Open DXF Files Online

What a DXF file is

A .dxf file is a drawing exchange format created by Autodesk. It carries 2D and 3D drawings made in CAD programs: floor plans, mechanical parts, laser and CNC cutting paths, electrical layouts. It is a way to move a drawing between programs. DWG is the native AutoCAD format, DXF is the one almost every CAD, laser and CNC program can read. A DXF can be plain text or binary.

How to open it on Windows and Mac

• AutoCAD opens it on both systems.
• Free programs such as LibreCAD, FreeCAD and QCAD open DXF on Windows and Mac.
• Neither Windows nor macOS has a built-in drawing viewer for DXF.
• To look at a drawing without installing anything, drop the file on this page.

When the free web viewer is enough

• You want to check a drawing someone sent, with its layers turned on and off.
• You want to zoom and move around, on a dark or light background, and save a PNG for a quote or an email.
• Your file is a text DXF, which is the common kind.
• The file is read in your browser and never uploaded.

When it is not enough

The page draws lines, polylines, circles, arcs, ellipses, splines, text, solid fills and blocks, with their layers and colours. Hatches, images, 3D solids and line types are not drawn, and text uses a standard font, so a drawing can look different from your CAD program. It does not open DWG or binary DXF, and files over 40 MB are refused. To edit a drawing, take measurements in your plan or plot to PDF, CAD Tools for Windows opens DXF and DWG, saves both and plots to PDF, SVG and PNG. It is a paid app from the LCTR Store, one payment with no subscription, for Windows only. On a Mac, save a text DXF from your CAD program and use the web viewer.

Tip for laser and CNC files

If a file came from a laser or CNC job, turn the layers off one by one. Cut lines, engraving and notes are often on separate layers, and seeing them apart shows quickly whether the file is ready to use.

What this page shows

Lines, polylines, circles, arcs, ellipses, splines, text, solid fills and blocks with their layers and colours. Dimensions show as drawn when the file stores them. Hatches, images, 3D solids and line types are not drawn.

Private: nothing is uploaded

The DXF is read inside your browser. It is never sent to a server.

Questions