Installing more workbenches

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Introduction

Since v0.17 it is easy to add external workbenches by using the Addon Manager. A regular user doesn't need to do more than use this tool.

Keep reading for more information regarding installation of workbenches.

General description

Workbenches are nothing more than collections of files that are placed in a folder. This folder is usually compressed into a zip archive. On installation, this folder is simply uncompressed and copied to

$ROOT_DIR/Mod/

where $ROOT_DIR is a top level directory searched by FreeCAD on startup. This is essentially what the Addon Manager does.

The Mod/ directories are scanned every time FreeCAD is started, and the available workbenches are automatically added.

Installing system-wide

Workbenches installed in this way will be available to all users. Depending on your system, you might need administrator privileges to access the installation directory.

Copy the workbench folder into $INSTALL_DIR/Mod/, where $INSTALL_DIR is the FreeCAD installation directory.

On Linux it is usually /usr/share/freecad/Mod/
On Windows it is usually C:\Program Files\FreeCAD\Mod\
On macOS it is usually /Applications/FreeCAD/Mod/

Installing for a single user

Workbenches installed in this way will be available only to one user, but will not require any administrator privileges.

Copy the workbench folder into $USER_DIR/Mod/, where $USER_DIR is the FreeCAD directory for a particular username (you can find the latter by typing App.getUserAppDataDir() in the Python console).

On Linux it is usually /home/username/.local/share/FreeCAD/Mod/ (version 0.20 and above) or /home/username/.FreeCAD/Mod/ (version 0.19 and below).
On Windows it is %APPDATA%\FreeCAD\Mod\, which is usually C:\Users\username\Appdata\Roaming\FreeCAD\Mod\
On macOS it is usually /Users/username/Library/Preferences/FreeCAD/Mod/.