DWF to PDF: how to convert a DWF file to PDF
The most reliable way to convert DWF to PDF is to open the DWF in the free Autodesk Design Review and print it to a PDF printer. This viewer does not read DWF files (it opens DWG and DXF only), so this page covers Design Review, the XPS Viewer trick for DWFx, AutoCAD, batch printing, and online converters, plus what to check in the PDF.
What a DWF is, and why printing is the right approach
DWF (Design Web Format) and its newer sibling DWFx are Autodesk's "published" formats: a compressed package of sheets that look exactly as the author plotted them, with layers, views, and sometimes markups, but without the editable source geometry. In that sense a DWF is already a lot like a PDF, which is why the conversion is normally lossless: you are re-publishing fixed sheets, not reconstructing a drawing. The format details are on the DWF file page.
Because DWF is published output, the tool that reads it well is a viewer, not a CAD program, and the way to get a PDF out of a viewer is to print to a PDF printer. Windows 10 and 11 include "Microsoft Print to PDF"; macOS has "Save as PDF" in every print dialog.
Which method for which case
| Case | Method | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Any DWF or DWFx, best quality, free | Autodesk Design Review, File > Print to a PDF printer | Windows |
| DWFx only, no install | Open in Windows XPS Viewer, print to PDF | Windows |
| You have AutoCAD | DWFATTACH the sheet, plot the layout to DWG To PDF.pc3 | Windows, macOS |
| Many files | Design Review batch print, or a PDF printer with a folder watcher | Windows |
| Mac or Linux, non-confidential | Online converter, or Autodesk Viewer in the browser then print | Any |
| You want an editable drawing, not a PDF | Ask for the DWG; see DWF to DWG | - |
How to convert DWF to PDF with Autodesk Design Review (free)
- Download Autodesk Design Review from Autodesk's site (it is free; the last release is 2018 and it still installs on Windows 10 and 11) and open the DWF or DWFx.
- In the Thumbnails pane, check which sheets the file contains. Multi-sheet DWFs print to one multi-page PDF.
- File > Print. Choose "Microsoft Print to PDF" or any PDF printer (Adobe PDF, PDF24, Bullzip).
- Set Print range to All sheets or a selection. Under Paper, pick the sheet size that matches the DWF sheet (shown in the sheet properties) and set scaling to "Fit to page" only if exact scale does not matter; for a scaled plot choose 100 percent and a matching paper size.
- Choose color or grayscale and whether to print markups. Click OK and save the PDF.
Design Review's Save As menu offers only DWF and DWFx; there is no "Save as PDF", which is why printing is the official route. Markups (comments, clouds) can be included or excluded in the print dialog.
DWFx in the XPS Viewer, AutoCAD, and batch
A DWFx file is built on Microsoft's XPS container. Windows can open it in the built-in XPS Viewer (enable the optional feature on Windows 10/11 if it is missing) or in any XPS-capable reader, and print it to PDF from there with no Autodesk software at all. Quality is good for 2D sheets; 3D DWFx content shows as a flat snapshot.
With AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, use DWFATTACH to place the DWF sheet as an underlay in a layout, then PLOT the layout with the "DWG To PDF.pc3" plotter at 1:1. This gives you a vector PDF with the same fidelity as the DWF and lets you combine several sheets into one PDF via PUBLISH. The underlay is read-only, so this route does not produce editable geometry; for that read DWF to DWG.
Batch: Design Review supports the free Batch Print Wizard add-on, which prints folders of DWF files to a chosen printer, including PDF printers. Online converters such as CloudConvert accept DWF and output PDF; they are convenient on macOS and Linux, but the file is uploaded, which rules them out for confidential drawings.
What to check in the PDF
- Sheet size and scale. Compare a known dimension on paper or with the PDF reader's measure tool; "Fit to page" silently changes scale.
- All sheets. A DWF package may hold twenty sheets; make sure the PDF has twenty pages.
- Markups. Decide whether review comments belong in the PDF; they are included by default in Design Review.
- Line weights. Printing in grayscale can thin out light-colored lines; check small text and hatches at 400 percent zoom.
If what you actually need is to view the DWF, not convert it, how to open a DWF file lists free readers. Note that this viewer at dwgviewer.app does not open DWF yet; it opens the DWG that the DWF was published from, and exports PDF from that directly, which is often the better path when the DWG is available (see DWG to PDF).
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a DWF file to PDF?
Open it in the free Autodesk Design Review and use File > Print with Microsoft Print to PDF or another PDF printer. Multi-sheet DWFs become multi-page PDFs.
Can I convert DWF to PDF for free?
Yes. Design Review is free, Windows includes a PDF printer, and DWFx files open in the Windows XPS Viewer without any Autodesk software.
How do I save a DWF as PDF in Design Review?
There is no Save as PDF; Save As only writes DWF or DWFx. Print to a PDF printer instead, which is the intended method.
How do I convert DWFx to PDF?
Open the DWFx in Design Review or the Windows XPS Viewer and print to PDF. DWFx is based on the XPS container, so the XPS Viewer reads it directly.
Can I batch convert DWF to PDF?
Install the Batch Print Wizard for Design Review and point it at the folder, with a PDF printer as the target. In AutoCAD, PUBLISH can output several attached sheets to one PDF.
Does this viewer open DWF files?
Not yet. dwgviewer.app opens DWG and DXF. For DWF use Autodesk Design Review or the readers listed on the open DWF page.