
- Sides, layouts, themes and languages
- Export a project
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Report a problem
1. Run TRACE
Windows (x64). Download the portable EXE from the download section. Check its SHA-256 in PowerShell with Get-FileHash and compare it with the value on the page. The EXE is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen warns once: choose "More info", then "Run anyway". Nothing is installed. Each launch unpacks about 500 MB into a private temporary folder and removes it on exit. Settings and notes live in %APPDATA%\TRACE Boardviewer.
macOS (experimental, Apple silicon only). Unzip the download and move TRACE Boardviewer.app to Applications. The build is unsigned, so macOS blocks it until you allow it once: right-click the app and choose Open, or run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/TRACE Boardviewer.app" in Terminal.
Linux (experimental, x86-64). On Ubuntu 24.04 or newer and Debian 12 or newer, install the .deb with sudo apt install ./<file>.deb and start TRACE from the application menu. On other distributions, make the AppImage executable with chmod +x and run it. Check the SHA-256 first. The Linux page explains the packages and the Chromium sandbox.
At every start a short support notice appears; "Not now" skips it. TRACE can ask GitHub once whether a newer release exists. That is its only network request, and Settings can turn it off.
2. Open a board
Press Ctrl+O (Cmd+O on a Mac) or drag the board file into the window. TRACE detects the format by the file's content: KiCad, EAGLE, GenCAD, BVR and more (see the format table). If a file cannot be opened, TRACE says what it found and why, instead of a generic error.
Format guides: KiCad · EAGLE · GenCAD · .brd files · .bvr files
3. Attach the schematic, PDFs and images
Use Attach… in the Documents tab or Attach a schematic… in the Schematic tab, or drop the files into the window while a board is open. TRACE accepts KiCad and EAGLE schematics, PDFs and PNG, JPEG, WebP and SVG images.
- Attached files are remembered for this board, by their SHA-256 and their path relative to the board. They come back after a restart.
- A moved file is found again by its relative path. A missing one offers Relink. A file that changed is never adopted silently.
- For KiCad, attach the top-level
.kicad_schand keep the sub-sheets in the same folder.
4. Search everything at once
Press Ctrl+F and type a reference (U4), a value (10k), a package or a net name (+3V3). The results are grouped by source: board components, board nets, schematic symbols, schematic nets and document text, each with its sheet or page. Use ↑ ↓ and Enter to open a result. Esc clears the field.
5. Cross-probe in the split view
Press Ctrl+\ to show the board and a schematic or document side by side; drag the divider to resize. Alt+1, 2 and 3 switch between the Board, Schematic and Documents tabs (Option on a Mac).
Select a part or a pin on the board. The inspector shows the linked schematic part, with the sheet and the number of matched pins, and Show in schematic jumps there. Selecting in the schematic selects on the board.
6. Check names with Link and aliases
TRACE links board and schematic by exact names and never guesses. When names differ, for example a reference with a suffix or a renamed net, the Link and aliases panel lists the differences. Confirm an alias yourself if two names mean the same thing. Aliases are saved with the board's workspace and can be removed again.
7. Read and search the PDF
The built-in PDF viewer works offline: thumbnails, zoom, rotation, page jump, bookmarks, page notes and text search with next and previous. Exact board references found in the PDF text are linked to the parts on the board, so a selected part can be found in the schematic PDF and the other way round. For a scanned PDF, choose Recognize text. Bundled English OCR runs offline with progress and Cancel, and makes recognized words searchable. Confidence marks disclose uncertain words; only exact board references with sufficient confidence become links.
8. Keep notes with measured values
Select a part or a pin and press N, or use Add a note in the inspector. Type what you found, and add the voltage, resistance or another value you measured. TRACE never fills these in for you. Notes follow the board file by its content hash, so they survive renaming and restarts.
9. Measure on the board and on images
Press M and click two points. The distance is shown in millimetres, and the ends snap to pin centres. Esc clears the measurement.
Images such as board photos or layout drawings have their own measuring tool. Millimetres are shown only after you calibrate: click the two ends of a distance you know, type its length, then measure. Until then, distances are in pixels.
10. Sides, layouts, themes and languages
- Top and bottom: the switch above the board shows the top side or the mirrored bottom side. R rotates and F fits the board.
- Layouts: Workshop shows the search panel and the inspector beside the board. Focus gives the board the whole window with a floating search and inspector. Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2 switch.
- Themes: dark, light or the system setting.
- Languages: English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Slovak and Ukrainian, switched instantly in Settings. The workspace features added in 1.2.0 (the tabs, search, the PDF, image and schematic viewers and their dialogs) are still English in every language.
11. Export a project
Export… in the Documents tab bundles exactly what you tick: documents, and optionally the board file and your notes. Nothing else is included, and the originals are never modified. Leave the board file out when you share a bundle and the board may be private.
12. Keyboard shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open a board | Ctrl + O |
| Search | Ctrl + F |
| Fit the board | F |
| Rotate | R |
| Measure | M |
| Labels on / off | L |
| Note on the selected part or pin | N |
| Zoom in / out | + / − |
| Workshop / Focus layout | Ctrl + 1 / 2 |
| Clear the highlight or measurement | Esc |
| Board / Schematic / Documents tab | Alt + 1 / 2 / 3 |
| Split view on / off | Ctrl + \ |
| Keyboard shortcuts (help) | ? or F1 |
On macOS, Cmd replaces Ctrl and Option replaces Alt.
13. Report a problem
Use Report a bug in TRACE to describe the problem. Review the exact report and edit it; your description may contain paths or token-like text. You can optionally include a technical summary with closed fields for version, platform, architecture, locale, surface and import type; those fields cannot contain local paths. Save a draft or leave without sending. Nothing is sent until you choose Send. Reports go to a separate receiver, with no GitHub account required. Board files and attachments are not sent. A local helper flags possible paths and token-like text in your description and removes selected text only if you choose to remove it. Drafts and retry records expire after seven days; expired records are removed the next time you access bug reports.
Failed or uncertain reports are never sent again automatically. If sending fails, Retry manually resends the same reviewed report only when you choose Retry. Edit the report first if you want to change what will be sent.
You can also use the manual GitHub issue form in a browser. Do not attach proprietary or customer board files.
Product names are trademarks of their owners. They are used here only to identify file formats and programs; TRACE is not affiliated with any of them.