New in Altium Designer

This page details the improvements included in releases of Altium Designer, Altium Designer Develop and Altium Designer Agile. Along with delivering a range of improvements that develop and mature the existing technologies, each update also incorporates a number of fixes and enhancements across the software based on feedback raised by customers through the AltiumLive Community's BugCrunch system, helping you continue to create cutting-edge electronics technology.

Altium Agile and Altium Designer users: When you update your Altium Designer Agile or Altium Designer installation to a newer version and you use a Standalone or Private Server license, you may need to reactivate/refresh the license to be able to access and use new features and functionality. For more information, refer to the following pages:

Version 26.6

Altium Designer Develop – Released: 19 May 2026 – Version 26.6.0 (build 14)
Altium Designer Agile – Released: 19 May 2026 – Version 26.6.0 (build 21)
Altium Designer – Released: 19 May 2026 – Version 26.6.0 (build 10)

Release Notes for Altium Designer

PCB Design Improvement

Updated IPC Compliant Footprint Wizard Packages

Updated All Packages for Compliance with IPC Standard 7351, Revision B

The IPC Compliant Footprint Wizard has been updated for all existing supported packages to ensure footprint generation is in accordance with Revision B of the IPC Standard 7351 - Generic Requirements for Surface Mount Design and Land Pattern Standard. Several areas have been updated for compatibility. These include (but are not limited to):

  • Pad size and gap formulas

  • Stacking rounding issue

  • Layer mapping

  • Silkscreen and courtyard

  • Density table values

  • Set package outline output to maximum values 

Added Ability to Control Pad Trimming for a Gullwing Package Footprint

The Footprint Dimensions page of the Wizard has been enhanced with the ability to control whether or not pad trimming is applied when using calculated footprint values when generating a gullwing package footprint (SOT23 is used in the example image below). Use the Trim Pad drop-down to select the desired trimming option.

Additional Updates

  • A new Lead Span Range (L) parameter has been added when defining the dimensions of a MOLDED package. This allows for specifying the minimum and maximum values for the distance between the outer sides of leads.

  • The Body Length Range (L) parameter has been renamed Body Length Range (L1) and imagery has been updated for a MOLDED package.

  • When creating a SODFL or MOLDED (polarized) package, the polarized pin (cathode) is now identified on the generated 3D STEP model by a white bar only (SODFL), or white bar and chamfer (MOLDED).  

  • When creating a PQFP package footprint, the silkscreen outline is now generated using the same style/approach as for the QFN package. The outline now follows the maximum package outline with an offset towards the outside of the package outline of one half of the silkscreen line width. The default silkscreen line width is 0.127 mm.

  • When creating a PQFP or CQFP package footprint, the package outline is now built based on maximum dimension values versus nominal values, in line with SOIC, SOP, TSSOP, and SOT packages.

  • When generating a gullwing package footprint using the IPC Compliant Footprints Batch generator, a new PadTrimming parameter has been added to the Footprint Specifications section on the Data tab of the associated Excel template file to control whether or not pad trimming is applied. SOIC has been used in the image below.

For more information, refer to the Creating a PCB Footprint page.

CAMtastic Improvement

Automatically Assign Color for Imported Gerber and ODB++ Files

Layer colors are now assigned according to the layer type (e.g., red for signal-top, blue for signal-bottom. etc.,) when Gerber and ODB++ files are imported into the CAM editor if the layer color information is missing from the files that are being imported. The new default color function has been implemented to remove instances when layers could possibly be assigned incorrect colors.

For more information, refer to the Preparing Fabrication Data page.

Harness Design Improvement

Ability to 'Split' Connection Table

The connection table of an advanced harness design may have a large number of entries, which can be difficult to fit into a drawing document as a single table. Rather than resorting to font and table scaling, multiple custom table entries, or an external document, you now have the ability to 'split' a connection table in a Harness Draftsman document (*.HarDwf) so that the connection table will be presented over a number of 'pages.' In the Properties panel for a placed connection table, enable the Limit Page Height option in the Pages region to use the new feature. This will restrict the height of the connection table to the nominated height entry (Max Page Height) and, therefore, the number of lines shown in the table.

 

The editor detects that the entire connection table is not shown, as indicated by the panel's Page entry (for example, 1 from 2), and the associated drop-down menu allows you to nominate which page is shown. To add further pages of the connection table, place another connection table (Place » Connection Table) and specify the next Page in the Pages region of the Properties panel.

For more information, refer to the Creating a Manufacturing Drawing for a Harness Design page.

