Frequently asked questions

Problem: No electrical symbols appear in the program and the panel is completely empty.

Cause: Either the program does not have the correct path to the symbols folder set, or the folder has been deleted from the computer. The default location of the library is: C:\Users\Public\Documents\ProfiCAD Library

Solution:

1. Check the path setting: Press F12, go to the Paths tab, and verify that the path points to the directory where your symbol library is stored.
2. Restore the data: If the folder is physically missing from the disk, restore it from your backup. If you do not have a backup, reinstall the program, which will recreate the default symbol library.

Problem: When you try to insert a title block into a drawing, no template appears.

Cause: The configured symbol library is missing the system folder _TB, which contains the title block files (files with the .ptb extension). This problem is usually related to an incorrectly set path to the whole library.

Solution:

• Verify that the correct main library is selected in the settings (press F12, Paths tab).
• If the path is correct but the _TB folder is missing, restore it from a backup or reinstall the program.

Problem: Line definitions (e.g. dashed, dotted) are missing in the program and the list is empty.

Cause: The symbol library is missing the system folder _LIN, which stores the line type definitions (files with the .lin extension). The cause is either an incorrectly set path to the library or a deleted folder.

Solution:

• Check that the path to the symbol library is correct by pressing F12 on the Paths tab.
• If the _LIN folder is missing from the library, restore it from a backup or completely reinstall the program.

This usually means the program settings got corrupted. Here's how to fix it:

1. Close ProfiCAD.
2. Press Win + R.
3. Type regedit and click OK.
4. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ProfiCAD.
5. Delete this key.
6. Start ProfiCAD again.

The program will automatically recreate the registry entry and should work correctly afterwards.

A wire can be terminated "in mid-air" by right-clicking.

Then, on another page, draw the continuing wire and give it the same number or label. This makes it clear that both wires belong to the same connection.

The size of the work area in the symbol editor can be set in the program settings.

Press F12 and set the desired work area size on the Symbol tab.

1. Press F12.
2. Select the Others tab.
3. Pick your preferred language from the Language drop-down list.

1. Delete the folders "C:\Users\Public\Documents\ProfiCAD Library" and "C:\Users\Public\Documents\ProfiCAD samples."
2. Go to www.proficad.com.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
4. Select your desired language.
5. Click Download and install ProfiCAD.

First, try disabling your antivirus software temporarily.

If that doesn't help, download ProfiCAD for flash drive, unpack it, and copy the files ProfiCAD.exe and common.dll to your ProfiCAD installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\ProfiCAD).

These two variables are page-specific, so they need to be entered in the Page panel (double-click the page). If you want them to be the same on all pages, enter them in File - Options - Variables and delete them from the Pages panel.

1. Open the symbol (right-click it in the "Symbols Graphically" panel and select open symbol).
2. Press F12 and select the Symbol tab.
3. Change the default reference value.

This happens when a drawing contains very large images (many MB in size). To fix it:

• Remove the images from the drawing, resize them in a graphics editor to reduce their file size, then re-insert them.

Your symbol library must contain a folder called _LIN with the file lines.lin . You can check the library path in F12 - Paths.

The objects are likely on a different layer. Switch to the correct layer.

ProfiCAD can run on Linux using Wine. However, this requires solid knowledge of the Wine environment, and we don't provide technical support for this setup.

You can run ProfiCAD on a Mac using Parallels Desktop.

Drag them onto the heart icon.

ProfiCAD lets you paste images from the Windows clipboard directly into a drawing. This is the easiest way to bring content from other sources -- such as a PDF catalog -- into your drawing.

1. In the PDF viewer, zoom in as much as possible so the content stays sharp and doesn't get pixelated. Use the zoom in command or Ctrl + mouse wheel.
2. Take a screenshot. On Windows 10 and later, press Win+Shift+S. On older systems, press PrtScn.
3. Switch to ProfiCAD and press Ctrl + V.

Select the arrow by clicking on it, then click the flip arrow link at the bottom of the Properties panel.

The full version includes the same symbols as the home version. The symbol library is continuously being expanded, and you can easily create your own symbols in the ProfiCAD symbol editor.

You'll find additional symbols at gallery.proficad.com. If you've created your own symbols, consider sharing them with the community.

No. Each symbol is stored as an independent copy within every diagram. Your drawings don't depend on the symbol library, so you can safely share them with anyone.

Make sure the connection is not terminated with a dot.

1. If double-clicking the file in Windows Explorer doesn't work, use the File - Open menu inside ProfiCAD.
2. The drawing may have been created in a newer version. To check, open the file in a text editor (right-click the file, select "Open with", and choose Notepad or similar). The version number appears in readable form at the beginning of the file.
3. If the file appears as garbled characters in the text editor, it's not a valid ProfiCAD drawing. The file may have been damaged by a virus.

Activate the program on the new PC using your license key. The process is the same as the initial activation.

Lower your printer resolution from 600 DPI to 300 DPI (check your printer's property settings).

Open the Print dialog (Ctrl + P or click the Printer icon).

The next steps vary by printer, but generally:

Click Properties, then Advanced. Find Print Quality or Resolution, and look for the Vector / Raster options. Select Raster.

When creating a symbol, graphical shapes need to be placed symmetrically around the center axes of the working screen.

This can happen for two reasons:

• Hidden artifacts: Tiny lines, forgotten objects, or other artifacts were accidentally left during symbol creation. Because these are included in the bounding box, the frame appears oversized. To fix this, open the symbol and use the Panel Explorer to find and remove these artifacts, then replace the symbol in your diagram.
• Asymmetric placement: The symbol wasn't drawn symmetrically around the center axes of the working area. Redraw the symbol so it's centered properly.

Yes. After inserting a gate, press Escape (so the cursor changes to an arrow), then right-click the gate. A dialog will appear where you can customize gate parameters such as the number of inputs, gate type, and more.

To move ProfiCAD to a different directory or a new computer, simply copy the program files. No reinstallation is needed. You can also run ProfiCAD from an external hard drive or a USB flash drive.

By default, ProfiCAD auto-saves your drawings every minute, so data loss should be minimal.

If you have the ProfiCAD Archive feature enabled, go to File - Restore from Archive and select the latest version of your drawing.

Another option: find the file with the same name as your drawing but with a .bak extension, and rename it to .sxe.

⚠️ This is a good reminder to back up your data regularly!

There are three ways to do this:

a) Using the Properties panel: Temporarily set the wire name to "PEN" in the Properties panel. The color will automatically change to yellow-green. You can then rename the wire to whatever you need -- the color will stay.

b) Using the Style Library: Select the wire, go to Edit - Style Library, select the permanent tab, and double-click the yellow-green color in the style list.

c) Custom line properties: Select the wire. In the Properties panel, choose a dashed line type, set the main Color to green, then set Color 2 to yellow and turn the on option on. More information.

• .sxe -- ProfiCAD drawing files
• .ppd -- ProfiCAD symbol files
• .ptb -- ProfiCAD title block files
• .picd -- ProfiCAD integrated circuit files
• .bmp, .png, .jpg, .wmf, .gif -- Image files
• .dxf, .dwg -- AutoCAD files

The best way to learn ProfiCAD is to study the manual thoroughly. It has been continuously updated and improved over nearly 30 years of development to be as clear as possible.

If you still have questions, we can do a live online demo -- you connect to our computer and we walk you through everything in practice. Just contact us to schedule a session.