TIA Selection Tool: Backup and Restore the User Library

The TIA Selection Tool (TST) is Siemens' free, standalone engineering utility for selecting, configuring, and ordering SIMATIC, SIMOTION, SINAMICS, SITOP, and SIMOCODE devices. Unlike the full TIA Portal engineering suite, TST keeps all user-created selections, favorites, configured articles, and custom part numbers in a single local file called library.tia. Understanding exactly where this file lives, how to copy it, and how it relates to TIA Portal project backups is essential for any engineer who needs to migrate a workstation, replace a PC, or share a curated device catalog across multiple engineering seats.

This guide covers the exact file-system path, the manual copy procedure, cross-version behavior, and the distinction between TST user-library backup and TIA Portal project backup/restore. Every step is reproducible on Windows 10 (build 21H2 or later) and Windows 11 with TST V18, V17, or V16 installed.

1. Overview of the TST User Library

The TST user library is a local, per-user, per-workstation file. It is not stored inside the TIA Portal project (.ap18, .ap17, .ap16) and it is not synchronized with the Siemens Solution Partner cloud. It contains:

• User-defined favorites and bookmarks for catalog articles.
• Custom-configured articles (e.g., a CPU 1515-2 PN with specific module configuration, I/O count, and order number).
• Manually added third-party or legacy catalog entries that the user has promoted to favorites.
• Local filter and search presets.

Because all of this information resides in a single binary file under the Windows per-user AppData folder, transferring the user library between two PCs is a straightforward file copy operation — no export wizard, no installer, and no license key exchange is required. The official product entry point is documented on the Siemens product page at TIA Selection Tool | Siemens.

2. Prerequisites

Before performing a backup or restore, verify the following conditions on both the source and target PCs:

3. Exact File System Location

The user library and all supporting caches live under the standard Windows Local AppData hidden folder:

%localappdata%\Siemens_AG\SelectionTool\library.tia

Expanded, this resolves to a path similar to:

C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Siemens_AG\SelectionTool\library.tia

The full folder contains additional files that you may also wish to back up if you want a complete migration:

To navigate there quickly, press Win+R, type %localappdata%\Siemens_AG\SelectionTool, and press Enter.

4. Step-by-Step: Backup on the Source PC

1. Close TIA Selection Tool completely. The library file is locked while TST is running and cannot be safely copied. Use Task Manager to confirm no Siemens.Selection.Tool.exe process is active.
2. Open Windows File Explorer and click in the address bar.
3. Type the following path and press Enter:

   %localappdata%\Siemens_AG\SelectionTool

4. Locate library.tia. The file is typically 1–25 MB depending on how many configured articles are stored.
5. Right-click library.tia and select Copy. Optionally also copy library_backup.tia for redundancy.
6. Paste the file to a safe destination: a network share, OneDrive for Business, a USB drive, or a versioned backup folder such as D:\TST_Backups\2026-01-15\library.tia.
7. Verify the file size and modification timestamp on the destination match the source.

5. Step-by-Step: Restore on the Target PC

1. Install TIA Selection Tool on the new workstation. Use the same major version (V16, V17, or V18) as the source, or a newer one. The installer is available from the Siemens Industry Online Support entry referenced on the TIA Selection Tool product page.
2. Launch TST at least once. Allow it to complete the initial online catalog sync (or skip the sync if working offline). Close TST cleanly via the File → Exit menu so the SelectionTool folder and a fresh library.tia are written to disk.
3. Open File Explorer and navigate to:

   %localappdata%\Siemens_AG\SelectionTool

4. Verify the folder contains a freshly generated library.tia. This is your confirmation that step 2 created the directory correctly.
5. Rename or delete the newly created library.tia (e.g., library.tia.fresh). This is a safety net; in practice the next step overwrites it.
6. Copy the backed-up library.tia from your backup media into the same folder.
7. Launch TIA Selection Tool. The configured articles, favorites, and presets from the original workstation should now be visible.

6. Cross-Version Compatibility and Migration

Siemens does not publish the internal schema of library.tia, but field testing across V16 SP1, V17, and V18 indicates the following compatibility rules:

If you must roll back from V18 to V17, restore the library_backup.tia written by the older version, or maintain a separate library_*.tia per TST major version.

7. Distinguishing TST Library Backup from TIA Portal Project Backup

A common source of confusion in the field is conflating the TST user library with the TIA Portal project backup. They are completely separate artifacts:

For the TIA Portal side, Siemens documents the complete backup and restore matrix in the online help at Backup and restore options — docs.tia.siemens.cloud. That reference covers the Online & Diagnostic tools use case where actual data block values including time stamps are written back into the project during a restore. TST plays no role in that workflow.

8. Verification Checklist

After completing the restore, confirm each item:

1. TST starts without a "library corrupted" or "schema version mismatch" dialog.
2. Open the Favorites tab — your previously saved favorites are listed.
3. Open a previously configured article (e.g., a CPU 1516-3 PN/DP with configured I/O modules) and confirm the I/O list matches the source PC.
4. Check the catalog filter presets under Settings → Filter.
5. Export a configured article to a PDF or Excel order list. The export should include the same order numbers you saved on the source PC.

If any item fails, restore the library_backup.tia file captured in step 5 of the backup procedure. If both library.tia and library_backup.tia fail, re-run the procedure on the source PC with TST closed, and confirm the file is not zero bytes.

9. Troubleshooting Matrix

10. Automation with a Script (Optional)

For environments that rotate workstations frequently, a simple PowerShell snippet can perform the backup with a timestamp:

$src = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA "Siemens_AG\SelectionTool\library.tia"
$dst = "D:\TST_Backups\library_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss').tia"
if (Test-Path $src) {
    Copy-Item -Path $src -Destination $dst -Force
    Write-Host "Backup written to $dst"
} else {
    Write-Warning "Source library not found at $src"
}

Run this script with TST closed, for example as a scheduled task triggered at user logoff. The destination path can be redirected to a UNC share for centralized retention.

11. Field-Proven Caveats

• Per-user, not per-machine: The library is bound to the Windows user profile. Roaming profiles and Folder Redirection do not auto-sync Siemens_AG; treat the backup as a manual artifact.
• No version history inside TST: Unlike TIA Portal's archive versioning, TST only retains the single library_backup.tia. Keep external dated copies if you need to roll back to a specific configuration.
• Catalog version is separate: Restoring the library does not roll back the installed TST catalog version. If a part number was retired by Siemens, the restored favorite will show a "not available" warning until you refresh the catalog.
• Do not edit the file: library.tia is a binary archive. Manual edits will corrupt it. Use only TST or a file copy.
• License keys are not stored here: TST does not require a license, so there is nothing to transfer. The full TIA Portal license is managed by the Automation License Manager and is unaffected by this procedure.