Opening a CAD File

The CAD file type is primarily associated with AutoCAD.

CAD	File extension: CAD
	File type:	2D/3D drawing

What is a CAD file?

CAD files mostly belong to AutoCAD by Autodesk. A CAD file contains 2D/3D drawings created by AutoCAD. Another type of CAD file contains 2D/3D product part geometry, dimensions, and models created with BobCAD-CAM CAD Design. CAD is also the filename extension of electronic circuit schematics and drawings created with KiCad. Some CAD files are boardviews containing printed circuit board information compatible with BoardViewer. CAD is also the filename extension of a printed circuit board (PCB) components placement information file generated from an Allegro PCB editor board layout (BRD file).

How to open a CAD file

You need a suitable software like AutoCAD to open a CAD file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your CAD file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a CAD file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online CAD File Viewer

Choose your .cad file to view this image

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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How do you convert CAD files to JPG, PDF, HTML, DOC, ...

You can convert CAD files using our online CAD file viewer (powered by Convert.Guru):

To do this, click the button "Choose your .cad file to view this image" on this page.
After your file is opened in browser,
click "Save as..." in the menu.
Then click the file format (e.g. PDF, JPG, DOCX, TXT, ...) you want.
Download the converted file.

Programs that open and convert CAD files:

AutoCAD by Autodesk
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. CAD files are often referred to as AutoCAD cads because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
BoardViewer (boardview) by BoardViewer Team
BoardViewer is a free Windows program for visualizing and analyzing boardviews (printed circuit board information). It can read and display a boardview saved in a CAD file. This file format is classified as CAD.
BobCAD-CAM Mill (3D product part) by BobCAD-CAM
BobCAD-CAM Mill is a professional computer-aided manufacturing software used for milling, deburring, and roughing operations. It uses 3D product part geometry and dimensions saved in CAD files. This file format is classified as CAD.
CadStd (drawing) by CadStd
CadStd is a versatile computer-aided design program for creating mechanical designs, product blueprints, house plans, and electronic circuit schematics. It saves drawings in CAD files. This file format is classified as CAD.
CircuitCAM (PCB components placement) by DCT
CircuitCAM is a computer-aided manufacturing program for preparing and exporting printed circuit board designs to machines. It uses printed circuit board components placement information saved in CAD files. This file format is classified as CAD.
EXTRACAD (drawing) by Finson
EXTRACAD is a professional 2D and 3D design software suite for Windows. 2D and 3D drawings created with EXTRACAD are saved in CAD files. This file format is classified as CAD.
Inago Rage (compact arena definition) by Dejobaan
Inago Rage is an obsolete first-person shooter video game. The game's compact arena definition (CAD) files contain maps for its various levels. This file format is classified as Game.
KiCad (electrical circuit drawing) by KiCad Developers
KiCad is a free, cross-platform electronics design automation software. CAD is one of the file types it uses to store electronic circuit drawings. This file format is classified as CAD.
QuickCAD (drawing) by Autodesk
QuickCAD is a discontinued computer-aided design program. It saved 2D and 3D drawings in CAD files. QuickCAD design and rendering technology has been integrated into AutoCAD. This file format is classified as CAD.
RealCAD (2D/3D drawing/design) by CAD International
RealCAD is a computer-aided design, editing, and conversion program. It can open and export a CAD file to various document and 3D image/model formats. This file format is classified as CAD.

CAD format details:

Why is it important to know the file format? This is the only way to find out which program to use to open the file. Often, the file format can be deduced from the file extension or the initial bytes (called the signature). If the file extension or signature does not match the file format, errors will occur when opening or editing the file. If there are problems opening a file, you must first determine the file format used. Our evaluation of the CAD files is as follows:

The CAD extension is very commonly found and includes various formats for various programs. The two most common formats are as follows:

25% of all CAD files are associated with QuickCAD Drawing. These files are binary files, so they do not contain text, but only cryptic characters. CAD files are between 36 KB and 330 KB in size. The file type was primarily used more than 20 years ago. The following keywords are characteristic: BMv^, Build 54 and October 15, 1999. Files like these have the following tags: fork, blad, community, telescope, cemetery, drawing, burtts, corner and rack.
15% of all CAD files are associated with KiCad Drawing. The content consists of readable text data, which can be read using a text editor. The files are on average 2 MB in size and range from 130 KB to 5 MB. The files contain the following words: $HEADER, GENCAD 1.4, REVISION, UNITS USER 1000, ORIGIN 0 0, DRAWING board and USER "RSI-TRANSLATOR CAMCAD Professional 3.9.6b - Licensed to Teradyne, Douglas Raymond". These files are often associated with dell, board, view, boardview, gencad and latitude.

All the rest of the CAD files (60%) have different formats, often e.g. Drafix Windows CAD drawing, CadStd drawing, EXTRACAD drawing, ZIP, HEADER, file, CPCDbc, LSNAH, REFDES, version and APRICasCADos. They are often associated with samsung, plan, building, layout, inspiron, template or casa. If you want to find out which format your CAD file belongs to, just click on the button "Choose your .cad file to view this image".

Technical Data for CAD File Extension

File classification:

CAD

Related files:

dwg, cadcam, skf, dxf, brd, zip, dpi, pkg, pcb, cac, rar, kor, kpt, prg, cab, bmk, jed, at5, scene, obj, dwfx

Mime type:

text/plain, application/octet-stream

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: CadStd
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Apperson\CadStd\cadstd.exe %1

ProgramID: View Station Document
EXEFile: C:\View\Station\Image.exe %1

a cad 2D/3D drawing is a special file format by Autodesk and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with CAD files

Associate the CAD file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open 2d/3d drawings. Because only the current version supports the latest CAD file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the Autodesk manufacturer website after an available AutoCAD update.
To make sure that your CAD file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .CAD file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.