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How to Convert an AutoCAD File to a PDF Download Article Convert & export your AutoCAD drawings to a universal PDF format with these simple methods Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA
Last Updated: July 15, 2025 Fact Checked
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Auto-Publishing
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Quick Export
|
Exporting a Single Layout
|
Exporting Multiple Layouts
|
Online Converter
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene has been writing and editing tech content at wikiHow since 2019. She previously worked for AppleCare, served as a writing tutor, volunteered in IT at an animal rescue, and taught as an adjunct professor for EN101 and EN102. Darlene has completed Coursera courses on technology, writing, and language. She holds both a BA (2011) and an MA (2012) from Rowan University in Writing, with a focus on workplace communication. With her extensive experience, academic background, and ongoing learning, Darlene has become the go-to grammar expert for her friends and family, as well as a skilled wordsmith for anyone in need. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 268,325 times. Learn more...
This wikiHow teaches you how to save your AutoCAD drawing as a PDF that can be easily shared and printed. If you have AutoCAD on your computer, the best way to convert your drawing to PDF is to export it from within the program. If you don't have AutoCAD, you can use an online conversion service like CloudConvert to convert the DWG file to the PDF format.
Quickly Convert AutoCAD Files to PDF
Select the layers you want to convert to PDF, then click Output > Export > PDF > Save. Or use online converting tools, like Cloud Convert, if you need to convert a file and don't have AutoCAD installed on your computer.
Steps
Method 1 Method 1 of 5:
Setting Up Auto-Publishing
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1 Open Options. You can find it by pressing the stylized "A" for AutoCAD in the top left corner of your screen and then clicking Options.
Once you set it up, a PDF will be created for each layout when you save a file.
2 Click the Plot and Publish tab. It's in the line of tabs with Files and Profiles. Advertisement
3 Click Automatic Publish Settings. You'll find this at the very bottom of your screen in the Auto Publish section.
4 Set the format to "PDF." You'll see this under the General DWF/PDF Options header.
More options are available, including layout choices and multiple sheets per document.
5 Click OK. This will close the window. You will need to click OK again to close the Options window.
Once you have this configured, open a project in AutoCAD, select a layer (you can select multiple layers by holding down Ctrl as you click your mouse), and click Save in the Quick Access Toolbar. You'll see a notification as it's saving and creating a PDF version.
Any files with the same name will be overwritten.
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Using Quick Export from a Layout
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1 Select the layer(s) you want to export to a PDF. If you hold down Ctrl and click, you can select multiple layers.
2 Click the Output tab. It's at the top of your screen with Home and Collaborate.
3 Click Export. You'll see this in the "Export to DWF/PDF" section, and clicking it prompts more options to drop down.
4 Click PDF. This opens your File Explorer so you can choose options to save the file as a PDF.
5 Choose how to save the PDF and click Save. You can give the file a name and select a location to save it in.[1]XResearch source
Advertisement Method 3 Method 3 of 5:
Exporting a Single Layout in AutoCAD
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1 Click the Layout tab. It's near the bottom-left corner of the drawing area.
This method will save a single-layout drawing to a 1-page PDF file.
2 Click the Output tab. It's at the top of the screen.
3 Click Plot. It's on the Plot panel at the top of AutoCAD.
4 Select a PDF preset. The options are listed in the Printer/Plotter section in the Name menu. There are several PDF options from which to choose, each optimized for different purposes.
For example, if you want your PDF to be optimized for high-quality printing, you'd choose AutoCAD PDF (High Quality Print).pc3.
5 Select your preferences. Double-check the plot area, plot scale, orientation, and paper size that were automatically generated, and make any changes as necessary.
6 Click OK. It's at the bottom-center part of the window.
7 Select a file name and location. Choose the folder in which you want to save the PDF file, and enter a file name for the resulting file.
8 Click Save. This saves your new PDF file to the selected folder.
Advertisement Method 4 Method 4 of 5:
Exporting Multiple Layouts in AutoCAD
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1 Select the layout tabs you want to export. To select multiple tabs, hold down the Ctrl key as you click each layout tab at the bottom of AutoCAD.[2]XResearch source
Using this method, you'll have the option to save each layout as individual PDFs or combine them into a multi-page PDF.
2 Right-click the selection and select Publish Selected Layouts. This opens the Publish dialog box.
3 Select PDF from the "Publish To" menu.
4 Select a PDF preset. You'll need to choose a preset from the PDF preset menu. There are several PDF options from which to choose, each optimized for different purposes.
For example, if you want your PDF to be optimized for high-quality printing, you'd choose AutoCAD PDF (Web and Mobile).pc3 to create a smaller file optimized for the internet and/or small screens.
5 Click the Publish Options button. Now you can choose whether to create a multi-sheet PDF file containing all layouts or to create individual PDFs for each layout.
6 Choose how to create your PDF(s).
Select Multi-sheet file to create one PDF file with separate pages for each layout.
If you'd rather create individual PDFs for each layout, remove the checkmark from "Multi-sheet file."
7 Adjust your other settings and click OK. Double-check the plot area, plot scale, orientation, and paper size that were automatically generated, and make any changes as necessary.
8 Click Publish. This will create your PDF file(s) based on your criteria.
You will be prompted to select a saving location for the output file(s).
Advertisement Method 5 Method 5 of 5:
Converting with an Online Converter
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1 Go to cloudconvert.com/dwg-to-pdf in a web browser. If you don't have AutoCAD on your computer, try using an online DWG to PDF converter like this one from CloudConvert.
This method requires uploading your drawing file to a third-party server, so avoid using this if your drawing contains private information.
If you want to convert all layouts in the file, a multiple-page PDF will be created.
