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Illustrator 25.3 unable to open/import/export Autocad (DWG/ DXF ) files on M1 macs

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
June 8, 2021
22 replies
32431 views

I have just updated to Adobe illustrator 25.3 on Apple M1 mac mini. I can no longer open DWG files (2004 or otherwise), any way round this? or is this a known issue/problem? Thanks

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Correct answer Anshul_Saini

Hi All,

I understand that some of you have been experiencing difficulties with opening or importing DXF/DWG files in Illustrator. I want to assure you that the product team has worked diligently to resolve this issue.

After careful investigation, it has been determined that the problem is with the DXF/DWG files themselves. They were not created in accordance with the proper file format specifications, and as a result, they are causing errors when attempting to open or import them in Illustrator.
Note: Illustrator uses the latest AutoCAD library licensed from Autodesk to open, import, and export DXF & DWG files.

Please note that the older versions of AutoCAD also experience difficulty with opening these malformed files. If you come across any DXF/DWG files that can be opened in the latest versions of AutoCAD but not in Illustrator, please report this as a separate issue in a new post and share the file with me via DM for further investigation. Our team will do their best to resolve any bugs that may exist.

It's worth mentioning that Illustrator versions 25.1 and below were able to open/import these files because they used a different library, which did not strictly check the DXF/DWG files for conformance. However, due to the lack of support for recent OS upgrades, Illustrator has switched to the latest AutoCAD library from Autodesk for opening, importing, and exporting DXF/DWG files. Unfortunately, the older versions of Illustrator are no longer available in Creative Cloud due to Adobe policy. However, you may try the suggestion in this community post to install an older version.

Additionally, it is important to note that other third-party apps may also export DXF/DWG files using older AutoCAD libraries that may not open in Illustrator. If you encounter such files, please report them to the application that created them for a potential fix in future releases.

Thank you,

Anshul Saini

#Marking as correct for visibility

Show previous replies

richxxiii

Known Participant

Anyone else experiencing problems opening DXF files with Illustrator 25.3.1?

I see lots of other folks having problems with earlier version and Adobe devs messages to the effect that they're taking care of it, but I myself haven't had to open a DXF for some time, so haven't experienced the problem until just now (or business was temporarily shut down due to Covid).

When trying to open a file generated from Solidworks I get the following message:
The file <filename>.DXF is in an unknown format and cannot be opened.

Is there a fix or workaround? This is really impacting my ability to do my job.

Any help appreciated.

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about this trouble. Could you please share the OS and the machine you are using? This will help us assist you accordingly.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks & Regards,
Anshul Saini

richxxiii

Known Participant

something is preventing me from replying. Pffft!

D

davidef87610190

Participant

GerssonDelgado

Inspiring

check out this

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/illustratorgc-jsx-script-error-while-launching-illustrator-25-3/m-p/12111644#M279395

A

Aleksandar5EEC

Participant

Hi

Since updating to newer version loading DXF files is also not working on older versions for me ??

Please help

Thanks

S

Songvit5C34

Participant

i can't export DFX.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Songvit,

I believe this can be the answer:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/illustrator-25-3-unable-to-open-import-export-autocad-dwg-dxf-files-on-m1-macs/td-p/12102645

JohnnyTooGood

Inspiring

Can not export/save Ai files to DXF or open old DXF files in Illustrator

Just upgraded to a new M1 Mac Mini running Illustrator 25.3.1

I have cleared the preferences with no solution.

And I also see I can't even open old DXF files I created before the upgrading.

Can someone please help!?

Thank you for your time!

JohnnyTooGood

Inspiring

I don't get this issue on Windows 10 Illustrator 25.2.1

F

Flaszynski

Participant

Please let me know when you will bring back dwg support to Illustrator with Apple M1 chip?

Ashutosh_Mishra

Inspiring

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about this trouble. Autocad files are still not supported natively on M1 machines. Our team is working with Autocad to get this fixed.

Till the time it is fixed, please install older version of Illustrator (25.2.3) and stay tuned for updates.

I would also suggest posting this on our UserVoice page(https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/43644762-iimpor... ). This way, you will keep getting all the updates related to this feature and other users can also upvote, which would help us prioritize.

Regards,

Ashutosh

F

Flaszynski

Participant

Much better option is to run 25.3.1 in Rosetta emulation. It'work.

mathieug85885809

Participant

pourquoi ne peut-on plus exporter en dwg?

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Mathieu,

You can join this discussion here,

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/why-can-i-not-export-to-autocad-version-r13-lt95-anymore/td-p/11854225

J

Jordyn5C48

Participant

Hi,

I've been trying to export a file as DXF for laser cutting and the option is currently missing.

I was able to previously export as DXF back in February on the same document and am now unable to.

I have browsed other forums with similar issues but have been unable to find a solution... I've restarted my computer, uninstalled illustrator, and checked to make sure I was using "standard canvas size" and still no DXF export option.

My canvas is 140mmx140mm and also a 55mmx55mm with a vector image and text on the canvas, both no longer have DXF options (I've also tried recreating the canvas and removing features to see - nothing works).

Please help!

Thank you 🙂

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Jordyn,

You can join this discussion here,

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/why-can-i-not-export-to-autocad-version-r13-lt95-anymore/td-p/11854225

C

CanerTelli

Participant

Hello,

export to DWG or DXF disappeared.

Reseting the preferences didnt help at all. Reinstalling Illustrator didnt help as well.

I hope somebody can help me.

Best regards,

Caner

Srishti Bali

Community Manager

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about this trouble. I tried but couldn't replicate this behavior at my end. I would request if you could share a few more details like:

OS and version of Illustrator
Is the issue related to a specific document? If yes, could you please share the document with us? You can upload it to the Creative Cloud (https://helpx.adobe.com/in/creative-cloud/help/share.html) and share the download link.
When did this start happening? Are there any recent changes made to your system? For example, any antivirus, system updates or web extensions installed recently.

You may also try resetting Illustrator Preferences ( https://helpx.adobe.com/in/illustrator/using/setting-preferences.html ) and let us know if that resolves the issue.

Please note that resetting preferences will remove all the custom settings and Illustrator will launch with default settings. You can also take a backup of the folders in case you want to. Location is mentioned in the article.

We're here to help, just need more info.

Regards,

Srishti

C

CanerTelli

Participant

Thank you very much for your answer.

It's a very recent problem, which just appeared a few days ago. 1-2 weeks ago, I was still using the option.
It's not related to any document, I do not have the option at all.
Neither reseting Illustrator, nor reinstalling the programm helped.
The version of Illustrator I am using is 25.3
My computer is a MacBook Pro, Apple M1 Chip, 16GB RAM with macOS Big Sur - version 11.4 installed.
I didnt install any system updates, but it's possible that there was an Illustrator update, since it's updating automatically. I didn't notice it. But I deleted Illustrator and installed the newest version again...

Thanks for the support.

I hope you can help me with this issue.

Best,

Caner

K

KlausGlahn

Participant

Liebe Community,

ich kann seit dem Update auf 25.3 keine .dxf-files mehr öffnen oder platzieren. Woran kann es liegen - wer hat bitte Lösungsansätze?

Beste Grüße aus Essen

Srishti Bali

Community Manager

Hi there,

Sorry about this trouble. Is this a M1 machine? If yes, our team is already aware of this issue. For more details, please refer to this similar discussion ( https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/illustrator-25-3-unable-to-open-autocad-dwg-dxf-files/td-p/12102645 ).

Else, share a few more details about your device.

Regards,

Srishti

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