Guides / Reference

Keepouts

A keepout is a region where copper isn’t allowed. Typical uses: the area under an antenna, around mounting screws, or where the enclosure needs clearance.

The Draw on Board sheet: what are you adding. Text, Image, Sketch, and the target layer chips
Where region drawing starts: the Draw sheet. Shapes pick their target layer at birth; a keepout is a drawn region given rule meaning.
  1. Draw the region

    Draw the shape over the area to protect and mark it as a keepout. It renders as a hatched region so it reads as a rule, not as artwork.

  2. Everything obeys it

    The placement engine won’t offer parts inside it, the router treats it as a wall, and DRC flags anything that sneaks in from an import.

The most common use is under an antenna: copper beneath a chip antenna detunes it. Adding the keepout before routing prevents the problem instead of finding it at test time.