# How do I check against my own IDS file?

Drop your client's .ids file on the Check page together with the model. It is listed under Yours and picked as the test. A file that is not an IDS 1.0 file, or that fails IFC Checker's IDS checks, is not added, and the notice says why and, for the second kind, opens the IDS editor to fix it.

Updated 1 November 2026

## Check against your own IDS

1. Open **Check** and drop the `.ids` file together with your model, anywhere on the page. You can also choose both files with **Choose files**, or add the IDS later with **Add files**.
2. Look under **Tests**. The IDS is listed under **Yours**, marked **Your file**, with the name written inside the file, and it is picked as the test.
3. Read the line above **Run checker**. It names the model and the IDS with how many rules it has.
4. Choose **Run checker**. **Results** opens, and its header names your IDS.
5. To check against another IDS, drop it too, or choose another row under **Yours**. To correct an IDS and check again, drop the corrected file under the same name: it takes the place of the old one.

## When the file is refused

Two kinds of `.ids` file are not added, and the notice names the file and says why.

- **Not an IDS 1.0 file.** An IDS of another version, a file made by the old IFC Checker editor, or a file that is not an IDS at all. Ask for the requirements as an IDS 1.0 file, or write them again in the [IDS editor](https://ifcchecker.com/help/write-an-ids/).
- **An IDS 1.0 file that fails IFC Checker's IDS checks.** The notice names the first problem and offers **Open in IDS editor**, where the editor lists every problem so you can fix it and download a corrected file.

More on both in [Why was my file refused or not read?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/troubleshooting-file-refused/#ids-refused).

## Without a model

The IDS can come first. Added on its own, it is listed under **Files**, and the **Tests** table opens when you add a model: the IDS is then under **Yours** and picked.

## Warnings before the run

If your IDS has specifications that name no IFC class and a model is large, the engine looks through every record of the file for them, and a line above Run checker says how much longer the check may take. **Naming the IFC classes in each specification's applicability makes the check fast. You can still run it as it is.**

## Keep reading

Next: [What does Model health check?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/model-health/)

Related:

- [How do I pick a test?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/pick-a-test/)
- [How do I write an IDS in the IDS editor?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/write-an-ids/)
- [Why was my file refused or not read?](https://ifcchecker.com/help/troubleshooting-file-refused/)

[Workflows and help](https://ifcchecker.com/help/) / [Picking the test](https://ifcchecker.com/help/collections/tests/)