Finding and exporting your AutoCAD data

What it holds

CAD projects contain DWG drawings, DXF exchanges, sheet sets and referenced drawings or images. Complete project folders preserve dependencies that a collection of isolated drawing files may miss.

Where AutoCAD shows the size

1. Inventory file servers, shared drives, cloud drives and Autodesk Docs projects used for drawings.
2. Use folder properties to measure project folders, or total .dwg search results when only drawing bytes are needed.
3. In Autodesk Docs, review each project’s Files tool and nested folders. Download the permitted project content to measure it where no storage total is provided.
4. Sum the chosen scope in GB and record whether DXF, external references, sheet sets, PDFs and images are included.

Plan and admin role. Local/server collections require read access to every included folder. Autodesk Docs downloads require the appropriate folder permission; members with Manage control folder access.

Exporting the full history

1. Copy or ZIP complete server project folders, retaining their directory structure so external references can resolve.
2. In Autodesk Docs, use Files to download each project folder with an account allowed to download all included content.
3. Collect separately retained historical versions or backups if the archive must cover more than the current project state.

Prefer whole projects to standalone DWG files, which may reference other drawings or images.

Autodesk Docs limits allow files up to 5 TB and folder nesting up to 25 levels, with no explicit folder capacity ceiling.

A current folder download is not evidence that every historical drawing revision has been included.

You don't need to run an export to talk to us, and there's no need to clean it first — removing personal data is part of our work.