Installation of Altium Designer Develop is both intuitive and fast, courtesy of the Altium Designer Develop Installer. This wizard-based installer streamlines the initial installation process.
This page takes a look at the procedure for installing Altium Designer Develop on a computer.
Obtaining the Installer
To access the Altium Designer Develop Installer, you need first to download and run an executable – AltiumDesignerDevelopSetup.exe. This executable is downloaded from the Home page of the browser interface of your Altium Develop Workspace (
) and can be saved anywhere on your hard disk.
Each version of Altium Designer Develop has its own dedicated installer. If you have an existing installation of Altium Designer Develop, you can either update it to a new version or install that new version as a fresh and distinct instance. The installation system supports the concurrent installation of different instances of the software. The beauty of installing different version instances is that it enables you to quickly access a previous version directly and independently, whereas an update effectively replaces the earlier version with the later one.
Running the Installer
Double-click the AltiumDesignerDevelopSetup.exe file. The installer itself is wizard-based, providing a set of progressive (and intuitive) pages that collectively gather the information to effectively install the version of the software and its initial feature set as you require. The following sections provide a summary of the various pages you will encounter.
License Agreement
Before you can continue with the installation of the software, you must accept the terms of the Altium Designer Develop License Agreement. Click the 
button to view the agreement.
Read and accept Altium Designer Develop License Agreement.
After reading the agreement, continue with the installation by clicking the 
button.
Signing In
Use the next page of the Installer to sign in to your Altium Account to which your valid license is associated. The reason for this is two-fold:
-
First, it verifies your identity and that the installation of the software is valid as determined by your Altium Account and licensing.
-
Second, it provides secure access to the Altium Cloud Repository in which the installation files reside – the files that are required to be downloaded before the software can be ultimately installed on the PC.
Signing in is performed using your browser. Your default browser will open with a page from which you can sign in to your Altium Account using your preferred (and accessible) method. Once signed in, the next page of the Installer will automatically open.
For security, there is a time limit (5 minutes) to complete the sign-in process. An error will occur if this time has elapsed, in which case you will need to start the sign-in process again (by clicking the Please try again control).
Installation Mode and Destination Folders
This next page of the Installer allows you to specify the destination folders for the installation in terms of both the Program Files for the software and the Shared Documents that are accessed and used by the software.
Specify where the software and associated documents are to be installed.
These locations become especially important when installing multiple instances of Altium Designer Develop. If one or both of these destinations is not currently an empty folder (i.e., devoid of content), you will be prevented from proceeding with the installation until you specify alternate (and empty) destination(s).
The default destinations are:
To specify alternate locations, type the location directly into the applicable field or click the folder icon at the right of a field and browse for the required destination folder.
Once the install locations are specified, click 
to go ahead and proceed with the installation.
Installing Altium Designer Develop
The installation will proceed with the required files first being downloaded from the Altium Cloud Repository. Progress of this download is displayed within the Installer itself. Once the download of files is complete, they will be installed, again with progress displayed in the Installer.
Installation commences by downloading the required set of install files. After the download is complete, the software is then installed.
Installation Complete
When the installation itself is complete, you have reached the end of the Installer wizard.
Installation is complete!
The Run Altium Designer Develop option is provided to launch Altium Designer Develop when you exit the Installer, which is enabled by default. Click 
to exit the wizard.
You have installed Altium Designer Develop on your computer. Now it is time to do what you do best and go create that next innovative (and hopefully lucrative) product!
-
If you are new to board design and/or Altium Develop and wondering where to begin, this tutorial will take you from a blank schematic sheet all the way to generating the documents needed to manufacture the PCB for a simple circuit. The tutorial touches on many of the areas of Altium Develop that you will need to become familiar with in your day-to-day design work.
-
Within Altium Designer Develop, the F1 shortcut is worth getting acquainted with. Hover the mouse over anything inside Altium Designer Develop – a command, dialog, panel, or design object – and press F1 to access documentation for it. Also, if you are running a command, e.g., placing a component, and you are unsure how to rotate it, press Shift+F1 for a list of command-dependent shortcuts.
Installing Multiple Instances of the Software
When running the installer for a subsequent version of Altium Designer Develop, you will be provided with the choice of either updating an existing version instance of Altium Designer Develop or installing it as a separate new version instance. When selecting the installation mode, choose the New installation option to maintain separate version instances of the software on the same computer. Remember to specify different destination folders for the new instance later in the wizard.
If you already have a previous installation of Altium Designer Develop, you can choose to install it as a separate unique instance by selecting the New installation option as the mode of installation.
