Drawing Files (DWG, DWT, DXF, etc.) Have Missing or Incorrect Icon in Windows File Explorer

Issue

Your DWG files (or DWT or DXF files) are displaying as the incorrect file icons.

They may be showing up as plain white file icons, as pictured to the right.

They may also be displaying with another icon, such as that of an Adobe or Microsoft product, and they may be opening in that product.

Cause

Your drawing file types are not associated with AutoCAD as they should be.

Backup (BAK) files created by AutoCAD are by design not associated with any software and should show up with the plain white file icon pictured above.

Solution

Step 1: Reassociate your drawing files with CAD.

Follow our steps to set the latest CAD version as the default for opening drawing files.

You may need to repeat these steps on a second drawing file to force the association.

Are your drawing files still displaying as the incorrect icons after you've reassociated them with CAD? Move on to the next step.

Step 2: Reset the file association.

Follow our steps to reset your drawing file type.

If your drawing files are still displaying as the incorrect icons after you've reset their file associations, move on to the next step.

Step 3: Check for a corrupt Windows profile.

If you're still having the same issue with your drawing files, your Windows profile may be corrupt.

Follow the Microsoft steps to Create a user account.

Sign in to your new user account, and check whether you're still having the same issue with your drawing files. If they are displaying and behaving correctly, the issue was with your user profile and you can continue working using this new profile.

Still having the issue with your drawing files after creating a new Microsoft user account? Send us a technical support ticket detailing your issue. Make sure to let us know you've tried these steps already.

See the official Autodesk article on this issue for more information.