How to Open a DWG File

A browser tool is the fastest way in, because there is nothing to download. With CAD Editor:

1. Open the free DWG viewer. It opens in a new tab.
2. Drag the DWG file into the window, or choose File, then Open Drawing, and pick the file.
3. Scroll to zoom and drag to move around. Turn layers on and off, switch layouts with the tabs at the bottom, and measure on the Tools tab.

This works on any computer with a modern browser, and on most tablets and phones. You do not install anything or create an account. If you need to change the drawing, you can, and save the result as a DXF file. CAD Editor does not save DWG files.

Autodesk, which makes AutoCAD and owns the DWG format, has free options too. Each one fits a different situation:

DWG TrueView is the right pick on a Windows PC when you need to plot a set or save a drawing to an older DWG version for someone else. Autodesk says it will not install on a Mac. Autodesk Viewer runs in a browser, but you sign in with an Autodesk Account first. The AutoCAD web app stopped free editing on August 8, 2022; free users keep limited viewing and measuring. LibreCAD is a capable free desktop program for DXF drawings, with basic DWG support.

• Windows: open the DWG in CAD Editor in your browser, or download Autodesk's free DWG TrueView.
• Mac: DWG TrueView does not run on a Mac. Use a browser tool such as CAD Editor in Safari, Chrome or Firefox, or Autodesk Viewer with an Autodesk Account.
• Chromebook: use a browser tool. CAD Editor runs in Chrome.
• iPad and Android tablets: open CAD Editor in Safari or Chrome. Pinch to zoom and drag to pan. Autodesk's AutoCAD mobile app needs a subscription after a 7-day trial.
• iPhone and Android phones: open CAD Editor in the phone's browser to check a detail on site. For real work on the drawing, move to a laptop.

Google Drive: not as a preview. Google's list of file types Drive can preview includes DXF (listed as "Autodesk AutoCad (.DXF)") but not DWG. Download the DWG from Drive, then open it in a viewer. (Google's list of Drive preview types(opens a new tab))

Adobe: only in some cases. Adobe's help pages say Acrobat Pro turns an AutoCAD drawing into a PDF only on Windows, and only with AutoCAD installed on the same computer. Illustrator can open AutoCAD files, but its help page says it will not open files saved in a version later than AutoCAD 2007. AutoCAD 2018 and every release since save in the AutoCAD 2018 format by default, which is newer than Illustrator accepts.

1. Check the file's ending. A .dwl or .dwl2 file is a lock file AutoCAD leaves beside an open drawing. It holds no drawing. A .bak file is AutoCAD's backup copy: rename it to end in .dwg and try again.
2. Unzip it first. A drawing sent by email or file share may come inside a .zip file. Open the zip, then open the DWG inside it.
3. Download it again. A download that stopped early leaves a damaged file that no program opens.
4. Ask for an older version or a DXF. An older program cannot open a DWG saved in a newer version. The sender can save to an older DWG version, or export a DXF.
5. Ask for the missing pieces. Many drawings point to other files, called external references or xrefs. If the sender did not include them, those parts are missing in any viewer.

In CAD Editor, a drawing that holds objects the viewer cannot draw yet still opens: it tells you how many it left out and shows the rest. If a DWG will not open at all, tell us on the community board(opens a new tab) and say which program made it.

DWG is the native file format of AutoCAD, Autodesk's CAD program, and has been since AutoCAD 1.0 in 1982. The name is short for drawing. Autodesk has not published a specification for it (Library of Congress(opens a new tab)), which is why some free tools open DXF but not DWG. For the full story, read what a DWG file is.