Cricut Explore Air 2 👹

A closed driver & linux hostile line of Personal Paper cutters, which aim to be a nice easy to use CNC paper cutter. - Cricut Hacks Wiki

Advice prefer to use a Silhouette

They encrypted the motors as DRM. Not all companies do that. DRMs restrict everything you do with your device. It is illegal to circumvent unless there’s an active 3-year exemption for it and the use case. Exemptions are at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-10-28/pdf/2021-23311.pdf

Making sure you can only use it with design space is DRM. It is hard to use a Cricut without Design Space.

Design Space is mostly online.

You have to log in to use your Cricut

DRM is defective by design. https://www.defectivebydesign.org/

I use a Silhouette Cameo 4 with no DRM(software I use is InkCut with modifications)

# Linux un-support

They encrypted the motors as DRM

# Designing outside

# Cricut Design Space

It is needed to control the printer

But Design can be made outside of it and imported as SVG

# window

TBD using wine ?

Cannot be downloaded from linux (recognized as mac)

When launched from wine

# Android

To Proceed

  • Import SVG on android device
  • open design space
    • start a new project
    • tap upload / or “+” button and coose “Browse Files” to locate your .svg - Didn’t found such option -> there is no way to import svg here
    • Proceed to “Make” (cut) usign the Design Space Mobile Flow

# Freecad

# Inkscape

# Howto

# Comment modifier un fichier SVG dans Cricut Design Space

Using calc it’s possible to isolate part of the design.

# Alternative to design space

Written on July 11, 2022, Last update on November 23, 2025
linux cricut hostile printer