SCADA
Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced
Learn Siemens SCADA in WinCC: V7 and V8 projects, WinCC Unified with JavaScript, and WinCC Advanced practice with PLCs.
Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control. It has 15 modules and takes about 26.4 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$28.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Intermediate
- 26.4 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$28.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: SCADA engineer, HMI developer, control room technologist and systems integrator. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- A WinCC V7/V8 trial licence from Siemens for the V7/V8 modules (ask Siemens Industry Online Support for the current terms); the STEP 7 and WinCC (TIA Portal) trial (21 days) for the Unified and WinCC Advanced modules. Hardware: none. PLCSIM or simulators provide data.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Explain SCADA and the WinCC family
- Build a WinCC V7 project with screens, alarms, logging and trends
- Set up users, security, SQL and client-server
- Build WinCC Unified projects with JavaScript and faceplates
- Practise WinCC Advanced with alarms, recipes and PLC interfacing
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control.
Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. PLC basics assumed; the HMI course is good preparation.
What you need
Software: A WinCC V7/V8 trial licence from Siemens for the V7/V8 modules (ask Siemens Industry Online Support for the current terms); the STEP 7 and WinCC (TIA Portal) trial (21 days) for the Unified and WinCC Advanced modules.
Hardware: None. PLCSIM or simulators provide data.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
15 modules in order, at your own pace. 26.4 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1SCADA and the WinCC Family22m
- 2WinCC V7: Project, Drivers, Tags, with lab practice: 29m
- 3V7 Screens and Navigation, with lab practice: 38m
- 4V7 Animation, Faceplates, VBS1h 7m
- 5V7 Alarms, Logging, Trends, with lab practice: 25m
- 6V7 Reports, Users, Security22m
- 7V7 Advanced: Recipes, Portability, Actions, Indirect Tags54m
- 8V7/V8 Databases, Client-Server, Scripting2h 57m
Show the other 7 modules
- 9WinCC Unified: Project, Screens, Navigation57m
- 10Unified JavaScript2h 27m
- 11Unified Parameter Sets, Faceplates, UDTs1h 0m
- 12Unified Collaboration, Plant Objects, Calendars1h 30m
- 13WinCC Advanced/flexible Practice I, with lab practice: 1h 31m
- 14WinCC Advanced/flexible Practice II1h 25m
- 15Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (2 tools)
Required
- 01Free trial: 21 days
SIMATIC WinCC V8.2 Trial
Siemens
- Runs on
- Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or LTSC 64-bit, Windows 10 LTSC 64-bit, or Windows Server 2022/2025
- Account
- A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal)
- Size
- about 9.2 GB (ISO)
Registered users can download the WinCC V8.2 trial and test it for 21 days. Siemens says the trial is only for test and demo systems and must not be used in production.
Steps
- 1.Open the WinCC V8.2 Trial Version page (entry 110006093) and sign in.
- 2.Download SIMATIC_WinCC_Trial_V8.2_Trial.iso (9.2 GB).
- 3.Mount the ISO and run the setup as administrator.
- 4.Follow the setup and restart when asked.
- 5.Open WinCC Explorer and create a single-user project to start.
- Siemens links a Getting Started guide in the WinCC V8 information portal; use it for your first project.
- Windows 10 Pro is not in the V8.2 list; only Windows 10 LTSC.
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.com - 02Free trial: 21 days
SIMATIC STEP 7 Professional and WinCC (TIA Portal) V21 Trial
Siemens
- Runs on
- Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit (24H2), Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC, or Windows Server 2022/2025. Windows 11 Home is supported only for the Basic editions.
- Account
- A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal)
- Size
- about 8.1 GB for the main ISO, plus an optional 3.1 GB DVD 2 with hardware support packages
Siemens lets registered users download the V21 trial of STEP 7 (Basic and Professional), STEP 7 Safety and WinCC and test it for 21 days. The same package is used for the full product; after 21 days you need a purchased licence to keep working.
Steps
- 1.Open the Siemens trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in with your Siemens Industry Online Support account.
- 2.Download TIA_Portal_STEP7_Safety_WinCC_V21.iso (8.1 GB).
- 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the same page: PLCSIM is a separate download.
- 4.Right-click each ISO, choose Mount, and run Start.exe as administrator. Install STEP 7 and WinCC first, then PLCSIM.
- 5.Follow the setup, accept the licence terms and restart the PC when asked.
