Want to edit DWG files on Windows 11/10? Here is a full guide for you to edit a DWG file on your Windows 11/10 PC. DWG which is deceived from Drawing is a CAD file format developed by Autodesk. It is a native file format used in AutoCAD software and has been adapted by other CAD freeware too. It basically stores layered vector graphics and metadata with binary coding. This file format is widely used by architects, engineers, and graphics designers for making plans and drawings.
Now, if you want to edit a DWG file on Windows 11/10 PC, how to do that? If you are wondering the same, here is your answer. In this article, we are going to show you methods to edit a DWG file. You can use some free third-party software to make modifications to a DWG file. These also support the DXF file format to edit models. While one of these lets you save the edited DWG file in its native format, others let you save DWG in DXF or some other format. Let’s check out these free DWG file editors.
How can I edit a DWG file without AutoCAD?
To edit a DWG file without AutoCAD, you can use some other software that supports DWG file format and lets you modify drawings saved in DWG format. If you want to use a free software, you can check out this article where we have listed some better free DWG editor software. There is this free software called nanoCAD that lets you import, view, edit, and save DWG files in their native format. You can also use other free software for the same; let us check out the full list below.
Read: How to view and edit a CDR file in Windows?
How to Edit DWG files in Windows 11/10
Here are the free software that you can use to edit DWG files on your Windows 11/10 PC:
- nanoCAD
- LibreCAD
- SolveSpace
Let us discuss the above-mentioned DWG editors in detail now!
1] nanoCAD
You can try this software called nanoCAD to edit DWG files in Windows 11/10. It is a professional CAD software that also provides a free edition. You can use its free version to edit DWG files for free. It is a feature-rich DWG editor yet quite easy to use. Let us have a look at the steps to edit DWG files in it.
- Download and install nanoCAD.
- Launch the nanoCAD software.
- Open a DWG file or create a new document for creating a fresh DWG file.
- Use various modeling tools to edit or create a drawing.
- Save the edited DWG file.
Now, let’s elaborate above-mentioned steps!
Firstly, you need to download and install nanoCAD software on your PC; you can download it from nanocad.com. Then, launch the interface of this software.
Next, you can open your DWG file that you want to edit using the File > Open option. If you want to create a new DWG drawing file from scratch, click on the File > New Document option. The good part is that you can create and edit multiple DWG files in different tabs at a time.
Now comes the main task which is to edit or create a DWG file using several CAD modeling tools. You can find a wide number of tools to create drawings. You can draw meshes, lines, rays, construction lines, arc, spline, block, tables, points, shapes, fill shapes, solid, boundary, etc.
Furthermore, you can use some Modify tools including Erase, Copy, Mirror, Move, Rotate, Scale, Lengthen Objects, Align, Trim Vectors, Explode, Chamfer, Join Objects, and more. Other than that, you can edit layers in it, draw and find dimensions like diameter, radius, arc, base dimension, group dimension, and more to your DWG drawing. Plus, you can insert a DWG reference, image from a file, add layout from a template, insert block, etc., and perform some more editing in the DWG file.
When you are done editing or creating DWG drawing, go to the File menu and select the Save as option. You will then be able to save the edited or created drawing in DWG format.
Features of nanoCAD to look out for:
Here are some features of nanoCAD that are worth mentioning:
- It provides some drawing utilities to audit, recover, and purge your drawing files.
- You can save your drawings in different versions of the AutoCAD DWG file including 2013, 2010, 2007, 2004, 2000, R14, R13, and R11.
- It also lets you edit and save drawings in DXF format.
- You can also plot and print the DWG drawings.
All in all, it is one of the best DWG editor software to make changes to your DWG files or even create new DWG files.
Read: How to convert DWG to PDF in Windows?
2] LibreCAD
LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD application that lets you edit DWG files. Using it, you can edit DWG as well as DXF files in it. You can even design a new drawing from scratch using it. It provides all the standard DWG editing tools required to modify your AutoCAD drawings. Here are the main steps to edit DWG files:
- Download and install LibreCAD.
- Start the application.
- Open a DWG file.
- Edit the drawing using available tools.
- Save the DWG file.
Let’s elaborate on the above steps in detail now!
Firstly, download and install this software and then open it on your PC. Now, go to the File > Open option and browse and import a DWG file. You will now be able to view and edit the AutoCAD drawing file.
To edit the DWG file, you can use available CAD designing tools. In it, you can draw different types of lines, circles, curves, ellipses, polylines, and more in the source DWG file. You can also insert text into your drawings. Plus, it lets you add aligned, linear, horizontal, vertical, radial, diametric, angular, and leader dimensions to your DWG drawing. Additionally, you can edit and manage different layers in the DWG file from the Layers panel on the right.
After editing the DWG file, you can save the edited file in different versions of DXF file format using the File > Save As option. Sadly, it doesn’t let you save the edited DWG file in its native format.
Apart from DXF, it lets you convert DWG to SVG, PDF, or an image (PNG, JPEG, BMP, WebP, TIFF, etc.). For that, go to the File menu and click on the Export, and then select the desired export option.
It is a simple 2D CAD software that allows you to edit DWG files. There are some plugins available in it that you can use for extra functionality. The plugins that you can use are Read ASCII points, List Entities, Read PIC File, Import ESRI Shapefile, Plot Plugin, and more. You can download this software from librecad.org.
See: How to view and convert IGS files in Windows?
3] SolveSpace
You can also try SolveSpace to edit DWG files in Windows 11/10. It is a free and portable parametric 2D/ 3D CAD software that lets you edit DWG and DXF files. Using it, you can also create models in various 3D file formats including STEP, STL, OBJ, WRL, etc. After editing, you can save it in DXF or image formats like PNG, EPS, PS, PDF, etc. It even lets you convert DWG or DXF to G-Code.
This software also lets you analyze a DWG and other models from the Analyze menu. From here, you can measure volume, measure area, measure perimeter, show interfering parts, show naked edges, show center of mass, show underconstrained points, trace points, etc.
These are the main steps to edit a DWG file in SolveSpace:
- Download SolveSpace.
- Launch this portable application.
- Open an input DWG file using the File > Import option.
- Use the CAD tools to edit the drawing.
- Save the edited DWG file in a supported output format.
Firstly, download SolveSpace from its official website. And then, run the downloaded application file to launch this portable software.
Now, go to the File menu and click on the Import option to browse and open a DWG file. You will be able to view the drawing consists in it that you can edit.
Next, use the multiple sketch tools, add text, extrudes, revolves, helixes, and Boolean operations, sketch in 3D, and more to edit the DWG file. It provides a Constrain menu from where you can also draw and analyze dimensions like diameter/ distance, angle, reference angle, horizontal, vertical, length ratio, differences, etc.
After editing the drawing, you can save it in DXF, image format, or some other supported file format using the File > Save options.
How to view DWG files in Windows free without AutoCAD?
Use AutoCAD Mobile free DWG viewing application that is available in the Microsoft Store. It allows you to view and measure AutoCAD drawings.
See: How to convert OBJ to FBX using Paint 3D in Windows?
Can I edit a DXF file?
Yes, you can edit a DXF file. For that, you can use any of the mentioned software in this article. The good thing is that all the mentioned software support DXF as the output format. So, you can open a DXF file, view and edit the model, and then export it in its native format.
Hope this article helps you find a suitable DWG editor to edit DWG files on your Windows 11/10 PC.
