Can I save my drawing for someone who has a version from 10 years ago in AutoCAD?

ByCADbrief Staff

Short Answer

Yes — in AutoCAD, the standard professional way is to use SAVEAS and choose an older dwg file format that matches the recipient’s version. This is the fastest and most common method for backward compatibility when sharing an AutoCAD drawing. Some newer objects may not translate perfectly to very old formats.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: Saving to a dwg version from 10 years ago can convert or proxy newer AutoCAD objects, dynamic features, or annotation behavior. If the drawing contains custom objects from vertical products or newer annotative content, the recipient may see missing objects or altered display.

How to Save a Drawing for an Older AutoCAD Version

  • Command: SAVEAS

  • Shortcut: [SAVEAS]

  • Quick Steps:

    1. In the Application menu, click Save As > Drawing.
    2. In the Save Drawing As dialog, open the Files of type dropdown and select the older DWG format needed, such as *AutoCAD 2013 Drawing (.dwg)**.
    3. Choose the file name and location, then click Save.

Variables & Settings

  • System Variable: DWGCODEPAGE (Default: varies)

  • Expert Setting: This affects character encoding when saving drawings, which can matter when older AutoCAD versions open text with special or non-English characters. If text displays incorrectly on the receiving side, check font support and code page compatibility.

Why it Fails

  • Cause 1 (Geometry): Newer object types, annotative objects, or custom entities may be converted to proxy graphics or simplified objects when saved to an older DWG version.

  • Cause 2 (layers/Locks): Xrefs on locked, missing, or unresolved paths may not display correctly on the recipient’s system, even if the main drawing opens.

  • Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Saving to an older format does not automatically remove unsupported features; AutoCAD may preserve them imperfectly, causing display or edit limitations in the older release.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

  • Quick Fix: Run EXPORTTOAUTOCAD before sending if the file contains proxy objects or vertical-product objects that may not survive standard backward saving cleanly.
  • Manager’s Verdict: Use SAVEAS first for normal DWG sharing, but use EXPORTTOAUTOCAD for consultant delivery, archived issue sets, or any file with Civil 3D, Architecture, or other custom objects.

FAQ

Can I set AutoCAD to always save to an older version?

Yes, you can change the default save format in Options > Open and Save.

Will saving to an older DWG remove all newer features?

No, some newer features are converted, degraded, or become proxy objects.

Is etransmit better than Save As for old-version sharing?

Only when you also need to package xrefs, fonts, and support files with the drawing.

.

Related Posts: