Migrating From UCF Constraints to XDC Constraints - Migrating From UCF Constraints to XDC Constraints - 2026.1 English - UG903

Vivado Design Suite User Guide: Using Constraints (UG903)

Document ID
UG903
Release Date
2026-07-01
Version
2026.1 English

The AMD Vivado™ Integrated Design Environment (IDE) uses Xilinx design constraints (XDC), and does not support the legacy user constraints file (UCF) format.

Understand that XDC constraints differ significantly from UCF constraints. XDC constraints follow the standard Synopsys design constraints (SDC) format. SDC has evolved for more than 20 years, making it the most widely used and proven format for describing design constraints.

Video: For training on migrating UCF constraints to XDC, refer to the Vivado Design Suite QuickTake Video: Migrating UCF Constraints to XDC.

If you already know UCF but are new to XDC, review Differences Between XDC and UCF Constraints in the ISE to Vivado Design Suite Migration Guide (UG911). This chapter also describes how to convert existing UCF files to XDC so you can use them as a starting point for creating XDC constraints.

Important: XDC has key differences from UCF that you must understand to properly constrain your design. The UCF-to-XDC conversion utility does not replace your knowledge or ability to create XDC constraints. This guide describes each XDC constraint for your reference.