How to open .DWG files (AutoCAD drawings) on Android, Windows and Linux

An architect emails the floor plan for your extension as plan_rev3.dwg, or a supplier sends the drawing of a part. Your phone has nothing that opens it, and on a PC without AutoCAD, Windows asks which app to use.

Folders shows the preview picture AutoCAD saves inside a DWG file and tells you which DWG version the drawing is in, on Android, Windows and Linux, for free. For zooming into the lines, measuring or printing to scale, you’ll want a CAD viewer, and there are good free ones.

What is a .DWG file?

DWG (short for “drawing”) is the native file format of Autodesk AutoCAD, one of the longest-running CAD programs. Many other CAD programs read and write it too, which has made it the usual way to swap technical drawings. A DWG holds 2D and 3D geometry (lines, arcs, polylines, solids), plus layers, blocks, dimensions, text, layouts set up for printing, and references to other drawings, called xrefs. Architects, engineers, surveyors and manufacturers all use it.

It’s a closed format: Autodesk doesn’t publish a full specification. Other programs read it thanks to the Open Design Alliance, which worked out the format, and GNU’s free LibreDWG library.

The format changes every few AutoCAD releases, and older programs can’t open newer versions. The first bytes of a DWG name its version:

Version code	Used by
AC1015	AutoCAD 2000 to 2002
AC1018	AutoCAD 2004 to 2006
AC1021	AutoCAD 2007 to 2009
AC1024	AutoCAD 2010 to 2012
AC1027	AutoCAD 2013 to 2017
AC1032	AutoCAD 2018 and later

Its close relative is DXF (Drawing Exchange Format), which Autodesk documents publicly so other software can exchange drawings more easily.

DWG files also keep a small preview image (BMP in older files, PNG in newer ones) so file dialogs can show a picture. Drawings from before AutoCAD R13 don’t have one.

How to open a .DWG file with Folders

On Android

1. Install Folders from the download section (Android 7.0 or newer).
2. Allow All files access when Folders asks for it.
3. Find the drawing in Download, or type .dwg into the search box at the top of a folder.
4. Tap the file.

Or tap the attachment in your email app and choose Open with → Folders.

On Windows and Linux

1. Install Folders on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) or Linux.
2. Double-click the drawing in Folders.
3. On Windows, right-click the DWG in File Explorer and choose Open with → Folders. The installer adds Folders to that menu for DWG and the other types it opens.

What you can do with it in Folders

• See the preview that was saved with the drawing. It shows the drawing as it looked on screen when it was last saved.
• Details lists the file’s name, size and date, the DWG version code, and which AutoCAD releases use that format. That’s worth knowing before you pick a viewer or ask for an older version.
• Share the drawing with a builder, a colleague or a CAD app.

If the drawing has no preview Folders can show, you’ll see No preview to show. That happens with drawings saved without a thumbnail, very old drawings, files from programs that don’t write one, and previews stored as Windows Metafiles.

The preview is a small, fixed picture: Folders can’t zoom into the geometry, switch layers, measure, print to scale, edit or convert.

Other ways to open .DWG files

• DWG TrueView (free, Windows, from Autodesk): view, measure, print to PDF, and convert between DWG versions.
• Autodesk Viewer (free, in a web browser): upload a drawing and view it on any system.
• ODA File Converter (free, Windows and Linux): converts DWG to other DWG or DXF versions, after which LibreCAD or FreeCAD can open it.
• AutoCAD and Autodesk’s AutoCAD app for phones and tablets, for full editing (subscription).

Problems opening a .DWG file?

• The preview is missing or blank. The drawing was saved with AutoCAD’s thumbnail preview setting switched off, or came from a program that doesn’t save one. The drawing itself is fine; open it in a CAD viewer.
• Your viewer says the file is invalid or too new. Check the version in Folders’ Details. Convert it with ODA File Converter, or ask the sender to save it as an older DWG version.
• Parts of the drawing are missing. Xrefs, images and special fonts are separate files. Ask the sender for an eTransmit package, AutoCAD’s bundle of a drawing and everything it depends on.
• The file is damaged. AutoCAD’s RECOVER command can often repair it. Also look for a .bak file with the same name: it’s the previous save, and renaming a copy of it to .dwg may get you back most of the work.

Questions people ask

Can I open a DWG file on Android? Yes: Folders shows its preview and version. For the full drawing, use Autodesk’s AutoCAD app or Autodesk Viewer in the browser.

How do I open a DWG file without AutoCAD? DWG TrueView and Autodesk Viewer are free and show the full drawing. Folders gives you a quick look and the version.

How do I convert DWG to PDF? Print it to PDF from DWG TrueView or AutoCAD. Folders doesn’t convert DWG files.

DWG vs DXF: what’s the difference? DWG is AutoCAD’s compact, closed working format. DXF is an openly documented exchange format that more programs can read, at the cost of bigger files.

Related guides: how to open STL, OBJ and 3MF files and how to open Rhino .3dm files. Or see all 382 file types Folders opens.