Inkscape SVG to DXF: convert SVG files to DXF free

Inkscape SVG to DXF export is the standard free way to turn SVG artwork into a DXF for laser cutters, CNC routers, vinyl cutters, and CAD, and this page gives the exact settings that avoid the usual scale and curve problems. This viewer does not convert SVG to DXF (it opens DXF and exports SVG, not the reverse), but it is a quick way to check the DXF afterwards.

Which method for which case

If the final target is a DWG rather than a DXF, the same export is the first half of SVG to DWG.

Inkscape SVG to DXF, step by step

1. Open the SVG in Inkscape 1.x. Check Document Properties (Ctrl+Shift+D): set display units to mm (or in) and set Scale so that 1 user unit equals 1 mm. If the file came from a web tool, its scale is often 1 user unit = 1 px (96 per inch), which is the source of most wrong-size DXFs.
2. Select all (Ctrl+A) and run Path > Object to Path. Text, rectangles, ellipses, and clones are not exported correctly unless they are paths.
3. Ungroup repeatedly (Shift+Ctrl+G) until nothing is grouped. Nested transforms in groups are a classic cause of shifted or scaled output.
4. Decide what the strokes mean. For cut lines, keep the path as is. For engraving the outline of a thick stroke, use Path > Stroke to Path on those objects first.
5. Remove fills if you only want contours; fills do not export, but leaving them makes it harder to see missing strokes.
6. File > Save As, file type "Desktop Cutting Plotter (AutoCAD DXF R14) (*.dxf)". In the dialog: base unit mm, tick "use LWPOLYLINE type of line output", and leave "use ROBO-Master type of spline output" unticked for cutters (tick it only when the receiving CAD handles splines and you want smooth curves).
7. Choose the layer option if present so Inkscape layers become DXF layers; put cut lines and engrave lines on separate Inkscape layers beforehand.

With LWPOLYLINE output, every curve is flattened into short straight segments. Path > Simplify (Ctrl+L) before export reduces node count but also changes the shape slightly, so use it sparingly on precise parts.

Command line, Illustrator, and online converters

For scripts and Linux, Inkscape converts without the window: inkscape part.svg --export-type=dxf --export-filename=part.dxf. Options of the DXF extension can be set with --actions in Inkscape 1.2 and later; the simpler approach is to prepare the SVG with the right units and paths, since the defaults then do the right thing. A shell loop over a folder handles batch jobs.

Adobe Illustrator exports DXF directly through File > Export > Export As, type AutoCAD Interchange File (dxf), with options for version, units, and text as outlines. Illustrator writes true arcs and splines, so curves arrive smoother than Inkscape's segmented polylines; check that your cutter accepts splines.

CloudConvert and similar online converters accept SVG and output DXF with no control over units or polyline versus spline, and they upload the file. For a public icon that is fine; for a product part, use Inkscape locally. A few command-line utilities named svg2dxf exist on GitHub and PyPI, mostly thin wrappers that flatten paths to polylines; they are useful when Inkscape is too heavy to install on a server.

Common problems and their fixes

• Wrong size by a factor of 3.78 or 0.2646. Units were px; set the document scale to mm and re-export, or scale in CAD.
• Upside-down or mirrored. Inkscape flips the Y axis correctly; if the result is mirrored, a transform on a group was not applied. Ungroup fully and re-export.
• Curves are faceted. Expected with polylines. For smooth results, use the ROBO-Master spline option or Illustrator.
• Text missing. It was not converted to paths before export.
• Open contours in the cutter software. The SVG path was not closed; in Inkscape use the node tool to join end nodes.
• Silhouette Studio shows nothing. It expects DXF R14 with polylines, not splines; re-export with ROBO-Master unticked.

How to check the DXF

Drag the DXF onto dwgviewer.app. Use the measure tool to confirm one known dimension, open the layers panel to see whether cut and engrave layers came through, and read the entity count in the status bar, where a logo that became 40,000 segments should be simplified before cutting. The file is processed in your browser and never uploaded. For DXF-specific features, the sister site dxfviewer.app runs the same engine, and how to open a DXF file covers other readers.

Finally, open the DXF in the program that will actually consume it (LightBurn, Fusion 360, Silhouette Studio) and check that every contour is closed and no duplicate lines sit on top of each other, since duplicates cut twice. Raster sources need tracing before any of this; that is on PNG to DXF.

Frequently asked questions