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TIA Portal / Siemens PLC

TIA Portal Tutorial: Build Siemens PLC Skills Free in Your Browser

TIA Portal is Siemens' industry-standard PLC programming environment. This is the honest on-ramp: practise LAD (ladder), SCL (structured text), timers, and counters in a browser simulator — no Windows VM, no Siemens licence, on any device.

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TIA Portal tutorial — practice Siemens S7 ladder and SCL in the browser

Can you simulate TIA Portal online?

Not exactly — but you can practise the same logic patterns online, for free, without installing anything.

Siemens PLCSIM (S7-PLCSIM) is the official desktop simulation add-in for TIA Portal. It emulates the S7-1200 and S7-1500 controller firmware on a Windows PC and runs inside TIA Portal itself. It is not available as a browser tool or as a standalone online app — it requires a Windows machine, a TIA Portal installation, and in most cases a licence.

What our browser simulator offers is a complementary path: you write Siemens-dialect ladder (LAD) and structured text (SCL) rungs and run them through a scan engine against auto-graded machine scenarios. The instruction names and logic model match what you will write in TIA Portal. It is not firmware emulation, but it builds the same muscle memory — and it works on any device, instantly, with no install.

For Siemens-dialect practice specifically, see the Siemens PLC simulator page. For the broader TIA Portal context — installation, project structure, device configuration — see our TIA Portal tutorial blog post.

Opening honesty

This is not TIA Portal — it is practice for it.

If you are programming a real Siemens S7-1200 or S7-1500, you will use TIA Portal — there is no substitute for that on real hardware. This page is about the step before: building Siemens ladder and SCL fluency cheaply, on any computer, so TIA Portal feels familiar the first time you open it.

For a deeper look at TIA Portal itself — installation, navigation, and project structure — read our companion blog post: TIA Portal tutorial (blog).

What TIA Portal is

TIA Portal V17+ — the full picture for beginners

TIA Portal (Totally Integrated Automation Portal) is Siemens' unified engineering framework. It combines Step 7 PLC programming, WinCC HMI/SCADA design, and drive configuration in one install. The current generation of Siemens controllers — the S7-1200 (compact, lower I/O count) and S7-1500 (full-featured, safety-capable) — are programmed exclusively in TIA Portal.

TIA Portal supports five IEC 61131-3 languages: LAD/KOP (ladder), FBD (function block diagram), SCL (structured control language / structured text), STL (statement list), and GRAPH (sequential function chart). Most beginners start with LAD and then add SCL for data-handling rungs.

The real cost for a learner: TIA Portal is Windows-only, requires a Siemens licence (Basic, Professional, or Advanced), and the install runs to several gigabytes. Without an S7 controller or S7-PLCSIM (bundled with higher-tier licences), testing is limited.

TIA Portal product map — S7-1200, S7-1500, PLCSIM, WinCC explained
The Siemens ecosystem from controller families through to SCADA.
The five IEC 61131-3 languages TIA Portal supports — LAD/KOP ladder, FBD function block, SCL structured text, STL statement list and GRAPH sequential function chart — most beginners start with LADThe five IEC 61131-3 PLC programming languages as chips: Ladder Diagram, Function Block Diagram, Structured Text, Instruction List and Sequential Function Chart.IEC 61131-3 — five languagesLDLadder DiagramFBDFunction BlockSTStructured TextILInstruction ListSFCSequential Func. Chart
The five TIA Portal languages. Most S7-1200 / S7-1500 beginners start with LAD, then add SCL.

The differentiator

TIA Portal term — universal concept — practice link

Every TIA Portal instruction maps onto a transferable IEC 61131-3 concept. The table below shows that mapping and links you straight to the matching free practice lesson.

