How do I open a .kicad_prl file?

Drop a .kicad_prl file onto Analyser at https://analyser.valjdakosta.com/ and it opens directly in your browser - no upload, no account and no software to install. Open KiCad schematics, circuit boards, footprints and projects in the browser. Analyser parses the S-expression documents - schematics (.kicad_sch), boards (.kicad_pcb), symbol libraries (.kicad_sym) and footprint modules (.kicad_mod), including the "-bak" backups - and rebuilds the geometry as an interactive vector view: schematic symbols, wires, junctions and labels, or the board outline, copper tracks, pads, vias, zones and silkscreen, with pan, zoom and per-layer visibility toggles. It reads the project settings (.kicad_pro / .kicad_prl JSON) with its net classes, the library tables, the footprint cache and the ngspice simulation workbook (.wbk), and plots the SPICE simulation waveforms (.raw) from KiCad/ngspice or LTspice - decoding the analysis type, variables and samples to chart the traces or tabulate an operating point. Dropping a whole project folder opens every document together as one design with a combined bill of materials that cross-probes each part to its symbol on the schematic and its footprint on the board. Nothing is uploaded.

Can I open a .kicad_prl file online for free?

Yes. Analyser is a free online .kicad_prl opener and viewer that runs entirely in your browser - your .kicad_prl file never leaves your device, so there is nothing to upload and no software to install. It even works offline once installed.

.kicad_prl file - what it is and how to open it online

Analyse a .kicad_prl file

Home › Formats › .kicad_prlFull

What is a .kicad_prl file?

A .kicad_prl is KiCad per-user local project settings - the saved view, selection and tool state that is not shared in version control. Created and opened by KiCad.

Did you know: KiCad splits project data in two: the shared .kicad_pro and the per-user .kicad_prl that holds your local UI state.
Splitting local state into .kicad_prl keeps personal view and tool settings out of version control, so a team's shared .kicad_pro stays clean.
Because it only stores UI state, deleting a .kicad_prl is harmless - KiCad simply recreates it with defaults next time the project opens.
What Analyser shows you: Open KiCad schematics, circuit boards, footprints and projects in the browser. Analyser parses the S-expression documents - schematics (.kicad_sch), boards (.kicad_pcb), symbol libraries (.kicad_sym) and footprint modules (.kicad_mod), including the "-bak" backups - and rebuilds the geometry as an interactive vector view: schematic symbols, wires, junctions and labels, or the board outline, copper tracks, pads, vias, zones and silkscreen, with pan, zoom and per-layer visibility toggles. It reads the project settings (.kicad_pro / .kicad_prl JSON) with its net classes, the library tables, the footprint cache and the ngspice simulation workbook (.wbk), and plots the SPICE simulation waveforms (.raw) from KiCad/ngspice or LTspice - decoding the analysis type, variables and samples to chart the traces or tabulate an operating point. Dropping a whole project folder opens every document together as one design with a combined bill of materials that cross-probes each part to its symbol on the schematic and its footprint on the board. Nothing is uploaded.
Open a .kicad_prl file: Drag a .kicad_prl file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It opens entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.
Related formats: .kicad_sch · .kicad_pcb · .kicad_sym · .kicad_mod · .kicad_pro. See all supported file types.