# How to disable PDB load?
**URL:** https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355
**Category:** IDA General
**Created:** [June 8, 2025, 1:12pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355 "2025-06-08T13:12:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@alex](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/alex)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2025, 1:12pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355/1 "2025-06-08T13:12:19Z")
hi
i looked into IDA options but i couldn’t find pdb settings. every time i attach to my target, IDA tries loading PDB files for dll; it makes UI nonresponsive and clicking the cancel takes a minute or two.
how can i disable it or tell IDA to only load specific pdb files.
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### Author:  [@igor](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/igor)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2025, 8:03am UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355/2 "2025-06-10T08:03:19Z")
Hello,
You probably checked “don’t ask again” at some point when IDA was prompting you whether to load the PDB. Please see [Igor’s tip of the week #78: Auto-hidden messages – Hex Rays](https://hex-rays.com/blog/igors-tip-of-the-week-78-auto-hidden-messages)
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### Author:  [@apetenchea](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/apetenchea)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2025, 9:45am UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355/3 "2025-06-10T09:45:25Z")
Additionally, you can look for `pdb.cfg`, for PDB-specific configuration.
Here is a snippet taken from that file:
```auto
// PDB information provider
#define PDB_PROVIDER_MSDIA 1 // use MSDIA local/remote provider
#define PDB_PROVIDER_PDBIDA 2 // use PDBIDA provider
//PDB_PROVIDER = PDB_PROVIDER_PDBIDA
// it is possible to specify the desired provider in the command line:
// ida -Opdb:off input_file
// ida -Opdb:msdia input_file
// ida -Opdb:pdbida input_file
```
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### Author:  [@alex](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/alex)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355/4 "2025-06-28T19:40:19Z")
i did reset the hidden messages, ida still doesn’t ask anything; goes on loading the PDBs.
i also looked at pdb.cfg file but i don’t know what exactly to change; should i comment out every line?
this is what i mean:
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### Author:  [@igor](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/igor)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2025, 6:33am UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355/5 "2025-07-01T06:33:52Z")
Thank you for the screenshot. This is debug time symbol loading which is different from the load time which I thought you meant originally. IIRC there is a switch in debug options but I’m not sure if it is honored by windbg since it has its own internal logic.
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### Author:  [@alex](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/alex)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2025, 3:28am UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355/6 "2025-07-02T03:28:52Z")
so i should try to find a solution in WinDGB documetation?
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### Author:  [@igor](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/igor)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2025, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/how-to-disable-pdb-load/355/7 "2025-07-07T12:29:02Z")
I think [`.symopt`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debuggercmds/-symopt--set-symbol-options-) could help. For example, I would try disabling `SYMOPT_DEFERRED_LOADS` so that dbgeng doesn’t try to download PDBs in background.