How to view a .AI file online
From an unreadable file to a sharp preview in seconds.
Open your .AI
Drag a .AI file onto the box, or choose it from your device.
View the artwork
Your .AI file is rendered to a sharp preview, whatever it was created with.
Zoom, inspect, export
Choose the resolution, zoom into details, check the bounding box and creator, then save as PNG or PDF.
What is a .AI file?
An AI file is an Adobe Illustrator Artwork document - a vector graphics file made by Adobe Illustrator. Most modern AI files are PDF-compatible, so you can open them in Adobe Acrobat Reader, a browser, or macOS Preview without Illustrator. To edit for free, use Inkscape or Photopea.
Programs that open .AI files
| Full name | Adobe Illustrator Artwork |
|---|---|
| Developer | Adobe Inc. |
| First released | 1987 (Adobe Illustrator 1.0); switched to a PDF-compatible container around Illustrator 9, 2000 |
| Category | Vector |
| MIME type | application/illustrator |
| Signature | 25 50 44 46 ("%PDF" - most modern .ai files (saved with "PDF Compatible File" on) are valid PDFs) |
Related viewers
Other free viewers that work the same way.
Can I open an .AI file without Illustrator?
Yes. Illustrator files saved with "Create PDF Compatible File" (the default since CS) contain a full PDF, which we render with pdf.js. Older PostScript-based AI files are rendered with Ghostscript. Layers and editable paths aren't shown; you get an accurate picture of the artwork.
Why does my EMF or WMF look slightly different?
Windows metafiles are drawn by our own renderer, which handles shapes, lines, fills, text and bitmaps, but not every rarely used GDI feature (clipping regions, raster operations, EMF+ effects). The file details list anything that was skipped.
Is my .AI file uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything runs as WebAssembly and JavaScript. The first EPS or PS file downloads its renderer (about 16 MB) once; after that it's cached.
Can I convert EPS to PNG or PDF?
Yes. Pick a resolution (up to 600 dpi) and press PNG, or press PDF to get a vector PDF made by Ghostscript.
Does it play Flash (.SWF) files?
Yes, with Ruffle, an open-source Flash emulator. Most animations and many games work; complex ActionScript 3 content may not.
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