- 6.Open TIA Portal V21 and create a new project to confirm it runs.
- Install from a local drive with plenty of free space; Siemens lists 20 GB free as the minimum and the ISOs alone are over 10 GB.
- You only need DVD 2 if you want extra hardware support packages.
- If you cannot install locally, Siemens also offers a 21-day TIA Portal Cloud trial in the browser (one-hour sessions, not in every country).
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.comAlternatives
- TIA Portal Cloud trial: 21 days free in a cloud virtual machine, no install. Sessions are limited to one hour and it is not available in every country.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Practise the screens and alarms you build in WinCC: bind tags to an operator overview, then set alarm limits and priorities that do not flood the operator.
- Read the P&IDProcess lab, about 20 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Read the P&ID
- Build an operator screenProcess lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Build an operator screen
- Alarm rationalisationProcess lab, about 50 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Alarm rationalisation
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 20 hours
Three-line snack plant on WinCC V7: server and clients, archives, alarms, recipes and a shift report that prints itself
Design, build, test and document a WinCC V7 server-client SCADA for a three-line snack-food plant. The SCADA has these parts. Tags from three S7-1500s over the S7-1500 channel. A plant overview and line pictures with a motor faceplate. Tag Logging sized for 90 days. Alarm Logging with classes mapped to an ISA-18.2 philosophy. A User Archive of product recipes sent to the PLC. A Report Designer shift report triggered at every shift end. You deliver the project, your own tag list and FAT record, and the backup and restore note. The sample pack shows what a SCADA integrator hands over.
- 8documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- 5things to hand in
- 20 hof work, at your pace
- HMI specSCADA Screen Hierarchy and Picture Specification: WinCC V7 Server, Hartwell Snacks
- Tag listWinCC Tag List and Naming Convention: Three S7-1500s over the S7-1500 Channel
- Alarm philosophyAlarm Philosophy: Hartwell Snacks Production Lines
- Alarm listAlarm List: Lines 1 to 3 (Alarm Logging Configuration)
- Network architectureNetwork Architecture: Three Line Cells, SCADA Zone and Office
- IP planIP Address Plan and Device List: Plant Control VLAN 10 and SCADA VLAN 20
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$28.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
SCADA and HMI
Eight short weeks of tags, screens, alarms and trends: notes, diagrams, a few videos and practice in LADX Mini and free web SCADA tools. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- SCADA engineer
- HMI developer
- Control room technologist
- Systems integrator
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: WinCCGURU, WinCCGURU, Instrumentation Tools. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
WinCCGURU · WinCCGURU · Instrumentation Tools. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Which WinCC is this?
All three that matter: classic V7/V8 for large SCADA, Unified in TIA Portal for new projects, and Advanced/flexible for practice and the installed base.
Do I need a PLC?
No. PLCSIM, the WinCC simulators and internal tags provide data for every exercise.
Some source lessons are members-only. Are they included?
No. Five members-only lessons from one series were left out; their topics are covered by public lessons from the other series.
Is the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a Siemens qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Siemens credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How long does the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course take?
Plan on about 26 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the fifteen modules at your own speed.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course cover, module by module?
The Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course has 15 modules. It opens with "SCADA and the WinCC Family", goes through "WinCC V7: Project, Drivers, Tags", "V7 Reports, Users, Security", "Unified JavaScript" and "WinCC Advanced/flexible Practice II" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course?
After the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course: Place WinCC V7/V8, Unified and Advanced/flexible and choose between them; Build a V7 project: drivers, tags, structure tags, screens, navigation, animation, faceplates, VBS; Configure alarms, tag logging, trends, reports, users and runtime security. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course, and does it cost anything?
For the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course, software: A WinCC V7/V8 trial licence from Siemens for the V7/V8 modules (ask Siemens Industry Online Support for the current terms); the STEP 7 and WinCC (TIA Portal) trial (21 days) for the Unified and WinCC Advanced modules. Hardware: none. PLCSIM or simulators provide data. The course itself is free.
Is the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced is rated intermediate. Intermediate. PLC basics assumed; the HMI course is good preparation. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control, and takes about 26.4 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course?
Skills from the Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced course (for example: place WinCC V7/V8, Unified and Advanced/flexible and choose between them) are used in roles such as SCADA engineer, HMI developer, control room technologist and systems integrator, and in SCADA engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
Siemens WinCC SCADA: V7, Unified and Advanced, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.