ESP-IDF with TFT_eSPI

capy_talism · October 31, 2026, 3:19pm

Hi!

I can’t figure out how to make ILI9341 controller work with ESP32 via SPI. I’ve tried to make a new component but nothing works.

Has somebody tried to do it and it worked?
Thanks

ito_giken · November 1, 2026, 5:09am

TFT_eSPI is designed for use within the Arduino framework; therefore, there is no official version for ESP-IDF.

If you are required to use ESP-IDF, your only option is to follow the instructions provided in the link below:

github.com/Bodmer/TFT_eSPI

docs/ESP-IDF/Using%20ESP-IDF.txt

master

The TFT_eSPI library has been updated by a user (dracir9) in pull request #1770 to enable
use with the ESP-IDF.

https://github.com/Bodmer/TFT_eSPI/pull/1770

The library author (Bodmer) does not use the ESP-IDF so will not be able to provide support!

There are two ways to configure the library either:

    manually enter the setup in menuconfig
    OR
    delete the KConfig file, select your LCD/board in the User_Setup_Select.h file, and run "idf.py reconfigure"

The following menuconfig instructions were posted by dracir9 as part of the pull request #1770:

https://github.com/Bodmer/TFT_eSPI/pull/1770#issuecomment-1096478997

In the above link the instructions include useful hyperlinks. The bare text of the
instructions is included below.

This file has been truncated. show original

If the results are not satisfactory, you have a few alternatives.
Since I have very little information regarding your development environment or target device—and because I lack personal experience with ESP-IDF—I will outline some general options below:

Using ESP-IDF (Option 1)
Forgo TFT_eSPI and use the official standard feature, esp_lcd.
Using ESP-IDF (Option 2)
Forgo TFT_eSPI and use LovyanGFX instead.
Using the Arduino Framework (Option 1)
Use TFT_eSPI.
Using the Arduino Framework (Option 2)
Use LovyanGFX.

In any of these cases, you should be able to use LVGL, a high-level GUI library.
I have personally implemented a system using the Arduino framework, LovyanGFX, and LVGL on an ESP32-S3, and I am currently in the process of porting this setup to an ESP32-C6-based system.