How to open .dwf and .dwfx files on a Mac
By Tiago Almeida · Updated 30 October 2026
DWF, Design Web Format, is Autodesk's format for publishing drawings: a compact, read-only copy of a design, made to be sent and reviewed rather than edited. AutoCAD publishes it, Revit exports sheets and 3D views to it, Inventor publishes parts and drawings, and Navisworks exports 3D models. DWFx holds the same contents inside Microsoft's XPS format. Either can carry several 2D sheets, a 3D model, or both.
macOS can't open either one: Preview doesn't read them, and AutoCAD for Mac can neither publish DWF files nor attach them to a drawing. DWG Viewer is our app, so weigh that in. Every option below works; they suit different jobs.
The options compared
| Option | What it shows | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| DWG Viewer | Every sheet and 3D model in the set | $19 once; macOS 14 or later |
| Autodesk Viewer in the browser | DWF and DWFx files, 2D and 3D | Free Autodesk account; the file is uploaded to Autodesk |
| Design Review in Parallels | Every sheet and model, with markup | Windows in a virtual machine |
| Vectorworks | Imports DWF and DWFx, 2D and 3D | Vectorworks subscription |
1. Open it in DWG Viewer
DWG Viewer is a native Mac app that reads .dwf and .dwfx files directly, on your Mac, as well as AutoCAD's .dwg and .dxf files. Once it's installed, Finder shows a thumbnail of each file and the space bar previews it. A file with a 3D model, such as a Revit 3D view or an Inventor part, opens shaded in its own colours, and you can turn it around or jump to the top, front, side or isometric views. 2D sheets open as sharp vectors, with their text, and you can measure them or export them to PDF or SVG.
A set with several sheets and models lists them all in a sidebar: click one to open it, or step through them with ⌥⌘↓ and ⌥⌘↑. File → Export All Sheets as PDF turns every 2D sheet into one PDF, a page per sheet, each at its real size.
It can't mark up a sheet or send comments back; that's what Design Review is for. Some very old DWF files, from the 1990s, use a compression it doesn't read. It costs$19 once and runs on macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
2. Upload it to Autodesk Viewer
Autodesk Viewer is a free viewer that runs in the browser and opens DWF and DWFx files. Sign in with an Autodesk account, upload the file, and you can look at it, measure and add markup. Uploads are kept for 30 days unless you extend them. It's handy for a one-off file, but the design goes to Autodesk's servers, which may not suit confidential work, and you need to be online.
3. Run Design Review in a virtual machine
Autodesk Design Review is the viewer DWF was made for: it shows every sheet and model in a set, and lets reviewers mark them up and send them back. It's still a free download, but the latest version is from 2018 and it only runs on Windows, so on a Mac it needs Windows in Parallels or VMware Fusion. On Windows, the XPS Viewer can also open the 2D sheets of a DWFx file, though not 3D content, and it's an optional feature on Windows 10 and 11 rather than installed by default.
4. Import it into Vectorworks
Vectorworks, a CAD app for architecture and design that runs natively on the Mac, imports DWF and DWFx files, 2D and 3D. It's a subscription costing over a thousand dollars a year, so it only makes sense if you already use it.
5. Ask for a PDF or the DWG
A DWF is a published copy of a design, so the person who sent it has the original. AutoCAD and Revit both make PDFs as easily as DWFs, and a PDF opens in Preview on any Mac. If you need to work with the drawing rather than look at it, ask for the .dwg instead.
How to turn a DWF into a PDF
A PDF is the easiest way to pass a DWF set on, because anyone can open it. On a Mac, open the set in DWG Viewer and choose File → Export All Sheets as PDF: you get one PDF with a page per 2D sheet, at its real size, with the lines kept as vectors. On Windows, Design Review can print the sheets to Microsoft Print to PDF. If the person who sent the DWF still has the Revit or AutoCAD file, they can save a PDF from it directly, which is often the quickest route.
Which should I use?
- Looking through DWF sets from Revit or Inventor, sheets and 3D models, right in Finder, or turning a set into one PDF: DWG Viewer.
- A one-off file, now, and you don't mind uploading it: Autodesk Viewer.
- Marking up sheets and sending comments back: Design Review on Windows.
- Anything else: ask the sender for a PDF.
More guides
- How to open AutoCAD .dwg files on a Mac
- How to open .dxf files on a Mac
- How to convert a DWG to PDF 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.