How to open RDWorks .rld files on a Mac
By Tiago Almeida · Updated 29 October 2026
RDWorks is the free program that comes with most CO2 laser cutters built around a Ruida controller. It saves a design as a .rld project and sends the machine a .rd job, the scrambled command stream the controller runs. Ruida only makes RDWorks for Windows, so a Mac can't open either file on its own: Finder shows a blank icon, the space bar shows nothing, and no Mac app offers to open them.
RLD Viewer is our app, so weigh that in. Every option below works; they suit different jobs.
Can a Mac open .rld files?
Not on its own. To look at a project, check the speed and power of each layer, or see what a .rd job will cut, use a Mac viewer such as RLD Viewer. To change a design or send it to the laser, you need RDWorks itself, running on Windows: in a virtual machine on the Mac, or on the PC by the machine. LightBurn, which runs on a Mac and drives Ruida controllers, opens .rd jobs as plain designs but not .rld projects.
The options compared
| Option | Opens .rld projects | Edits and sends to the laser | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| RLD Viewer | Yes, and .rd jobs | No | $19 once; macOS 26 or later |
| RDWorks in Parallels or VMware Fusion | Yes | Yes | Parallels subscription or Fusion (free for personal use), Windows licence |
| RDWorks in CrossOver or Wine | Mixed reports | Mixed reports | CrossOver licence (free trial) or Wine |
| LightBurn on the Mac | No: only .rd jobs, without their settings | Yes, with its own files | LightBurn licence |
| Export from the PC | No: you get the vectors as AI, DXF or PLT | No | Someone with RDWorks |
1. Open it in RLD Viewer
RLD Viewer is a native Mac app that reads .rld projects and .rd jobs directly. Once it's installed, Finder shows thumbnails of your jobs and the space bar previews them. Open a file and you see every object on a millimetre canvas: lines, curves, text outlines, groups and engraving bitmaps, each layer in its own colour with its speed, minimum and maximum power, air assist and output switch. Click an object for its size and position, hide layers to check one pass at a time, and open the .rd job to see the rapid moves between cuts.
It can't edit a file or talk to a laser, and it was checked against several hundred files saved by RDWorks 7 and five builds of RDWorks 8. It costs $19 once and runs onmacOS 26 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.
2. Run RDWorks in Parallels or VMware Fusion
A virtual machine runs Windows in a window on your Mac, and RDWorks runs inside it. On Apple silicon Macs that means the Arm version of Windows 11, which runs RDWorks through its built-in emulation for Intel apps.
Parallels Desktop is the setup Microsoft supports for Windows 11 on Apple silicon, and it's a subscription. VMware Fusion is free for personal use. This is the only way to edit designs and send jobs from the Mac itself, and sending needs the virtual machine to pass the laser's USB or network connection through to Windows. You need a Windows licence as well; RDWorks itself is a free download from Ruida and from most machine makers.
3. Try CrossOver or Wine
CrossOver, from CodeWeavers, runs some Windows apps on a Mac without installing Windows, and Wine does the same for free with more setup. RDWorks is known to run under Wine on Linux with a few quirks, and some people report the same on a Mac, but there is no official support. Use CrossOver's free trial before you buy, and expect the machine connection to be the part that fails first.
4. Use LightBurn
LightBurn runs on a Mac and drives Ruida controllers, so many laser owners use it instead of RDWorks. It doesn't open .rld projects. It can open a .rd job as a design, without the layer settings, and it can run a .rd file straight on the machine. If you are moving from RDWorks to LightBurn, the usual path is to export each design from RDWorks as AI or DXF and set the layers again in LightBurn.
5. Ask for an export from the PC
If the file comes from someone who has RDWorks, ask them to export the vectors instead. RDWorks can save AI, DXF and PLT files, which most Mac design and CAD apps can open. The layer settings and the bitmaps' engraving settings stay behind.
Which should I use?
- Looking through jobs, checking a layer's speed and power, or seeing what a .rd file will cut: RLD Viewer.
- Designing and sending jobs from the Mac: RDWorks in Parallels, or LightBurn.
- A one-off file from a client: ask them for a DXF, or open it in RLD Viewer.
RLD Viewer is not made by or affiliated with Ruida. RDWorks and Ruida are trademarks of Shenzhen Ruida Technology Co., Ltd.