# How to use manual tool change button?
**URL:** https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740
**Category:** ❓ Something's Up
**Created:** [July 19, 2026, 10:55am UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740 "2026-07-19T10:55:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Altmillal1114](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Altmillal1114)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2026, 10:55am UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/1 "2026-07-19T10:55:40Z")
How does one use physical tool swap button on the ATC spindle? I enabled passthrough in gsender but pressing physical button currently does nothing on my end. What am I missing? if i want to load/unload tool manually without using tool racks, how do i accomplish it via the button?
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### Author:  [@mick\_s](https://forum.sienci.com/u/mick_s)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2026, 12:07pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/2 "2026-07-19T12:07:01Z")
Set up the tool under the ATC tab, e.g. T13 (since I have a 12 position rack) by naming it in the appropriate window. Then simply press Load, scroll to T13 then hit the Load button on that window. It will replace whichever tool is currently in the spindle and return to the preset position for manual tool changes. Then the button on the spindle will work as you expect it to. You can either Unload the tool once it’s through, or if the manual tool is called out in the file, the machine will return to the manual tool change position and let you remove it by pressing the button.
You may also need to set up the behaviors for the manual tool changes under the ATC Setup screen under Tools. I have mine set to use the TLS after each manual tool change.
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### Author:  [@Altmillal1114](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Altmillal1114)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/3 "2026-07-19T14:45:43Z")
Thank you for detailed explanation. I’ll try it out
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### Author:  [@beerbarrel](https://forum.sienci.com/u/beerbarrel)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2026, 8:54pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/4 "2026-07-19T20:54:08Z")
> [@ATC worked great until it did not](https://forum.sienci.com/t/atc-worked-great-until-it-did-not/26549/23):
>
> Manual toolchange is handled in a couple ways.
>
> 1. If a tool is off rack (for example, rack configured to size 6 and the request is T7), it will move to the configured manual load position.
> 2. You can HOLD the Load button in the ATC drawer for 1 second (there is an animation) to trigger the manual load functionality instead of the regular rack load functionality - this will also bring your machine to the manual load position to load the tool
This is from KGN…
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### Author:  [@Altmillal1114](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Altmillal1114)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2026, 9:56am UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/5 "2026-07-20T09:56:33Z")
i saw that. point 2 hold the load button in the atc drawer - is that the physical button on the atc spindle or load button in the atc page of gsender?
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### Author:  [@beerbarrel](https://forum.sienci.com/u/beerbarrel)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2026, 1:03pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/6 "2026-07-20T13:03:23Z")
it is on gsender…I have not personally tried the second method yet.
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### Author:  [@KGN](https://forum.sienci.com/u/KGN)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2026, 1:20pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/7 "2026-07-20T13:20:57Z")
Software button, not physical button.
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### Author:  [@Altmillal1114](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Altmillal1114)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/8 "2026-07-20T13:29:04Z")
Thank you. So how do I get physical button to work?
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### Author:  [@KGN](https://forum.sienci.com/u/KGN)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2026, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/9 "2026-07-20T14:51:52Z")
The output pin has to be enabled for the physical button to function which is done programmatically through the manual load/unload macros called by the software button so we can control the availability.
It could be enabled manually via Async IO call (eg `M64 P{n}` which should be 2) but it’s recommended you use the macro functionality for safety.
>
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### Author:  [@Altmillal1114](https://forum.sienci.com/u/Altmillal1114)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/10 "2026-07-20T15:52:08Z")
Perfect. Now it’s clear. Thank you
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### Author:  [@gwilki](https://forum.sienci.com/u/gwilki)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://forum.sienci.com/t/how-to-use-manual-tool-change-button/26740/11 "2026-07-20T17:11:02Z")