DWF (Design Web Format) is the file Autodesk programs such as AutoCAD, Revit and Inventor publish for sharing drawings with people who do not have CAD software: a set of sheets, like a PDF of the drawing, often sent to clients, builders and planners. Its newer form, DWFx, is built on Microsoft's XPS document format. Opening one usually means installing Autodesk Design Review, a desktop program, or signing in to Autodesk Viewer and uploading the file.
This page reads a DWFx file itself and draws every 2D sheet as vector graphics, so lines stay sharp at any zoom. It lists the sheets by the names given in the file, and shows each sheet's paper size, its properties (title, author, dates and so on) and the layer names it carries. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and while the page stays open, a feature you have already used keeps working offline.
3D models (published from Inventor, Revit or AutoCAD 3D) are recognised but not drawn. Markups added in Design Review are not drawn either; the sheet is shown without them. Classic .dwf files store their drawings as W2D graphics, which this page cannot draw yet: for those it shows the sheet list, properties and preview pictures. Layers are listed but cannot be switched off.
- How do I open a DWFx file without Autodesk software?
- Drop it on this page. The 2D sheets are drawn in your browser, so there is nothing to install and no Autodesk account to make. Windows' old XPS Viewer can also show DWFx sheets, since DWFx is built on XPS, but it no longer comes with Windows.
- What is the difference between DWF and DWFx?
- Both are Autodesk's format for sharing drawings. Classic .dwf stores each sheet as W2D, Autodesk's own compact vector format. DWFx, from 2007 on, stores each 2D sheet as an XPS page instead, so ordinary document software can read it. This page draws DWFx sheets in full; for classic DWF it shows the preview pictures saved in the file.
- Why does my .dwf file show only small pictures?
- It is a classic DWF, whose drawings are W2D graphics, which this page cannot draw yet. The pictures are the previews AutoCAD saves with each sheet. To see the full drawing, open it in Autodesk Design Review or Autodesk Viewer, or ask whoever sent it to publish it as DWFx or PDF instead: in AutoCAD, the Publish and Plot dialogs offer DWFx and PDF beside DWF.
- Can I convert DWFx to PDF?
- Yes. Open the file and press Save all sheets as PDF. Each sheet becomes a page at its own paper size, as vectors, with a bookmark named after the sheet. One sheet can also be saved as SVG or PNG.
- Can I measure distances on a DWF drawing here?
- Not yet. The sheets are drawn to scale and the paper size is shown, but there is no measuring tool. Design Review can measure, and so can the DWG Viewer here if you can get the original .dwg drawing.
- Is my DWF file uploaded?
- No. The file is read and drawn by this browser tab, with this site's own reader; nothing is sent anywhere.