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Is there software that can view .dwg files ?

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8 Answers 8

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DraftSight. It doesn't cost money and they'll give you a nice .deb installer... but it's not open source or free software.

On the upside, it will also let you create and edit .dwg files.

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  • 1
    Very nice +1 I was looking for one
    – Luis Alvarado
    Commented Jun 14, 2011 at 12:34
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    If only it were FOSS too...
    – Eliah Kagan
    Commented Jun 1, 2012 at 2:58
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    30 days trial. Then pay more than 90$
    – Salrandazzo
    Commented May 17, 2016 at 15:04
  • @Salrandazzo There's still a free version but they bundle it with the Professional trial.
    – Oli ♦
    Commented May 17, 2016 at 15:26
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    there doesn't seem to be a linux version anymore
    – nuts
    Commented Dec 30, 2019 at 13:46
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I use ODA Drawings Explorer (formerly known as Teigha Viewer) available from the Open Design Alliance, and also the ODA File Converter (formerly known as Teigha File Converter) from the same provider. Packages are available for Ubuntu. It is freeware but not free nor open source software.

ODA Drawings Explorer incorporates the power and flexibility of ODA into a single application that can render both .dwg files and .dgn files using a common command interface for both formats.

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  • I have installed Teigha Viewer in many Ubuntus, and it always crashed when trying to open any DWG file. Do you have any advice to make it work?
    – chronos00
    Commented Mar 22, 2018 at 0:07
  • I created the following question to try to solve the problem: askubuntu.com/questions/1018121/…
    – chronos00
    Commented Mar 22, 2018 at 2:05
  • Maybe was a now resolved bug, @chronos00 I answered your question, opened several DWGs without any problem so far.
    – Pablo Bianchi
    Commented Dec 5, 2019 at 4:20
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    This, Big Time! Thank you. After trying like 20 apps, this solved my issue, opening dwg on linux. I'm running AppImage without any issues or crashes.
    – darkless
    Commented Jan 29, 2023 at 9:59
  • Not very fast but the best free Viewer I found for now.
    – TSr
    Commented Aug 27 at 17:23
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I tried LibreCAD, freeCAD and qCAD, but only qCAD was able to open my dwg file.

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  • 1
    And sadly only the pro (paid) version of qCAD can open DWG files at all.
    – jtbr
    Commented Jun 28, 2018 at 19:55
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    LibreCAD worked for me but the file was zoomed out. I had to zoom in on the red crosshair symbol to see the drawing.
    – mchid
    Commented Dec 5, 2019 at 4:36
  • @michid Thanks! By the way, there is also an "Auto-Zoom" feature in the "View" menu.
    – user1025253
    Commented Sep 12, 2020 at 4:18
  • It crashes on bigger DWG files 20MB+
    – TSr
    Commented Aug 27 at 17:56
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de·caff Viewer

The de·caff Viewer is a pure Java program for viewing AutoCAD® DWG, DXF and SHX files.

  • Supports textual and binary DXF format from the version written by AutoCAD® R7 up to 2018.
  • Supports DWG from the version written by AutoCAD® R13 up to 2018.
  • Supports SHX (binary shape files) in all known formats.
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  • It worked like a charm. Thank you!
    – develCuy
    Commented Aug 27, 2023 at 20:53
  • It works properly on my 25MB DWG file but rendering is little slow.
    – TSr
    Commented Aug 27 at 17:21
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I used ZWCAD Viewer https://www.zwsoft.com/zwcad/viewer

It's free, was easy to install on Ubuntu 16.04 and could open my .dwg files without crashing.

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    Can't find a Linux version any more, see their FAQ
    – AdamS
    Commented Feb 23, 2022 at 17:36
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for one-time use, there are now online viewer, I just use https://beta.sharecad.org

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BricsCAD, free 30 day trial after registration. https://www.bricsys.com

May try VariCAD also. https://www.varicad.com/

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My all time fav is Inkscape - Free, opensource and mature. Find it within the “Ubuntu software” app also. It is a great vector drawing progam too in it’s own right.

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  • 13
    inkscape can't view dwg files
    – MightyPork
    Commented Jun 25, 2019 at 8:49

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