.DWG File

The dwg file extension is associated with AutoCAD, a CAD software for Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac developed by Autodesk, Inc..

The dwg (drawing) file format is a proprietary format used to store two or three dimensional data with any other metadata.

DWG file format was developed in the late 1970s by Mike Riddle and licensed to Autodesk in the 1982 for their AutoCAD application. The DWG file format has been updated several times with last update in 2018 (DWG 2018 - AC1032).

One thing to remember is, that newer versions of AutoCAD can read older versions of DWG files and can save projects in older versions of the DWG, but older versions of the AutoCAD can't read the new ones.

Because of this, some applications are able to read only some .dwg files, but cannot open different DWG version until they are either updated or have proper plugin is installed. To bypass the difficulties when opening various .dwg files, try to export them to DXF interchange format in its default program and import it to the other program.

The DWG format is probably one of the most widespread format used for CAD drawings (both 2D and 3D) and licensed for use in many applications.

DWG MIME types:
application/acad
application/x-acad
application/autocad_dwg
image/x-dwg
application/dwg
application/x-dwg
application/x-autocad
image/vnd.dwg
drawing/dwg

A dwg file extension is used for common CAD file format, originally used by AutoCAD. A DWG is a proprietary format and can only be created in AutoCAD. Other CAD programs can usually import it, but not create its proprietary form. It's because of this, that DWGs are often exported to DXF interchange format, so they can be seamlessly used in other CAD programs.

How to open:

DWG format is mainly used in AutoCAD, but also widely supported by other CAD applications (Pro/Engineer, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, EasyDone) and all of them are able to open *.dwg files.However you may need a plug-in or update for newer versions of DWG format if you are using some older CAD software and want to open the latest .dwg files.If you have difficulties with opening some older .dwg file, try to convert to .dxf file first. That should solve most problems.

How to convert:

AutoCAD can save DWG drawing to another formats. Save the DWG file to another format via File|Save as.., or File|Export menus. Other applications capable of working with .dwg files may be able to convert or export them as well.