CAD to PDF: convert a CAD drawing to PDF

For DWG and DXF, CAD to PDF takes a few seconds here: drop the drawing above, select the area, and export a vector PDF. Other CAD formats, such as DWF, DGN, STEP, or Revit models, need the program that made them or a dedicated viewer, and the table below says which one.

Convert a CAD file to PDF in three steps

1. Drop a .dwg or .dxf file on the area above, or click it to pick one. The drawing opens in the browser tab within seconds.
2. Hide layers you do not want on paper, such as construction lines, viewports, or notes for internal use.
3. Choose Export PDF and drag a rectangle over the area to export, or take the whole drawing. Save the file.

The PDF is vector, so lines stay sharp at any zoom and the file stays small. The page size follows the area you selected rather than a standard sheet, which suits on-screen review and email. For a drawing that must be printed to scale on an A3 or ANSI B sheet, plot from a CAD program instead; DWG to PDF describes both routes in detail.

Which CAD formats convert to PDF here

Not sure what kind of file you have? What is a CAD file lists the common extensions and what they contain.

Printing a CAD drawing to PDF

Printing is the other way to make a PDF, and it works here too. Open the drawing, choose Print, and pick "Save as PDF" as the printer in the browser dialog. You get exactly what is on screen at the current zoom, which is handy for a quick markup sheet. The export described above gives cleaner results for a whole drawing, because it draws on a white page with the real layer colors whatever theme you use on screen.

In desktop CAD, the equivalent is plotting to a PDF printer driver. That route is the one to use when you need plot styles, line weights, and an exact scale, which this browser export does not apply.

What the PDF contains, and what it leaves out

The export takes model space, the area where the drawing geometry lives. Paper-space layouts with title blocks and viewports are not exported, so a drawing that relies on a layout sheet comes out as the bare geometry. Line weights and plot styles are not applied either; every line is a thin hairline in its layer color. Text set in SHX fonts appears in a substitute font.

For review copies, quotes, and site checks this is usually enough, and the vector lines let the reader zoom to any detail. For a stamped or submitted sheet set, plot the layouts from the CAD program instead. Drawings made in AutoCAD follow the same rules; AutoCAD to PDF walks through both routes for them.

Why the drawing stays on your computer

Most online CAD to PDF converters upload the drawing, convert it on a server, and send back a PDF. For a public brochure that is fine. For a client's floor plan, a machine part under NDA, or tender documents, it means a copy now sits on someone else's server.

Here the file is read by JavaScript in your browser tab and converted on your device. No bytes are sent anywhere, and closing the tab removes the drawing. If you only need to look at the file rather than convert it, the CAD viewer page explains the viewing tools.

Frequently asked questions