TinyCAD Manual

Web and desktop FAQ

Is it still free to use?

Yes. TinyCAD for the web is free to use.

Where are drawings saved?

There are two modes:

  • Local-file mode: drawings are stored locally on your computer/browser
  • Google Drive mode: drawings are stored in your Google Drive

What are the requirements?

You can run TinyCAD web in local-file mode or Google Drive mode.

Local files

You must have:

  • An up-to-date Chrome (recommended) or Edge browser
  • Firefox/Safari are not supported for local-file mode

Google Drive

You must have:

  • A Google account
  • An up-to-date browser; Chrome is recommended, Firefox is supported
  • Edge/Safari may work, but were not part of original testing

Why Google? Will other cloud services be supported?

You do not have to use Google Drive; local-file mode is available.

Cloud integrations require separate implementation effort per provider and there is no single standard API. OneDrive integration was evaluated as non-trivial. Historically, GitHub was considered as a possible next service.

Feature differences: TinyCAD web vs desktop

Feature TinyCAD for the Web Desktop TinyCAD Notes
Load/Save TinyCAD .dsn files Yes Yes TinyCAD web aims for full file-format compatibility with desktop
Load/Edit TinyCAD library .tclib files Yes Yes See custom libraries
Import symbols from TinyCAD.net Search directly in web app (copy/paste also works) Search online, then copy/paste into desktop  
Multi-sheet drawings Yes Yes  
Printing Export to PDF for printing Direct printing via OS printer driver  
Export to image SVG PNG Free SVG→PNG converters are available online
Labels Yes Yes  
Buses Yes Yes  
Shapes and annotations Yes Yes  
Search drawing Yes Yes  
Design Rules Check Yes Yes  
Generate netlist Yes Yes  
Set style across multiple items Yes No Web app supports selecting multiple annotation items and applying shared style/fill
Auto junction placement Yes Yes  
Undo/Redo Yes Yes  
Windows support Full support in Chrome Full support as installed app  
Mac/Linux support Full support in Chrome Partial support via Wine compatibility  
Chrome OS support Full support in Chrome No  
Phone/Tablet support Partial (mouse needed for full workflow) No  
Installation required No Yes (installer package)  
Multi-file hierarchical drawings No Yes  
SPICE simulation file output No Yes  

Keyboard shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts instead of toolbar clicks speeds up drawing.

Note: These differ from desktop shortcuts because browser applications do not expose F-keys in the same way.

Key Action
W Wire tool
N No Connect
P Power
L Label
T Text
B Bus
S Shape (rectangle/ellipse/line)
+ Zoom in
= Zoom in
- Zoom out
_ Zoom out
Left Arrow Rotate clockwise (left)
Right Arrow Rotate counter-clockwise (right)
Ctrl-F Find
Ctrl-P Print
Ctrl-C Copy
Ctrl-X Cut
Ctrl-V Paste
Del Delete
Ctrl-Z Undo
Ctrl-Y Redo

Some shortcuts can be intercepted by the browser and trigger browser actions instead.