DWG and DXF Version Checker
Find which AutoCAD drawing format a DWG or ASCII DXF file uses, from the version code in the first 64 KiB of the file, without opening the drawing.
Tool workspace
Nothing is uploaded. Files are read in this tab and stay on your machine.
Identify a drawing format version
How do I check which version a DWG or DXF file is?
Choose one DWG or DXF file of up to 500 MiB.
Read the result: the format, the code the file records (for example AC1032) and, where it is known, the AutoCAD format family.
Use the reported code as a compatibility clue only; confirm anything critical by opening the file in your CAD application.
How is a DWG or DXF version identified?
Find out which AutoCAD drawing format a DWG or DXF file uses, from the version code in its header, without opening the drawing. Only the start of the file is read, in this tab, and no geometry is parsed.
A DWG file begins with a short format code such as AC1032. A DXF file records its version in the $ACADVER variable inside the HEADER section, whether it is written as text or in AutoCAD's binary DXF form. The tool reads at most the first 64 KiB, names the codes it knows as drawing-format families and leaves unfamiliar or malformed headers unknown rather than guessing. The known codes are AC1015 (AutoCAD 2000), AC1018 (AutoCAD 2004), AC1021 (AutoCAD 2007), AC1024 (AutoCAD 2010), AC1027 (AutoCAD 2013) and AC1032 (AutoCAD 2018) format families, and seven older codes from AutoCAD 2.5 to Release 14: AC1002, AC1003, AC1004, AC1006, AC1009, AC1012 and AC1014.
How Xenmark makes it easy to identify a DWG or DXF version
The version code, as the file records it
A DWG's six-character header code, or the $ACADVER value in an ASCII DXF header, is shown exactly as it appears in the file.
Nothing leaves your machine
Nothing is uploaded. Files are read in this tab and processed in memory, with no account and no server for them to go to.
Reads the first 64 KiB and stops
Only the opening part of the file is read and no geometry is parsed, so a large drawing is checked without the whole file being loaded.
Known codes named as a format family
Thirteen known codes are named as a drawing-format family. A version-shaped code outside that table is shown but left unidentified rather than guessed.
Binary DXF read, not guessed at
A binary DXF's $ACADVER value is read from the plain bytes that carry it and reported exactly as an ASCII DXF's is. If that value is missing or unfamiliar, the file is reported as a binary DXF with no named version rather than an estimated one.
Nothing to install
It runs in the browser you already have. There is no plug-in, no desktop application and no sign-up to get through first.
Limitations
What this tool does not do, stated up front.
The code identifies a drawing-format family, not the exact application, edition, creator, maintenance release or the build that last saved the file.
A binary DXF's version is read from its $ACADVER value near the start of the file, not from the rest of its binary structure, so a binary DXF that records no $ACADVER is recognised without a named version. Unknown, truncated and malformed headers remain unidentified.
The tool does not validate geometry, recover damaged files, inspect layers, render drawings or convert formats. DWG and DXF are Autodesk file-format names; Xenmark is not affiliated with Autodesk.
Questions
Can I check a DWG version without AutoCAD?
Yes. Choose the file here: only the first 64 KiB of it is read, in this tab, nothing is kept, and the file selection is cleared when the tool has finished.
What AutoCAD version is AC1032?
AC1032 is the AutoCAD 2018 drawing-format family, which Autodesk lists as used by AutoCAD 2018 to 2024. The code names the format, not the exact release or build that saved the file, because several AutoCAD versions write the same format.
Why was my DXF not identified?
Usually because it was written without a HEADER section, which many simple exporters produce, so the file records no version at all. The tool reads the $ACADVER value from both ASCII and binary DXF files, and a version field beyond the first 64 KiB or a malformed header is reported without a guessed version.
Why did Xenmark build a free DWG version checker?
Xenmark AS is a Norwegian software company building browser-based drawing review tools for owners, consultants, operators and other teams that receive and review technical drawings. Those teams handle PDFs every day, and not every file should be sent to a website just to merge, split or check it — a tender document, a client’s drawing set, a revision that is not released yet. So these everyday tools are free and run entirely in your browser: no account, no upload step, and no server ever receives the file. You can check that yourself — open your browser’s network tab, identify a drawing file, and watch nothing leave. What this tool cannot do is listed under Limitations above.
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