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Guide
How to open an .idraw file on a Mac
Short answer: an .idraw file is a drawing made in Graphic,
the Mac and iPad vector app that used to be called iDraw. Only Graphic itself opens it as
an editable drawing. If Graphic still runs on your Mac, open the file there. If it does not,
you can still look at a preview hidden inside the file, or convert the drawing to SVG so
any modern design app can open it.
What is an .idraw file?
It is the document format of the vector drawing app iDraw, which Autodesk bought in 2015 and renamed Autodesk Graphic. Picta Inc. took the app over in 2017 and sold it as Graphic. Its last Mac update came out in 2018.
Under the hood, most .idraw files are ZIP archives. Inside you will find:
data.xml: the drawing itself. Despite the name it is not XML but an Apple binary property list, so a text editor shows gibberish.Thumbnails/Preview.jpg: a flat preview image of the drawing.Images/: pictures that were placed in the drawing, in formats such as PNG, TIFF and JPEG.
No mainstream design app reads data.xml. Illustrator, Affinity, Inkscape,
Figma and Sketch cannot open an .idraw file directly, and neither can Preview.
Option 1: open it in Graphic, while that still works
If Graphic is installed and still starts, double-click the file. On an Apple silicon Mac, Graphic runs through Rosetta 2, Apple's translation layer for apps built for Intel Macs. Apple plans to cut Rosetta back to a small set of older games after macOS 27, so Graphic is expected to stop opening from macOS 28, due in autumn 2027. More about that deadline.
While Graphic still runs, use it to export your most important drawings to an open format such as SVG or PDF. See how to convert an .idraw file to SVG.
Option 2: look inside without any app
You can get at the preview image and the placed pictures with nothing but the Finder:
- Make a copy of the
.idrawfile, so the original stays untouched. - Rename the copy so it ends in
.zipinstead of.idraw, and confirm when the Finder asks. - Double-click the
.zipfile. macOS unpacks it into a folder. - Open
Thumbnails/Preview.jpgto see the drawing, and theImagesfolder for any pictures it contained.
This is a look, not a rescue. The preview is a small, flat JPEG. You cannot edit shapes or text in it, and it does not scale. If unpacking fails, the file may be empty or damaged.
Option 3: convert it to SVG
SVG is an open vector format that Affinity, Illustrator, Figma and every web browser can open. Converted to SVG, a drawing keeps its layers, paths and editable text, so you can carry on working where Graphic left off.
Graphic iDraw Rescue Pro converts .idraw files to SVG on your Mac, a single
file or a whole folder at once, without Graphic installed. It reads the originals only and
never changes them. The step-by-step guide is
how to convert an .idraw file to SVG.
Which option fits?
| Your situation | Best option |
|---|---|
| Graphic still runs and you need one or two drawings | Open and export them in Graphic |
| You only want to see what a drawing looks like | Look inside the file (option 2) |
| Graphic no longer runs, or you have many drawings | Convert them to SVG (option 3) |
| You want to keep editing the drawings | Convert them to SVG and open them in Affinity or Illustrator |
Questions
Can I open an .idraw file on Windows?
The ZIP trick from option 2 works on any computer, so you can see the preview image. There is no Windows app that opens the drawing itself. Converting to SVG needs a Mac; the SVG then opens anywhere.
Will opening or converting the file change it?
Looking at a copy, as in option 2, changes nothing. Graphic iDraw Rescue only reads your originals and writes everything it makes to a new folder.
Try it on your own drawings
The free demo reads your .idraw files, lists missing fonts and saves a PNG
preview of every drawing, so you can see how your own work converts before you buy.
Graphic iDraw Rescue Pro writes the editable SVG files.
