How to convert a DWG to PDF on a Mac
By Tiago Almeida · Updated 30 October 2026
A PDF is the easiest way to share a drawing: it opens in Preview on any Mac, prints anywhere, and can't be changed by accident. AutoCAD makes PDFs by plotting, but you don't need AutoCAD to turn a .dwg into a PDF on a Mac.
DWG Viewer is our app, so weigh that in. Every option below works; they suit different jobs.
Two kinds of PDF
An AutoCAD drawing has model space, where the geometry is drawn at its real size, and usually one or more layouts, which arrange views of it on a sheet with a title block, at a scale such as 1:50. A plotted sheet is a layout. A PDF of model space shows the drawing itself on one page, with no sheet around it.
If you need the sheets as their author set them up for printing, you need software that plots layouts: AutoCAD, DWG TrueView or another full CAD app. If you want to see, share, print or mark up the drawing itself, any of the options below will do.
The options compared
| Option | What you get | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| DWG Viewer | Model space on one page, at real size, as vectors | $19 once; macOS 14 or later |
| AutoCAD for Mac | Any layout, at the sheet size and scale you choose | Autodesk subscription |
| QCAD Professional | PDFs from the app, or a folder at a time from the command line | One-off licence |
| CloudConvert or Zamzar | A PDF made on their servers, with few settings | Free for a few files a day; the file is uploaded |
| DWG TrueView in Parallels | Any layout, plotted with AutoCAD's own PDF driver | Windows in a virtual machine |
1. Export it from DWG Viewer
Open the .dwg in DWG Viewer and choose File → Export as PDF (⌘E). You get one page the size of the drawing, at real size: a 600 mm part becomes a 600 mm page, so it prints at 1:1 as a template and measurements in the PDF match the drawing. Lines stay sharp vectors at any zoom, text is drawn as outlines so it looks right without the drawing's fonts, and layers you've switched off are left out, so hide dimensions or construction lines first if you don't want them.
Know what it doesn't do:
- It exports model space only, with no layouts, title blocks or sheet scales.
- Every line is drawn at the same thin weight, and dashed linetypes come out solid.
- A drawing more than 200 inches (about 5 m) across is scaled down to fit, because that's the largest page a PDF can have.
- Text in the PDF can't be selected or searched.
The same works for .dxf, .dwf and .dwfx files, and File → Export All Sheets as PDF turns a DWF or DWFx set into one PDF, a page per sheet. DWG Viewer costs $19 once and runs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
2. Plot it from AutoCAD for Mac
In AutoCAD for Mac, open a layout and use Plot to save it as a PDF, or use Batch Publish to turn the layouts of several drawings into PDFs at once. You choose the sheet size, scale, lineweights and plot styles, so this is the way to make proper drawing sheets. It needs an AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT subscription, which is a lot to pay just for PDFs; see AutoCAD for Mac: cost, differences and alternatives.
3. Use QCAD Professional
QCAD Professional is a 2D CAD app for the Mac, sold as a one-off licence. It opens DWG files and exports PDFs, and it comes with a dwg2pdfcommand that converts a whole folder of drawings from the Terminal. The free Community Edition makes PDFs too, but only from DXF files.
4. Upload it to an online converter
CloudConvert and Zamzar both convert DWG to PDF in the browser. CloudConvert's free tier allows 10 conversions a day; Zamzar's allows two a day, and only DWG files up to 5 MB. You get little control over what the PDF shows, and the drawing goes to their servers, which may not suit confidential work.
Autodesk Viewer, Autodesk's free browser viewer, has no PDF export, but it can print what's on screen, and the Mac's print dialog can save that as a PDF.
5. Run DWG TrueView in a virtual machine
DWG TrueView is Autodesk's free viewer for Windows. It plots layouts to PDF with the same "DWG to PDF" driver AutoCAD uses, so the sheets come out as the author intended. On a Mac it needs Windows 11 in Parallels or VMware Fusion, which is a lot of setup unless you already run Windows.
6. Ask for a PDF
If the drawing comes from someone with AutoCAD, the simplest answer is often to ask them to plot it to PDF. You get exactly the sheets they would print.
Converting a DXF to PDF
Everything above works for .dxf files too. For free, QCAD's Community Edition and LibreCAD both open DXF files and make PDFs. For more ways to open them, see How to open .dxf files on a Mac.
Which should I use?
- A quick PDF of a drawing to share, check or print at full size: DWG Viewer.
- Proper sheets, at scale, with title blocks: AutoCAD, or ask the sender.
- One file, now, and you don't mind uploading it: CloudConvert.
- Folders of drawings, from a script: QCAD Professional's
dwg2pdf.
More guides
- How to open AutoCAD .dwg files on a Mac
- How to open .dxf files on a Mac
- How to open .dwf and .dwfx files on a Mac
- How to convert DXF and DWG files to SVG on a Mac
- What is a DWG file?
- What is a DXF file?
- SVG or DXF for laser cutting and CNC?
- AutoCAD for Mac: cost, differences and alternatives
- Revit for Mac: Parallels, viewers and alternatives
- SolidWorks for Mac: Parallels, browser apps and alternatives
DWG Viewer is not made by or affiliated with Autodesk, Inc. Autodesk, AutoCAD, DWG, DXF, DWF, Revit and Inventor are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.