What is a DXF file?
DXF stands for AutoCAD Drawing Exchange Format. It was created by Autodesk and first released in 1982. DXF is a text description of a drawing: every line, arc, polyline and piece of text written out with its coordinates and layer. Autodesk published it with the first AutoCAD so other programs could exchange drawings, and nearly every CAD, CNC and laser-cutter program still reads it.
| Type | image |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless |
| Colour | lines, arcs, polylines and text on layers, with a colour per object |
| Transparency | No |
| Animation | No |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; AutoCAD, LibreCAD, FreeCAD, Inkscape and most CAD and laser-cutting software read it |
| Common uses | CAD drawings, laser cutting, CNC machining and plotter work |
| MIME type | image/vnd.dxf |
How to open a DXF file
A DXF file does not open in a web browser, and only some devices have a program for it. Here is what works on each.
| Windows | AutoCAD, Autodesk's free DWG TrueView and LibreCAD (free) open it; Inkscape imports it. |
|---|---|
| Mac | LibreCAD, FreeCAD and Inkscape (all free) open it, as does AutoCAD for Mac. |
| iPhone and iPad | The AutoCAD mobile app opens it. |
| Android | The AutoCAD mobile app opens it. |
Want the technical details? See what a .dxf file is, with its MIME type, file signature and a viewer.
DXF compared with other image formats
How DXF stacks up against the formats people most often convert it to or from:
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Released | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DXF | Lossless | No | 1982 | CAD drawings, laser cutting, CNC machining and plotter work |
| SVG | Lossless | Yes | 2001 | logos, icons, charts and illustrations on the web |
| EPS | Lossless | No | 1987 | logos and artwork for print, and stock vector graphics |
| Either | No | 1993 | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files | |
| AI | Lossless | Yes | 1987 | logos, illustrations and print artwork made in Illustrator |
How to use the DXF converter
- Drop your AI, EMF, EPS, PDF and SVG files on the box, or press Choose files. Several files can go in at once.
- Press Convert to DXF.
- Save each DXF with its Download button. The file is converted on our server and deleted as soon as the result is sent back.
This page makes DXF files from other formats. There is no conversion from DXF to another format on the site yet, so the converter only offers DXF as the result.
Tips for converting DXF files without losing quality
This page makes DXF files from other formats, so the quality is decided by the source: clean, well-made originals give a clean DXF. Keep the originals as well: they are the files you edit, and a new DXF can be made from them at any time.
- Keep the original drawing as the master copy; it is the file you can edit and convert again.
- Converting between vector formats keeps shapes as shapes. Converting to PNG or JPG fixes the drawing at one size, so pick the largest size you will need.
- Each vector format supports different effects: gradients, transparency and filters are where results differ most, so check them after converting.
- For laser cutters and CAD programs, DXF is the usual format; for Office documents, EMF; for the web, SVG.
Make a DXF file from the command line
Ghostscript and pstoedit do the same on your own computer:
gs -dSAFER -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=eps2write -dFirstPage=1 -dLastPage=1 -sOutputFile=art.eps input.ai
pstoedit -f "dxf_s:-splineaspolyline" art.eps output.dxfConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
DXF converter FAQ
What is a DXF file?
DXF stands for AutoCAD Drawing Exchange Format, an image format created by Autodesk in 1982. DXF is a text description of a drawing: every line, arc, polyline and piece of text written out with its coordinates and layer. Autodesk published it with the first AutoCAD so other programs could exchange drawings, and nearly every CAD, CNC and laser-cutter program still reads it.
How do I open a DXF file?
DXF does not open in browsers; AutoCAD, LibreCAD, FreeCAD, Inkscape and most CAD and laser-cutting software read it.
Does converting DXF files here upload them?
Yes. DXF conversions need Ghostscript, pstoedit, Inkscape and librsvg, open-source programs that cannot run in a browser, so they run on our conversion server. The file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept.
Is the DXF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Conversions that use our server accept files up to 25 MB, with a fair-use limit per hour. The site is supported by advertising.
Can I convert DXF files on iPhone or Android?
Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone and iPad, or in Chrome on Android, choose your files and download the results to your Downloads folder.
Can I convert several files to DXF at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like; they are converted one after another, each with its own download button.