Allegro X Free Viewer FAQ

With the Allegro X Free Viewer you can easily open, inspect and share electronic designs in a read-only format from Allegro X System Capture, PCB Editor, and Advanced Package Designer databases without a license on your Windows machine.

You can download the Allegro X Free Viewer from this link. Once you fill out and submit the form to download the viewer, you should receive an email with a link to download and install the viewer.

In your Allegro X Free Viewer download you’ll have access to open and view designs within a read-only version of Allegro X System Capture, PCB Editor, and Advanced Package Designer.

With System Capture you can open a schematic project (.cpm/.sdax).

With PCB Editor you can open a board file (.brd), design partition (.dpf), module definition (.mdd), or symbol drawing (.dra).

With Advanced Package Designer you can open a package design (.mcm/.sip), module definition (.mdd), symbol drawing (.dra), or package partition (.dpm).

Once installed, you can access the PCB Editor Viewer either through your Windows start menu or the Cadence folder on your C drive. From the start menu, select All Apps > System Capture Viewer 24.1. From the Cadence folder navigate to your C drive, click on Cadence > SysCapViewer_24.1 > tools > bin > syscap_viewer.exe.

You can access the PCB Editor Viewer either through your Windows start menu or the Cadence folder on your C drive. From the start menu, select All Apps > Cadence PCB Viewers 24.1 > PCB Editor Viewer 24.1. From the Cadence folder navigate to your C drive, click on Cadence > PCBViewers_24.1 > tools > bin > allegro_free_viewer.exe.

You can access the PCB Editor Viewer either through your Windows start menu or the Cadence folder on your C drive. From the start menu, select All Apps > Cadence PCB Viewers 24.1 > Allegro X APD Viewer 24.1. The APD Viewer does not have its own executable in the Cadence folder, however the target path is different. From the Cadence folder navigate to your C drive, find Cadence > PCBViewers_24.1 > tools > bin > allegro_free_viewer.exe, right click on it and change the target to say: C:\Cadence\SPB_24.1\tools\bin\allegro_free_viewer.exe -apd. If you want to launch the PCB Editor Viewer, then -apd must be removed from the target path.

If you receive the message as shown in the image below, we recommend that you install the System Capture Viewer with administrator privleges. Simply, right click on the setup executable and Run as administrator to not run into this issue.

If you have not received an email to download the free viewer you requested, please check if it landed in your junk mail first.

Advances in 24.1 Allegro X Layout tools have made it difficult to continue supporting the Allegro Classic Free Viewer, so it will no longer be available as a separate download or included in the full installation. The new Allegro X Free Viewer can be used to view designs utilizing a more user friendly interface that makes it easy for average users to use without prior knowledge of Allegro X Layout tools. The new viewer offers a cleaner interface with improved layer display controls and access to information using built-in Search and Properties panels. Although the interface is different from the Allegro Classic Free viewer it is powerful and offers all the features that the previous viewer offered and more.