Installation Folders
There are two important factors that facilitate the installation of multiple individual version instances of the software:
-
The ability to specify different destination folders during the install in terms of both the Program Files and Shared Documents install locations.
-
The system's use of a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) for each independent instance. This identifier, which uses the standard 128-bit URN model and is displayed as a 32-character hexadecimal number, is used to uniquely distinguish the application data folders, as well as entries in the registry. When you run a particular instance of Altium Designer Develop, the system handles (through use of this identifier) only those files and registry entries specific to that instance.
The following is a summary of the default installation folders for Altium Designer Develop:
-
The default main installation path for Altium Designer Develop is:
\Program Files\Altium\ADDevelop
-
Examples and templates for a default installation can be found in the following directory:
\Users\Public\Documents\Altium\ADDevelop
-
System application data (including Extensions, Portal Cache) and security files (license ALF) for a particular instance can be found in the following two directories:
\ProgramData\Altium\Altium Designer Develop
\ProgramData\Altium\Altium Designer Develop_Security
For two example instances, the paths might, therefore, be (inserting example GUIDs):
\ProgramData\Altium\Altium Designer Develop {7DF7280E-CD03-40A9-A6A4-DDD057140F70}
\ProgramData\Altium\Altium Designer Develop {7DF7280E-CD03-40A9-A6A4-DDD057140F70}_Security
\ProgramData\Altium\Altium Designer Develop {566C1AFA-49CA-4B17-B7CB-70A2042D8DAC}
\ProgramData\Altium\Altium Designer Develop {566C1AFA-49CA-4B17-B7CB-70A2042D8DAC}_Security
-
User application data files (including: DXP.rcs, UserTools.tlt, AdvPCB.dft, AdvSch.dft, last design space) for a particular instance can be found in the following directory:
\Users\<ProfileName>\AppData\Roaming\Altium\Altium Designer Develop <GUID>
For two example instances, and a user profile of Des.Igner, the paths would, therefore be:
\Users\Des.Igner\AppData\Roaming\Altium\Altium Designer Develop {7DF7280E-CD03-40A9-A6A4-DDD057140F70}
\Users\Des.Igner\AppData\Roaming\Altium\Altium Designer Develop {566C1AFA-49CA-4B17-B7CB-70A2042D8DAC}
-
User local application data for a particular instance can be found in the following directory:
\Users\<ProfileName>\AppData\Local\Altium\Altium Designer Develop <GUID>
For two example instances, and a user profile of Des.Igner, the paths would, therefore be:
\Users\Des.Igner\AppData\Local\Altium\Altium Designer Develop {7DF7280E-CD03-40A9-A6A4-DDD057140F70}
\Users\Des.Igner\AppData\Local\Altium\Altium Designer Develop {566C1AFA-49CA-4B17-B7CB-70A2042D8DAC}
Identifying the Right Folder
For the main program installation and shared documents folders, you have the ability to give those folders meaningful names, which can come in very handy for a machine containing multiple different version instances of the software. But for other folders, they are only distinguished by their GUID. Being able to tell that you have the right folder for the right version instance suddenly becomes more difficult. However, help is at hand. By using the Preferences dialog, you can quickly identify the GUID used for the currently open instance of the software. Armed with that knowledge, you can pick the right folder through Windows Explorer.
The GUID can be identified on the following pages of the Preferences dialog (in a standard default installation of Altium Designer Develop):
Identifying the GUID used for the active version instance of Altium Designer Develop.
To update an existing version of Altium Designer Develop, choose the Update existing version option in the Altium Designer Develop Installer wizard, then use the drop-down field to select the specific instance of the software you wish to update. Refer to the Updating from Windows section to learn more.
Importing Preferences from a Previous Version
After installing and launching your new version of Altium Designer Develop, the Import settings dialog will open. In this dialog, you can choose to import preferences from the most recent previous installation at startup.
Import settings from your previous version's installation.
Not only will the preferences be imported, but the user settings will also be copied across – ensuring the new version opens with the same look and feel created in the previous version, even down to the last opened project group and panel positioning!
If the option to import preferences upon initial startup is not taken, do not worry – preferences can be quickly imported at any time from within the Preferences dialog. Refer to the Accessing, Defining & Managing System Preferences page to learn more.
The benefit of importing at the initial startup is getting the working environment looking exactly the way it was set up in the previous installation. Importing preferences at a later stage will only 'restore' a subset of this environment.
