KiCad Advises Linux Users to Stick with X11 for Professional PCB Design

KiCad has long been a go-to open-source tool for electronic design automation (EDA) for engineers, hobbyists, and PCB designers. It’s a favorite among professionals and enthusiasts alike, offering a robust suite of features for schematic capture and PCB layout.

As you know, the Linux desktop environment shifts from the long-standing X11 display server protocol to Wayland, but it looks like this might not be the best choice for this software. Here’s why.

The KiCad development team recently published a detailed update on Wayland compatibility, clarifying the current support state and why some issues remain out of their hands. The team wants to set clear user expectations with major distributions like Fedora and Ubuntu moving toward Wayland by default.

While KiCad does function under Wayland, the experience is far from seamless. Many problems stem from fundamental gaps in Wayland’s design—features that X11, Windows, and macOS have long taken for granted, such as window positioning and mouse cursor control.

The team outlined several persistent challenges, most of which originate from Wayland itself or its varying implementations across different desktop environments (GNOME, KDE, etc.). These include:

• Window Management Problems – KiCad can’t remember window positions, leading to disorganized workspaces. Docked panels and toolbars may not restore correctly, and multi-window workflows are unreliable.
• Input and Interaction Glitches – Critical CAD functions like cursor warping (essential for precise component placement) are inconsistently supported. Focus issues and input device quirks further disrupt workflows.
• Performance and Stability – OpenGL throttling in some compositors causes freezes, while workarounds lead to higher CPU/GPU usage than under X11. Graphical glitches and crashes are also more frequent.
• Dialog and UI Oddities – Modal dialogs may behave unpredictably, and integration with external tools can be spotty.

According to KiCad’s devs, the frustrating reality is that these problems aren’t within KiCad’s control. Wayland was intentionally designed without certain features to prioritize security and simplicity, leaving application developers in a bind.

Compounding the issue, different desktop environments implement Wayland protocols inconsistently, making it nearly impossible to ensure a uniform experience.

As the team puts it:

Linux is already a small section of the KiCad userbase. Further fragmentation by window manager creates an unsustainable support burden.

Given these constraints, the KiCad team has adopted a pragmatic approach:

• No window manager-specific workarounds – Maintaining separate code paths for different desktop environments isn’t feasible.
• Limited development focus on Wayland – Resources will prioritize features benefiting all users, not just those on Wayland.
• Clear documentation – Users should know what to expect before running KiCad on Wayland.

Moreover, the team will not investigate bug reports specific to Wayland’s issues, as most stem from the display stack rather than KiCad itself. The advice for those relying on KiCad for professional work is straightforward: if you need reliability, stick with X11.

Anyway, the KiCad team remains optimistic that the Wayland ecosystem will mature. They’ve already engaged with upstream developers at conferences like FOSDEM, and some progress is underway—pointer warping protocols, for instance, are finally under development.

For more information, see the blog post.