Convert DGN to DWG

To convert DGN to DWG, save the file as DWG in MicroStation or import it with the DGNIMPORT command in AutoCAD; both handle V7 and V8 DGN files. This site does not read DGN, but it opens the resulting DWG in the browser so you can check layers and scale without installing anything.

DGN V7 or V8: why the version matters

DGN is the native format of Bentley MicroStation and is common in road, rail, and utility projects. Two generations are in circulation. V7 files come from MicroStation J and older, use levels numbered 1 to 63, and store coordinates as integers on a fixed working grid. V8 files, written since MicroStation V8 in 2001, allow named levels, models, and much larger coordinate ranges.

Most converters handle V8 well. V7 files open in more tools than you might expect, including GIS software. Their working units are set in the file header, so a V7 drawing that looks fine can come out 1000 times too large if the units are read incorrectly. Check the scale after every conversion, whichever version you start from.

Method 1: Save As DWG in MicroStation

1. Open the DGN in MicroStation (or Bentley View, if your version offers export).
2. File > Save As, set the type to DWG, and pick the target DWG version your recipients use.
3. Open Options. Here you map levels to layers, line styles to linetypes, and fonts to SHX or TrueType. Saving these settings to a .dws file lets you repeat them on the next project.
4. Decide what happens to references: bind them into one DWG or keep them as external references.
5. Save, then open the DWG somewhere else to confirm it reads correctly.

For many files, MicroStation's Batch Converter (Utilities menu) runs the same Save As settings over a whole folder. That answers most "batch convert DGN to DWG" questions without third-party tools.

Method 2: import the DGN file into AutoCAD

AutoCAD has read DGN since the 2008 release. Type DGNIMPORT, select the file, and choose the model to import if the DGN contains several. The dialog asks how to treat references and how to map DGN units; pick "Master units" for engineering drawings so a meter stays a meter.

The import maps levels to layers and converts text, cells, and line styles where it can. Custom line styles and some cell types come in as plain geometry. If the result is crowded with tiny segments, the source probably used complex line styles; run DGNMAPPING before importing to set how they translate.

To bring in a DGN as a backdrop without converting it, use DGNATTACH instead. It works like an image underlay you can snap to.

Without MicroStation or AutoCAD

QGIS, the open-source GIS program, reads V7 DGN files through its built-in GDAL drivers. Add the DGN as a vector layer, then export it with Save Features As and choose DXF. You lose cells and styled text, but lines and levels come through, which is often all a surveyor needs. The DXF opens in any CAD program, and the steps on DXF to DWG turn it into a DWG if your recipient insists.

Online DGN converters exist and handle simple files. Infrastructure drawings are often confidential, so check who you are sending the file to before uploading it.

Going the other way, from DWG back to DGN, is covered on DWG to DGN.

Check the converted DWG

Drop the DWG on dwgviewer.app. The layers panel shows whether DGN levels arrived as named layers or as "Default" plus numbers. The measure tool tells you in seconds whether a 10 m road width is still 10 or turned into 10000. A very high entity count in the status bar is the sign of exploded line styles.

The file stays in your browser and nothing is uploaded. If the DWG does not open, the converter may have written a very old version; this checklist explains the usual causes, and what is a DWG file covers the format itself.

Frequently asked questions