Edited: October 11, 2024
Cricut smart cutting machines were designed to work with Design Space, our free, easy-to-use design software. But you can still use your Physical Cartridge content with these machines in Design Space by linking the cartridges to your account. It's easy to link your cartridges to your account through Design Space using your Cricut Explore machine (Explore Air 2 or older) or a Cartridge Adapter. Follow the step-by-step instructions below.
How to link cartridges
Note: Cartridges cannot be linked through the Cricut Design Space iOS or Android app at this time. You will need to link your cartridges using Design Space on a laptop or desktop computer. For best results, please connect your machine to the computer via USB cable.
Note: Cricut Explore 3 and Cricut Maker machines do not have a cartridge port. If you have one of these machines and need to link cartridges to your account, use a Cartridge Adapter or contact Member Care for assistance.
- Sign in to Design Space on a Windows or Mac laptop or desktop computer.
- Ensure your Cricut Explore machine (Air 2 or older) is powered on and connected to your computer via USB cable, or insert the Cartridge Adapter into a USB port on your computer.
- Open the Design Space menu at the top right of the screen.
- Navigate to Settings > Machines > Link Cartridges and click Start.
- Select your device from the drop-down menu. Cartridge adapters will show up in the list as Adapter.
- When instructed, insert the cartridge into the cartridge port on the left side of the machine above the Open button, or plug your cartridge into the adapter. After a few moments, Design Space will detect the cartridge.
- When the cartridge has been detected, the Link Cartridge button will be enabled. Click the button to initiate the linking process.
- Design Space will alert you when the link is complete. Remove the cartridge from the machine or adapter. Then you can continue to link other cartridges, view your cartridges, or click the X in the upper right corner of the cartridge linking window to return to Home or Canvas.
Important: If you have already linked your cartridges to your account through the Cricut Craft Room software, they will automatically be available in your Design Space account. There is no need to relink them. If your cartridges are linked to a Cricut Gypsy mobile device, contact Member Care for assistance.
Note: Do not insert Cartridge Adapter into the USB port on Cricut Maker. That port is for charging devices only; it is not intended for data transfer. If you receive any errors when linking cartridges, follow the steps in the troubleshooting section below.
Troubleshooting
Cartridge Already Linked
- Has your cartridge already been linked to a Gypsy device? If so, in order to transfer cartridges from your Gypsy to your Cricut account so that you can use them in Design Space, contact Member Care for assistance. Cartridges that have already been linked to your account through the Cricut Craft Room software are automatically made available in Design Space under the same Cricut ID that you used to link the cartridge. If your cartridge has not previously been linked to a Gypsy device, proceed to step 2.
- Was your cartridge purchased used? If so, it is possible that the former owner has already linked that cartridge to their account. Due to copyright and licensing laws and agreements, cartridges can only be linked one time, and cannot be unlinked, so we cannot guarantee that pre-owned cartridges will be able to link to your account. If your cartridge was not purchased used, proceed to step 3.
- If your cartridge has not been linked to a Gypsy device and was purchased brand new, collect a picture of your proof-of-purchase (receipt or online order confirmation) and contact Member Care for assistance adding that cartridge to your account.
Cartridge Not Recognized
- Ensure that you have completed the New Product Setup process for your Cricut Explore Air 2 (or older). If you haven't or are unsure, you can quickly do this through the Design Space menu > Settings > Machine > New Product Setup, or by going to https://design/cricut.com/setup. If more help is needed, proceed to step 2.
- Ensure that you are attempting to complete the cartridge linking process through a desktop or laptop computer. Cartridge linking is not available through the mobile apps at this time. If you are using a computer and receiving this error, proceed to step 3.
- Check to see if there is a firmware update available for your Cricut Explore Air 2 (or older) machine. If there are no updates available, proceed to step 4.
- Contact Member Care to find out if there is a known issue with linking that cartridge. For instance, the first cartridge we released, George and Basic Shapes, has difficulty linking and must be added manually by Member Care in most cases. If there is no known issue, proceed to step 5.
- Has your cartridge already been linked to a Gypsy device? If so, in order to transfer cartridges from your Gypsy to your Cricut account so that you can use them in Design Space, contact Member Care for assistance. Cartridges that have already been linked to your account through the Cricut Craft Room software are automatically made available in Design Space under the same Cricut ID that you used to link the cartridge. If your cartridge has not previously been linked to a Gypsy device, proceed to step 6.
- Attempt to link another cartridge. If that cartridge does link without a problem, you now know it's not an issue with the cartridge port on the machine. Contact Member Care for assistance adding the original cartridge to your account.
- Was your cartridge purchased used? If so, it is possible that the former owner has already linked that cartridge to their account. Due to copyright and licensing laws and agreements, cartridges can only be linked one time, and cannot be unlinked, so we cannot guarantee that pre-owned cartridges will be able to link to your account. If your cartridge was not purchased used, collect a picture of your proof-of-purchase (receipt or online order confirmation) and contact Member Care for assistance adding that cartridge to your account.
Nothing happens when I try to link my cartridge
- Ensure that you are following the steps above to link your cartridges.
- If you still experience trouble after completing those steps, please contact Member Care for further assistance.
Important: Cartridges can be linked only once, and cannot be unlinked. If your cartridge is a pre-owned one, we cannot guarantee that it can be linked to your account. You can still use those cartridges with stand-alone machines like Expression, Personal, etc.