2 Click Select File. It's the red button near the center of the page.
3 Select your DWG file and click Open. This adds the file name to the page.
4 Click the wrench to set your conversion preferences (optional). The wrench button appears next to the file name. Here you can specify your preferred settings, such as whether you want to convert all layouts in the file, whether to Auto-Zoom to fit the page, and the option to set your height and width output in pixels.
5 Click the Convert button. It's in the bottom-right area of the page. This uploads the file and starts the conversion process. When the conversion is complete, you'll be prompted to download the file.
6 Click the green Download button. It's at the bottom-right corner. This downloads the drawing as a PDF file.
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Written by: Darlene Antonelli, MA wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene has been writing and editing tech content at wikiHow since 2019. She previously worked for AppleCare, served as a writing tutor, volunteered in IT at an animal rescue, and taught as an adjunct professor for EN101 and EN102. Darlene has completed Coursera courses on technology, writing, and language. She holds both a BA (2011) and an MA (2012) from Rowan University in Writing, with a focus on workplace communication. With her extensive experience, academic background, and ongoing learning, Darlene has become the go-to grammar expert for her friends and family, as well as a skilled wordsmith for anyone in need. This article has been viewed 268,325 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 6Updated: July 15, 2025 Views: 268,325 Categories: CAD Software | Portable Document Format (PDF)Article SummaryX
1. Click the layout tab you want to export. 2. Click the Output tab. 3. Click Plot. 4. Select a PDF preset. 5. Set your preferences and click OK. 6. Select a file name and location. 7. Click Save. Did this summary help you?YesNo
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Download Article Convert & export your AutoCAD drawings to a universal PDF format with these simple methods Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA 
Converting PDF to Word: The Best Options for PC & Mac 
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Written by: Darlene Antonelli, MA wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Darlene has been writing and editing tech content at wikiHow since 2019. She previously worked for AppleCare, served as a writing tutor, volunteered in IT at an animal rescue, and taught as an adjunct professor for EN101 and EN102. Darlene has completed Coursera courses on technology, writing, and language. She holds both a BA (2011) and an MA (2012) from Rowan University in Writing, with a focus on workplace communication. With her extensive experience, academic background, and ongoing learning, Darlene has become the go-to grammar expert for her friends and family, as well as a skilled wordsmith for anyone in need. This article has been viewed 268,325 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 6 Updated: July 15, 2025 Views: 268,325 Categories: CAD Software | Portable Document Format (PDF) Article SummaryX
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1 Open Options. You can find it by pressing the stylized "A" for AutoCAD in the top left corner of your screen and then clicking Options. 
2 Click the Plot and Publish tab. It's in the line of tabs with Files and Profiles. Advertisement 
3 Click Automatic Publish Settings. You'll find this at the very bottom of your screen in the Auto Publish section. 
4 Set the format to "PDF." You'll see this under the General DWF/PDF Options header. 
5 Click OK. This will close the window. You will need to click OK again to close the Options window. 
1 Select the layer(s) you want to export to a PDF. If you hold down Ctrl and click, you can select multiple layers. 
2 Click the Output tab. It's at the top of your screen with Home and Collaborate. 
3 Click Export. You'll see this in the "Export to DWF/PDF" section, and clicking it prompts more options to drop down. 
4 Click PDF. This opens your File Explorer so you can choose options to save the file as a PDF. 
5 Choose how to save the PDF and click Save. You can give the file a name and select a location to save it in.[1] Advertisement 
1 Click the Layout tab. It's near the bottom-left corner of the drawing area. 
2 Click the Output tab. It's at the top of the screen. 
3 Click Plot. It's on the Plot panel at the top of AutoCAD. 
4 Select a PDF preset. The options are listed in the Printer/Plotter section in the Name menu. There are several PDF options from which to choose, each optimized for different purposes. 
5 Select your preferences. Double-check the plot area, plot scale, orientation, and paper size that were automatically generated, and make any changes as necessary. 
6 Click OK. It's at the bottom-center part of the window. 
7 Select a file name and location. Choose the folder in which you want to save the PDF file, and enter a file name for the resulting file. 
8 Click Save. This saves your new PDF file to the selected folder. Advertisement 
1 Select the layout tabs you want to export. To select multiple tabs, hold down the Ctrl key as you click each layout tab at the bottom of AutoCAD.[2] 
2 Right-click the selection and select Publish Selected Layouts. This opens the Publish dialog box. 
3 Select PDF from the "Publish To" menu. 
4 Select a PDF preset. You'll need to choose a preset from the PDF preset menu. There are several PDF options from which to choose, each optimized for different purposes. 
5 Click the Publish Options button. Now you can choose whether to create a multi-sheet PDF file containing all layouts or to create individual PDFs for each layout. 
6 Choose how to create your PDF(s). 
7 Adjust your other settings and click OK. Double-check the plot area, plot scale, orientation, and paper size that were automatically generated, and make any changes as necessary. 
8 Click Publish. This will create your PDF file(s) based on your criteria. 
1 Go to cloudconvert.com/dwg-to-pdf in a web browser. If you don't have AutoCAD on your computer, try using an online DWG to PDF converter like this one from CloudConvert. 
2 Click Select File. It's the red button near the center of the page. 
3 Select your DWG file and click Open. This adds the file name to the page. 
4 Click the wrench to set your conversion preferences (optional). The wrench button appears next to the file name. Here you can specify your preferred settings, such as whether you want to convert all layouts in the file, whether to Auto-Zoom to fit the page, and the option to set your height and width output in pixels. 
5 Click the Convert button. It's in the bottom-right area of the page. This uploads the file and starts the conversion process. When the conversion is complete, you'll be prompted to download the file. 
6 Click the green Download button. It's at the bottom-right corner. This downloads the drawing as a PDF file. Advertisement 
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