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AutoCAD DWG version downconverter

Can it be saved down?

Yes — DWG can be saved down, and it is free. AutoCAD's own SAVEAS, the free DWG TrueView (DWG Convert) or ODA File Converter all write older format codes without touching geometry.

A DWG carries a format code, not a year. AutoCAD 2018 through 2025 all write AC1032, which is why a 2025 drawing opens fine in 2018 but not in 2016. When a consultant says "send it as 2013", they mean the AC1027 container. Nothing in the browser can rewrite that container — the format is closed — so this page gives the procedure that actually works, free of charge.

The procedure that works

  1. 1In AutoCAD: File → Save As, then set "Files of type" to the target release (for example AutoCAD 2013/LT2013 Drawing) and save under a new name so the original stays intact.
  2. 2No AutoCAD licence? Install Autodesk's free DWG TrueView, open DWG Convert, add the files, pick the output version and run the batch — it converts whole folders at once.
  3. 3Cross-platform or scripted: the free ODA File Converter takes an input folder, an output folder and a target version, and is the tool most offices automate with.
  4. 4Before issuing, bind or e-transmit external references (ETRANSMIT) — an old-format host drawing still fails if its xrefs are newer.
  5. 5Reopen the saved-down file and plot one sheet to confirm layers, hatches and annotation scales survived.

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What the file loses

  • • Anything the older format has no entry for is exploded or dropped: newer constraint types, some dynamic block parameters, and mesh/subdivision solids.
  • • Annotative and multileader styles can revert to earlier behaviour, so text height and leader landing lengths are worth checking on one sheet.
  • • Saving to 2004 or earlier converts true-colour and transparency settings, and drops object transparency altogether.
  • • PDF underlays predate 2007 — save down that far and they are lost; bind or re-attach as images instead.

DWG format codes by AutoCAD release

Releases sharing a code are fully interchangeable — a 2024 file opens in 2018 with no conversion.

AC10322018 – 2025current container
AC10272013 – 2017the usual "send it as 2013" request
AC10242010 – 2012
AC10212007 – 2009first with PDF underlays
AC10182004 – 2006true colour introduced
AC10152000 – 2002lowest version most firms still accept
AC1014R14legacy archive only

Questions

Can I downgrade a DWG online without installing anything?

Not reliably. DWG is a closed binary container that no browser can rewrite, so any site claiming an in-browser DWG downgrade is uploading your drawing to a server. Autodesk's free DWG TrueView does it locally in a few clicks.

Which version should I save to when the client has not said?

AutoCAD 2013 (AC1027) is the safe default: every release from 2013 onward opens it, and almost all third-party CAD software reads it.

Does saving down change my drawing geometry?

Lines, arcs, polylines, blocks and text survive unchanged. Only newer object types with no equivalent in the older format are exploded or dropped.

Why does my 2013 DWG still fail to open for the client?

Usually an attached xref or an image/PDF underlay is still in the newer format. Run ETRANSMIT, or bind the references before saving down.

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