If you are creating a PCB directly without starting from a Schematic then you need to use the **Connect-Pad-to-Pad** tool. [https://docs.easyeda.com/en/PCB/Layout-PCB-Without-Schematic/index.html](https://docs.easyeda.com/en/PCB/Layout-PCB-Without-Schematic/index.html)  The use of this tool is explained here: [https://easyeda\.com/forum/topic/How\_does\_the\_Connect\_Pad\_to\_Pad\_tool\_work\_\-JgQO0Ay7H](https://easyeda.com/forum/topic/How_does_the_Connect_Pad_to_Pad_tool_work_-JgQO0Ay7H)

See also: [https://easyeda\.com/forum/topic/The\_best\_way\_to\_design\_a\_PCB\_in\_EasyEDA\-ThR3pwqIC](https://easyeda.com/forum/topic/The_best_way_to_design_a_PCB_in_EasyEDA-ThR3pwqIC) and then (2) in: [https://easyeda.com/forum/topic/How-to-ask-for-help-and-get-an-answer-71b17a40d15442349eaecbfae083e46a](https://easyeda.com/forum/topic/How-to-ask-for-help-and-get-an-answer-71b17a40d15442349eaecbfae083e46a)

I am struggling to get the tool to work despite reading the instructions.  I am trying to connect a copper trace to a pad.  Is the pad connect pad tool used for this? If not, is there another way I can connect the trace to the pad without getting an error?

You cannot use EasyEDA to just draw tracks between arbitrarily placed isolated pads and expect it to understand how they are connected. The **Connect-Pad-to-Pad** tool allows you to name pads and the track that connect them so that EasyEDA can understand which pads are connected to which other pads by which tracks. However, it expects those pads to be part of a **PCB Footprint** from the library and not just arbitrarily placed isolated pads. So, if you are just slapping pads down directly into a PCB, first you have to give each of your pads a netname. All the pads that you want to connect together by a track have to have the same netname. If you have another set of pads connected by another net then they have to all have a second unique netname. Then you can use the connect pad to pad tool to connect them and then you can route the tracks to them. Alternatively, name the pads as described then draw the track as you want them and then assign the approriate netnames to the tracks according to the pads they are connecting so that the pads and the track have the same netnames. Yes, it's a dead simple PCB so what could possibly go wrong and why does it have to be so difficult but it is just so much easier if you follow the Design Flow in the Tutorial and start with a properly constructed Schematic. Then when you clikc Convert to PCB it pulls in all the PCB footprints, joins them up with ratlines and you just draw in the tracks following where the ratlines show you the pad to pad  connectivity as defined in the Schematic.

Ok thanks, next time I will start from the schematic.  Also, when the PCB manafacturers make the design, will those copper traces be on the surface of the first layer or embedded?

They'll be on whichever layer you assign them to. To understand how to use EasyEDA, please read: [https://easyeda\.com/andyfierman/Welcome\_to\_EasyEDA\-31e1288f882e49e582699b8eb7fe9b1f](https://easyeda.com/andyfierman/Welcome_to_EasyEDA-31e1288f882e49e582699b8eb7fe9b1f)