Convert a DWG to PDF in five steps
- Open the DWG. Drag the .dwg file onto the viewer above, or click “Open DWG”.
- Pick the layout you want to print. Layouts appear as tabs under the drawing, and the first layout opens by default because that is how most drawings are plotted. Click “Model” to export model space instead.
- Click Export PDF and choose the area. Choose “Whole drawing”, “Whole sheet” or “Current view”. Use “Current view” to export exactly what you have framed on screen.
- Set paper size, orientation and color. Pick the paper size and orientation, choose “Color” or “Black and white”, and set the line width.
- Save the PDF. The PDF is generated in your browser and downloaded to your computer.
Why the PDF stays sharp
The export is a vector PDF: lines, arcs and text are written as shapes, not as a picture of the screen. You can zoom far into the PDF and the lines stay crisp, and the file is usually much smaller than a screenshot-style image of the same drawing.
Why not upload to a converter website
Many online DWG to PDF converters work by uploading your drawing to a server, converting it there and sending the PDF back. That is fine for a throwaway sketch, but not for client drawings, site plans or anything under an NDA. Here the conversion runs in your browser, so the DWG stays on your machine from start to finish.
Black-and-white or color
Choose “Black and white” for a classic print-style sheet, or “Color” to keep the colors of the layers. The viewer also has a white, print-style background you can switch on while you check the drawing.
When you have more than a few drawings
This viewer converts one drawing at a time, and it exports using the paper size, line width and color options above. If you need to plot an entire folder or drawing set to PDF with your own plot styles (CTB), merged or named by drawing number, that is what Dwg2Pdf, the batch plotting tool in the CADXChange line, is built for.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the DWG to PDF conversion free?
- Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up and adds no watermark to the PDF.
- Is my drawing uploaded when I convert it?
- No. The drawing is read and the PDF is generated by your browser on your own computer.
- Can I export just one layout or just the area I see?
- Yes. Choose “Whole sheet” for the current layout, “Current view” for the framed area, or “Whole drawing” for everything.
- Is the PDF a vector PDF?
- Yes, so it stays sharp at any zoom level.
- Can I convert many DWG files to PDF at once?
- Not in this viewer, which works on one drawing at a time. For batch plotting of whole drawing sets, use Dwg2Pdf.