Preferences can be imported from any individually installed version instance of Altium Designer Develop.
Altium Product Improvement Program
Altium uses the Altium Product Improvement Program to enhance our understanding of how our customers use Altium products and services. The data is transmitted via a secure connection so your privacy is protected. You do not need to send us anything; your computer will automatically send usage information to Altium servers, and participation will not impact software performance or cause any work interruptions. The data we collect cannot be used to recreate your work, products or designs.
By default, participation in the program is enabled. You can configure this after installation. The option to participate or not is available from the System – Product Improvement page of the Preferences dialog (accessed by clicking the 
button at the top right of the design space). Alternatively, you can enable/disable participation using the Product Improvement option on the System – Network Activity page of the Preferences dialog.
Rest assured that no personal data or design/IP information will be collected by participating in this program. Participation in this program is strictly voluntary and anonymous, and you are free to stop participating in the program at any time. For the rules that govern the program, see the Altium Designer Improvement Program page.
Changing Installed Core Functionality
During initial installation of Altium Designer Develop, the default set of the core design functionality is installed. This set is not 'set in stone', however, and can be modified at any time after installation. This can be performed from the Installed page of the Extensions view in Altium Designer Develop.
-
Access the Extensions view (click on the Current User control at the top right of the design space then choose 
from the menu) and switch to the Installed tab.
-
Click the 
button at the top right of the Platform region. This accesses a page, which presents Altium Designer Develop's core feature set, including platform extensions.
Configure the core functionality for your installation directly from within Altium Designer Develop.
To return to the main view of the Extensions view's Installed page, click the Installed tab.
-
Make changes to the installed core feature set as required by checking/unchecking the box next to a feature. Modifications are distinguished by the applicable entry becoming bold. Quickly enable all features in a particular section for installation using the corresponding All On control at the top right of that section.
-
Once modifications have been made, click the 
button at the top right of the page. A confirmation dialog will open. Click OK to apply the changes and restart Altium Designer Develop. The instance of Altium Designer Develop will close, and a window will appear showing progress in downloading and installing the files required to implement the change(s).
-
Altium Designer Develop will then be restarted.
Updating to a Later Version
Altium Designer Develop can be updated from the software itself.
On the System – Installation page of the Preferences dialog, you can configure how frequently Altium Designer Develop will check for software updates and notify you. Note that an option is available to check for new updates each time Altium Designer Develop is launched. This is the On Start-up setting in the Check Frequency drop-down menu.
Depending on how you have configured your automatic checking for updates, a pop-up dialog will open when you launch Altium Designer Develop notifying you that a later version of the software is available. Clicking 
will start downloading, and then a pop-up dialog will suggest restarting Altium Designer Develop to complete the process. After that, click 
to proceed.
A window will appear showing progress in downloading and installing the files required to implement the update. Altium Designer Develop will then be restarted.
Update of the installation proceeds by downloading the files required to implement required changes to the software. Once downloaded, those files will be installed.
Notes:
-
Installing a new version of Altium Designer Develop will automatically install any related extensions that also have updates.
-
Verification that you now have the later version of Altium Designer Develop installed can be made from the Help » About splash screen.
Uninstalling
Uninstalling Altium Designer Develop is performed using the Altium Designer Develop Uninstaller. This wizard-based uninstaller is accessed from the standard Programs and Features page (accessed from the Control Panel). Right-click on the entry for Altium Designer Develop <Version> and use the Uninstall command from the context menu.
If you have installed multiple instances of Altium Designer Develop, ensure that the correct instance is being uninstalled. It can be a good idea to have the Version attribute displayed as an additional column on the Programs and Features page so that the correct instance can be quickly verified.
The Altium Designer Develop Uninstaller wizard will be presented.
Uninstalling the software is streamlined, courtesy of the Altium Designer Develop Uninstaller.
Three actions are provided, facilitating varying degrees of 'uninstall' as follows:
-
Uninstall – removes the install folders (program files and shared documents locations) but leaves preferences-based folders alone. This enables you to have a build that is not currently installed, but whose preferences can still be reused, for example, by importing into another installed version.
-
Remove Preferences – removes just the preferences-based folders, covering system application data and security files, user application data files, and user local application data.
-
Remove Completely – total removal of the entire installation (i.e., installation folders and preferences folders).
Choose the uninstall action required. To proceed with the uninstall, click 
. The page will change to show the uninstallation progress, and the chosen action will be processed. Once the uninstall is complete, click 
on the final page of the uninstaller.
The Altium Designer Develop Uninstaller in action
