How do I open a FreeHand file in Illustrator?

Illustrator no longer imports FreeHand files. Save the drawing here as SVG and open that in Illustrator: paths, colours and gradients come across as editable vector shapes, and text as text where the font allows.

Which FreeHand versions does it open?

FreeHand 3 to FreeHand MX (version 11), on Mac and Windows: .fh, .fh3 to .fh11 and the matching .ft templates. Very old files from Aldus FreeHand 1 and 2 are not read.

Why does the drawing not look exactly like it did in FreeHand?

It is redrawn from what the open-source reader gets out of the file. Paths, fills and strokes usually come through closely; a font you do not have is replaced by a similar one, and some effects such as lenses and blends may be drawn more simply.

Is my artwork uploaded anywhere?

No. It is read and drawn in your browser by a copy of the reader served from this site.

Stays on your computer How this works

Free FreeHand file viewer for Macromedia FreeHand drawings

Open a FreeHand .fh, .fh10 or .fh11 drawing without FreeHand - see the artwork, save it as SVG to edit in Inkscape or Illustrator, or as PDF or PNG - entirely in your browser

Drag & drop a FreeHand drawing here, or browse

FreeHand 3 to FreeHand MX (11) · several at once to convert them all · nothing is uploaded

About this FreeHand viewer

Macromedia FreeHand was the main rival to Illustrator for logos, illustrations, packaging and maps until Adobe bought Macromedia and stopped it in 2007. FreeHand MX does not run on current macOS or Windows, and Illustrator's FreeHand import was removed years ago, so artwork kept as .fh files - often an organisation's original logo - can no longer be opened by the programs that used to.

This page reads the drawing with libfreehand, the open-source FreeHand reader LibreOffice Draw and Inkscape use, compiled to run in your browser, and draws it: paths, fills, gradients, strokes, text and pictures. Save it as SVG to edit the vector artwork in Inkscape, Illustrator, Affinity Designer or Figma, as a vector PDF, or as a PNG. The file is never uploaded. 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.

What you can do

Open FreeHand drawings from version 3 to FreeHand MX (.fh, .fh8 to .fh11) and templates
See the artwork with its paths, colours, gradients, strokes, text and pictures
Save it as SVG, a vector file Inkscape, Illustrator, Affinity Designer and Figma open and edit
Save it as a vector PDF, or as a PNG at screen or print resolution
Convert many FreeHand files at once to SVG, PDF or PNG, saved in one ZIP

How to open a FreeHand file without FreeHand

Drop the .fh file onto the page, or click to choose it.
Look over the drawing.
Choose SVG to edit it elsewhere, or PDF or PNG.

Questions

How do I open a FreeHand file in Illustrator?: Illustrator no longer imports FreeHand files. Save the drawing here as SVG and open that in Illustrator: paths, colours and gradients come across as editable vector shapes, and text as text where the font allows.
Which FreeHand versions does it open?: FreeHand 3 to FreeHand MX (version 11), on Mac and Windows: .fh, .fh3 to .fh11 and the matching .ft templates. Very old files from Aldus FreeHand 1 and 2 are not read.
Why does the drawing not look exactly like it did in FreeHand?: It is redrawn from what the open-source reader gets out of the file. Paths, fills and strokes usually come through closely; a font you do not have is replaced by a similar one, and some effects such as lenses and blends may be drawn more simply.
Is my artwork uploaded anywhere?: No. It is read and drawn in your browser by a copy of the reader served from this site.

For other design files, open CorelDRAW drawings in the CDR Viewer, QuarkXPress documents in the QXD Viewer and PageMaker publications in the PageMaker Viewer.