TIA Portal termUniversal conceptPractice it here
LAD / KOP — normally-open contactNO contact (examine if closed)Lesson: Switch → Light →
LAD / KOP — normally-closed contactNC contact (examine if open)Lesson: NO vs NC →
Output coil ( )Output coil / OTELesson: Coil basics →
Set (S) / Reset (R) coilLatch / UnlatchThe Path: latches →
TON — On-delay timerOn-delay timerTimer lessons →
CTU — Count Up counterUp counterCounter lessons →
SCL / Structured TextIEC 61131-3 STStructured Text practice →
PLCSIM (virtual controller)In-browser simulationSiemens simulator →
WinCC / HMI tagsHMI conceptsHMI tutorial (blog) →
TIA Portal instruction to universal concept mapping table with practice links
Every TIA Portal instruction has a universal equivalent you can practice today.
A TIA Portal LAD / KOP ladder rung — a normally-open contact driving an output coil on an S7-1200 / S7-1500 — the Siemens ladder construct you practice free in a browser PLC simulatorA basic ladder logic rung between two power rails: an examine-if-closed contact (XIC) in series driving an output coil (OTE).L1L2] [StartXIC I:0/0LampOTE O:0/0
A TIA Portal LAD rung: a normally-open contact driving an output coil, S7-style.

Where TIA Portal slows beginners

The real cost of starting with TIA Portal

Windows-only

TIA Portal V17+ does not run on Mac, Linux, or Chromebook. Getting started requires a Windows PC or a heavy VM setup.

Licensed, not free

Even the Basic license costs hundreds of dollars. Without a trial or employer seat, a learner cannot open a project.

Heavy install

TIA Portal installs run 10–20 GB with HSP packages, redistributables, and optional components — often over an hour.

Needs a controller or PLCSIM

Without S7 hardware or the PLCSIM simulation add-in, you cannot watch your program execute a live scan cycle.

No scored curriculum

TIA Portal is a workbench, not a course. There is no auto-grader telling a beginner whether their rung logic is correct.

Five languages from day one

LAD, FBD, SCL, STL, GRAPH — the choice overwhelms beginners before they write their first contact.

The learning path

From zero to TIA Portal-ready — a structured path

1

LAD contacts and coils

Start with normally-open (NO) and normally-closed (NC) contacts and the output coil. Build your first rung: a switch turning on a light.

Start this step →
2

Seal-in and interlock

The motor start/stop latch and the safety interlock are the two patterns that appear on nearly every panel diagram.

Start this step →
3

Timers — TON and TOF

Practice the on-delay (TON) and off-delay (TOF) timer with the Siemens dialect active. Watch IN, ET, Q, and PT behave in the browser simulator.

Start this step →
4

Counters — CTU and CTD

Count parts, count faults, count batches. Practice the CTU and CTD counter instructions in Siemens mode.

Start this step →
5

SCL / Structured Text

Switch the editor to Structured Text and write the same logic in SCL notation — IF/THEN, arithmetic, and function blocks.

Start this step →
6

Siemens dialect switch

Activate the Siemens dialect in the editor. Your contact and coil symbols now follow TIA Portal conventions. Cross-reference to our Siemens simulator.

Start this step →

Your first program

Build your first Siemens program — and run it, not just screenshot it

Most TIA Portal tutorials show you screenshots of LAD; you only get to run anything once you have installed the multi-gigabyte software and PLCSIM. Here you build the same starter rungs and execute them against a scan engine immediately, in the browser. Below is the program you build: a seal-in, a TON timer, and a CTU counter — plus the same logic written as SCL structured text.

