skip to content
 

The Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) is the world repository of small molecule organic and metal-organic crystal structures. The CSD is the central focus of the CSDSystem, which also comprises software for database access, structure visualisation and data analysis, and structural knowledge bases derived from the CSD.

Availability: 

All existing academic users of the CSD-System also have access to all other CCDC software with the CSD-Enterprise suite.

WebCSD can be accessed by going to: https://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/structures

The system may be able to be accessed on the University Managed Desktop (UMD) computers throughout the University & in Colleges.

 

Instructions for users: 

For all computer platforms

The current, online installers below are for the 2023.3 full CSD System release. This occupies around 40GB of disk space.
The CCDC have moved to using a very small installer file which then performs an online installation on your computer.

  • Read the Release and Installation notes here. Pay particular attention to the Supported Platforms notes.
  • Remove all previous CSD System installations from the CCDC.
  • You will be asked for an Activation key which can be given before or after installation. Click this link for the required information.

 

Windows

  • Download the online installer from here.
  • The wizard will then guide you through the installation steps.

OS X

  • Download the online installer from here.
  • Open the .dmg file to show the package installer icon.
  • Double-click the installer file "csds-osx".

Linux

  • Download the .tar file from here and extract it.
  • Find, the file "csds-linux-x64.run" and make it executable with the command "chmod a+x"
  • Run the installer with the command "./csds-linux-x64.run".
  • Click through, accepting the defaults, or modifying to your needs.

Please refer to the CCDC documentation for information on accessing and using the IsoStar software.

CSD System Data & Software Updates

If you have installed the CSD System following our notes above you can download interim software and data updates during the annual release cycle (approximately every 3 months) from https://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/support-and-resources/downloads to keep the CSD System software and your copy of the CSD database more current between each major release.

We will update links on this page following each major CSD System release.
 

 

Licence Details: 

This is proprietary software. The Department has a site licence.

Documentation: 

Extensive HTML and PDF documentation is available, including tutorials and worked examples. The CCDC Support pages have been thoroughly remodelled and include a knowledgebase derived from product questions & answers.

System status 

System monitoring page

Can't find what you're looking for?

Then you might find our A-Z site index useful. Or, you can search the site using the box at the top of the page, or by clicking here.