How to open a DWF file

To open a DWF file you need a DWF reader: this site does not open DWF or DWFX yet, so the viewer on this page will not help with that format. The free options are Autodesk Design Review on Windows and Autodesk Viewer in the browser. Below is what each does, how AutoCAD handles DWF, and how to turn a DWF into a PDF or DWG when a reader is not enough.

DWF in one minute

DWF (Design Web Format) is Autodesk's publishing format: a compressed, view-only snapshot of a drawing made for sharing and markup, not for editing. DWFX is the same idea wrapped in Microsoft's XPS container, which is why Windows can sometimes preview a .dwfx but not a .dwf. Unlike DWG, a DWF does not carry the editable model; it carries sheets, layers and some object properties.

That is also why our browser viewer, which is built on a DWG and DXF parser, does not read it. The format background is on what is a DWF file, and the reader roundup on DWF viewer.

Open a DWF file on Windows with Autodesk Design Review

Autodesk Design Review is the free desktop DWF reader. Autodesk stopped developing it but still distributes the last release, and it remains the most complete way to open DWF and DWFX offline.

1. Download Autodesk Design Review from Autodesk's site and install it (Windows only).
2. Double-click the .dwf or .dwfx file, or use File > Open inside Design Review.
3. Use the Sheets palette to switch between pages, the Layers palette to hide layers, and the Markup tools to add comments.
4. To pass the file to someone without a DWF reader, use File > Print to PDF or File > Save As to batch-export sheets.

Design Review also installs a Windows Explorer thumbnail handler, so DWF files show a preview in the file browser.

How to view DWF files online

Autodesk Viewer at viewer.autodesk.com opens DWF and DWFX in the browser. Sign in with a free Autodesk account, upload the file, and it appears with sheet navigation and basic measuring. The trade-off is that the file is uploaded to Autodesk servers and stored in your account until you delete it. For a confidential drawing, use Design Review on your own machine instead.

Autodesk Docs and the AutoCAD mobile app can also display DWF files that are stored in Autodesk cloud projects, which is how many construction teams view them on tablets.

If you receive DWF files regularly from a contractor, ask whether they can publish a PDF alongside, or send the source DWG. A PDF opens anywhere, and a DWG opens in the viewer here with no account, keeping the full layer list that a DWF only partly preserves. Most CAD programs produce both from the same PUBLISH or PLOT dialog, so the extra output costs the sender a click.

Can AutoCAD open DWF files?

Not as an editable drawing. AutoCAD treats DWF as an underlay: the DWFATTACH command (or ATTACH, file type DWF) places the DWF in the current drawing like a reference image. You can snap to its geometry and trace over it, but the lines stay in the underlay, not in the DWG.

There is also a markup workflow: a DWF marked up in Design Review can be loaded in AutoCAD with MARKUP, which overlays the comments on the original DWG so the drafter can address them. To actually get DWF geometry into DWG, you need a converter; see the next section.

Convert DWF to PDF or DWG

If the reader is a dead end on your platform, convert the DWF to something you can open anywhere.

• DWF to PDF. Open it in Design Review and print to a PDF printer, or use Autodesk Viewer's download options. Third-party converters exist too. Details: DWF to PDF.
• DWF to DWG. AutoCAD can trace an attached DWF underlay, and dedicated converters (Any DWF to DWG and similar) rebuild lines, arcs and text as DWG entities. Expect some cleanup. Steps: DWF to DWG.

Once you have a DWG or DXF, you can drop it into the viewer here to inspect it, hide layers and export a PDF without any install.

How to combine DWF files into one

Design Review does this: open the first DWF, then drag the others into the Sheets palette or use File > Import to append their sheets, and save. AutoCAD's PUBLISH command can also write a multi-sheet DWF from several layouts or drawings in one go, which is cleaner than merging afterward. Online merge tools usually only handle PDF, so convert the DWFs to PDF first if you go that route.

Frequently asked questions