How to Enable or Disable Workbenches in FreeCAD
FreeCAD offers a wide range of specialized workbenches for various design tasks, but keeping every tool active can clutter the interface and slow down your workflow. This guide explains how to streamline your workspace by enabling or disabling specific workbenches directly through the FreeCAD preferences menu, allowing you to display only the tools relevant to your projects.
Step 1: Open the Preferences Menu
Launch FreeCAD and access the main configuration settings:
- On Windows and Linux, click Edit in the top menu bar and select Preferences.
- On macOS, click FreeCAD in the top application bar
and select Preferences (or use the shortcut
Cmd + ,).
Step 2: Navigate to Workbench Settings
In the Preferences window, look at the navigation sidebar on the left side:
- Select the Workbenches category from the list.
- In the main panel, you will see the configuration options for workbench loading and visibility.
Step 3: Configure Workbench Visibility
Depending on your version of FreeCAD, you will see a list of installed workbenches with checkboxes or two separate lists labeled "Enabled workbenches" and "Disabled workbenches":
- To disable a workbench: Uncheck the box next to the workbench name, or select the workbench from the enabled list and click the arrow button to move it to the disabled list.
- To enable a workbench: Check the box next to the desired workbench, or select it from the disabled list and move it into the enabled list.
- Reordering (Optional): You can also use the up and down arrow controls to change the display order in which workbenches appear in the workbench dropdown menu.
Step 4: Apply and Save Changes
- Click Apply in the bottom-right corner of the Preferences window to register your adjustments.
- Click OK to close the Preferences window.
- Restart FreeCAD to ensure the user interface updates and the disabled workbenches are completely unloaded from your active workspace.