First Siemens TIA Portal program, rung 1 — a motor start/stop seal-in in LAD with the output coil latching itself in, the canonical first S7-1200 exampleA seal-in latch rung: a Start contact in parallel with a Hold contact, in series with a normally-closed Stop contact, driving an output coil.StartHold (seal)StopMotor
Rung 1 — the motor seal-in, the classic first TIA Portal LAD example.
First Siemens TIA Portal program, rung 2 — a TON on-delay timer showing the IN input, PT preset time, ET elapsed time and Q output of the S7 IEC timerA TON on-delay timer: the accumulated time bar ramps up toward the preset value, and the done (DN) bit turns on when the accumulator reaches preset.TONPRE 5000ACCACC ramps to PREPREDNdone bit
Rung 2 — a Siemens IEC TON timer: Q turns on when ET reaches the PT preset.
First Siemens TIA Portal program, rung 3 — a CTU up-counter on an S7-1200, counting pulses into CV and setting the Q output when it reaches the PV presetA CTU count-up counter: each input pulse increments the accumulator toward the preset, and the done (DN) bit turns on when count reaches preset.count pulsesCTUPRE 5ACC 3ACCcount toward presetDNdone bit
Rung 3 — a CTU up-counter: CV climbs with each pulse and Q sets at the PV preset.
The cyclic scan an S7-1200 / S7-1500 CPU runs through OB1 in TIA Portal — read inputs, solve the program, write outputs — reproduced in the browser simulatorThe repeating PLC scan cycle: read inputs, execute the ladder logic, update outputs, then housekeeping, looping continuously.1Read Inputs2Execute Logic3Update Outputs4HousekeepingSCANCYCLE
The cyclic scan an S7 CPU runs through OB1 every cycle: read, solve, write.
The same Siemens logic written as SCL structured text — an IF/THEN block as you would write it in TIA Portal, practiced free in a browser PLC simulatorA small Structured Text code block in an editor: an IF/THEN condition, a TON timer call and assignments, showing text-based PLC programming.main.st — Structured Text1IF Start AND NOT Stop THEN2 Run := TRUE;3END_IF;4DelayTmr(IN := Run, PT := T#5s);5Lamp := DelayTmr.Q;
The same logic as SCL (Structured Text) — practice the syntax with no TIA Portal install.
Run your first Siemens TIA Portal-style program in a free browser PLC simulator — build LAD rungs, run them and watch the scan, with no TIA Portal install, no PLCSIM and no Siemens licenseA web browser window running a PLC ladder logic simulator with an input/output strip, requiring no installation or download.plcsimulator.app/playno installINPUTSOUTPUTS
No TIA Portal license and no S7 hardware? Run the same logic free in any browser.

Use TIA Portal if…

  • You are programming a real S7-1200, S7-1500, or S7-300/400.
  • You need to download logic to a controller or go online.
  • You build WinCC HMI screens or configure Profinet I/O.
  • You have Windows and a Siemens TIA Portal license.
  • You need PLCSIM for virtual-controller testing.

Use our simulator if…

  • You want to practice LAD contacts, coils, timers, and counters today.
  • You are on a Mac, Linux, or Chromebook.
  • You have no TIA Portal license yet.
  • You want auto-graded scenarios with instant feedback.
  • You are prepping for a Siemens ladder interview.
  • You want to start free, with zero install.

Keep exploring

Related on this site

Questions

TIA Portal tutorial FAQ

No. TIA Portal (Totally Integrated Automation Portal) is Siemens' proprietary Windows-only programming environment. We are an independent, browser-based learning simulator that teaches the Siemens ladder dialect (KOP/LAD) and structured text (SCL/ST) concepts so you can build foundational skills without installing or licensing Siemens software.

Practice the skills TIA Portal users need — free, in your browser.

No Windows VM. No Siemens license. No install. Start today.

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Independent vendor-platform field guide

TIA Portal tutorial: transfer checklist

Direct answer

The learner can create and test a bounded S7-oriented project while recording the TIA, CPU, firmware, block and PLCSIM assumptions.

Written for siemens PLC learners moving from IEC fundamentals into device configuration, tags, program blocks, compile, simulation and monitoring.

System map / 02

NODE 01observable

Platform context

TIA version, STEP 7 edition, CPU and firmware, project devices, addresses, tags, organization blocks, PLCSIM and target connection.

NODE 02observable

Tags and addressing

Configured device and tags through blocks, cyclic execution, simulated inputs, outputs and monitored evidence.

NODE 03observable

Reference pattern

One start-stop, timer and data example compiled, downloaded to simulation and observed from reset.

NODE 04observable

Timing and limits

Version conversion, optimized data, block interface, retentive memory, startup OB, PLCSIM support and restart.

NODE 05observable

Diagnostics

A device, compile, block, tag, download, simulation, mapping or feedback mismatch.

NODE 06observable

Official-tool transfer

The project backed up, compared, simulated and accepted with current official Siemens tools and hardware.

Continue the signal path / 08

Siemens learning path

Practice the control idea, then prove it in TIA Portal

Follow the same task through browser practice, Siemens-style addressing and the official project and controller workflow.