Data Management Improvements

Added Support for 'Temperature Coefficient' Data Type

When defining a user parameter as part of a component template in a connected Workspace on the Altium Platform, an additional unit-aware data type – Temperature coefficient (ppm/°C) – is now supported.

Parameters that use this new unit type are supported in various areas of the software, including the Components panel, the Component editor (in both single and batch editing modes), and by the Library Importer and Components Synchronization feature (in the Parameter Mapping section of the Properties panel).

For more information about the unit-aware component parameter data types, refer to the Component Templates page.

Ability to Change the Applied Environment Configuration

When connecting to an Altium Platform Workspace that has defined Environment Configurations, and where a user is assigned to several groups (multiple environment configurations can apply), it is now possible to change the applied configuration after having initially selected one and enabled the Remember my choice option in the Select a Configuration dialog. Catering for this, a new Connection Properties dialog, accessed from the Properties menu for the Workspace, on the Data Management - Servers page of Preferences, enables you to quickly change the configuration to use, from those available to you.

For more information about application of environment configurations, refer to the Accessing Your Workspace page.

Import/Export Improvement

Advanced Allegro Import Wizard (Open Beta)

This release introduces the enhanced Allegro Import Wizard that supports the import of padstack-level solder and paste masks for pads (regular and custom shapes, including tented pads) and vias (involving the calculation of expansions and including tented sides).

Also, when importing an Allegro design with the listed below defined sub-classes on Top or Bottom layers, a component layer pair is now created in the generated PCB document to accommodate values from these Top and Bottom layers, with these layers hidden by default with respect to their visibility.

Allegro Design Sub-class

Altium Component Layer Pair

Layers - Components - Comp value

COMPONENT_VALUE_TOP and COMPONENT_VALUE_BOTTOM

Layers - Components - Dev type

DEVICE_TYPE_TOP and DEVICE_TYPE_BOTTOM

Layers - Components - Tolerance

TOLERANCE_TOP and TOLERANCE_BOTTOM

Layers - Components - User part

PART_NUMBER_TOP and PART_NUMBER_BOTTOM

This feature is in Open Beta and available when the Importer.Allegro.AdvancedEngine option is enabled in the Advanced Settings dialog.

For more information, refer to the Importing a Design from Allegro page.

Feature Made Fully Public in Altium Designer 26.6

The following feature is now officially Public with this release:

Version 26.5

Altium Designer Develop – Released: 6 May 2026, Version 26.5.1 (build 12) – Additional Update
Altium Designer Agile – Released: 6 May 2026, Version 26.5.1 (build 30) – Additional Update
Altium Designer – Released: 6 May 2026, Version 26.5.1 (build 12) – Additional Update

Altium Designer Develop – Released: 8 April 2026 – Version 26.5.0 (build 11)
Altium Designer Agile – Released: 8 April 2026 – Version 26.5.0 (build 17)
Altium Designer – Released: 8 April 2026 – Version 26.5.0 (build 11)

Release Notes for Altium Designer

Version 26.4

Altium Designer Develop – Released: 19 March 2026 – Version 26.4.1 (build 13)
Altium Designer Agile – Released: 19 March 2026 – Version 26.4.1 (build 25)
Altium Designer – Released: 19 March 2026 – Version 26.4.1 (build 12)

Release Notes for Altium Designer

Version 26.3

Altium Designer Develop – Released: 5 February 2026 – Version 26.3.0 (build 5)
Altium Designer Agile – Released: 5 February 2026 – Version 26.3.0 (build 18)
Altium Designer – Released: 5 February 2026 – Version 26.3.0 (build 6)

Release Notes for Altium Designer

Version 26.2

Altium Designer Develop – Released: 8 January 2026 – Version 26.2.0 (build 10)
Altium Designer Agile – Released: 8 January 2026 – Version 26.2.0 (build 28)
Altium Designer – Released: 8 January 2026 – Version 26.2.0 (build 7)

Release Notes for Altium Designer

Version 26.1

Altium Designer Develop – Released: 3 December 2025 – Version 26.1.0 (build 6)
Altium Designer Agile – Released: 3 December 2025 – Version 26.1.0 (build 13)
Altium Designer – Released: 3 December 2025 – Version 26.1.0 (build 7)

Release Notes for Altium Designer

 

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Feature Availability

The features available to you depend on which Altium solution you have – Altium Develop, an edition of Altium Agile (Agile Teams or Agile Enterprise), or Altium Designer (on active term).

If you don’t see a discussed feature in your software, contact Altium Sales to find out more.

Legacy Documentation

Altium Designer documentation is no longer versioned. If you need to access documentation for older versions of Altium Designer, visit the Legacy Documentation section of the Other Installers page.

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