Glyph
Free · Browser-based · No install

The online GDSII editor that runs in your browser

Glyph is a free, zero-install GDS editor and viewer. Open, edit, and export GDSII mask layouts directly in your browser — no download, no account, and your files never leave your computer.

Launch Glyph → See what it does

Runs entirely on your machine. No upload, no backend.

Zero install

Open a link and start editing GDS. Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS — no setup, no admin rights, no waiting on a desktop installer.

Private by design

Parsing, editing, and writing all happen client-side. Your GDSII layout stays on your computer — there is no server to upload it to.

Real GDSII round-trip

A faithful, tested GDSII parser and writer. Open a real mask file, make your edits, and export a clean .gds that other tools read back correctly.

Familiar layout tools

Layers, snapping, boolean operations, hierarchy, and measurement — the everyday mask editing surface, in a fast canvas.

A complete GDS editor and viewer, online

Everything you need to view a GDSII file, make precise edits, and get a clean export — without installing layout software.

Glyph's Trace Bitmap dialog: an imported raster image on the canvas beside a live preview of the polygons extracted from it, with mode and threshold controls for converting the picture to GDS geometry.
From image to GDS in one dialog
The Glyph canvas showing AutoCAD-style drafting aids while drawing a polygon: object snap points, polar/angle snapping guides, and a precise coordinate readout.
AutoCAD-style precision drafting
Design-rule check results in Glyph: spacing and width violations flagged with markers on the layout and listed in a panel for stepping through each error before exposure.
Design-rule check before exposure

A web-based KLayout alternative

Need to open or tweak a GDS file but don't want to install desktop layout software? Glyph covers the common viewing and editing tasks — layers, booleans, hierarchy, and export — in a browser tab. It's the fastest way to look at a .gds file on a machine that doesn't have a layout editor, and a lightweight option for quick edits, reviews, and teaching.

Who uses Glyph

Mask & chip layout Integrated photonics MEMS Microfluidics Metrology test structures Maskless lithography Research & teaching

Convert CAD and mask files — free, in your browser

Need a format bridge rather than an editor? The Glyph File Converter reads GDSII, OASIS, DXF (ASCII and binary), DWG, CIF and SVG, and writes GDSII, OASIS, DXF, CIF, SVG, PNG and EPS — using the same parsers and writers as the editor itself. Conversion runs entirely in your browser tab, so the file is never uploaded, and every conversion page states exactly what survives and what changes.

Common conversions: DXF to GDSII, GDSII to DXF, DWG to GDSII, GDSII to SVG, OASIS to GDSII.

Convert a file →

Learn Glyph in three steps

No account, no install — you can go from a blank tab to a saved .gds file in a few minutes. Here's the whole loop, and where to go deeper.

1

Open or start a design

Launch Glyph and drag in an existing .gds — or just start on a blank document. Nothing uploads; parsing and editing happen entirely on your machine.

The Glyph editor on launch: a Welcome panel offering a blank canvas, a die-frame starter, Open, Open example design, and a Try-the-5-minute-tutorial button, over an empty grid canvas.
2

Draw & edit on layers

Draw boxes, polygons, and text on numbered GDS layers; resize precisely in the Properties panel. Add a layer, pick a colour, and everything you draw next lands there.

The Glyph editor with the example design open — a hatched alignment cross, a GLYPH EXAMPLE text label, and an array of cells drawn across three coloured GDS layers (Waveguide, Cladding, Labels) shown in the Layers panel, with a dimension line and scale bar.
3

Save as .gds

Ctrl+S writes a real, standard GDSII file straight back to disk — no export dialog to hunt for, and it re-opens cleanly in Glyph or any other layout tool.

The Glyph File menu open over the example design, showing New, New from template, Open, Open example design, Save (Ctrl+S), Save as (.gds / .svg / .png), and Export commands.

Read the full manual → Try the guided tutorial →

The manual covers every tool and shortcut, including a task-by-task "Quickstart — your first mask" chapter. The tutorial link opens the editor with the in-app walkthrough armed.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about using Glyph as an online GDS editor.

Is Glyph free to use?

Yes — Glyph is completely free and runs entirely in your browser. There is no account, no paywall, and nothing to install.

Do I need to install anything to edit a GDS file?

No. Glyph is a zero-install web app. Open the page and start editing — it works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS in any modern browser.

Are my GDS files uploaded to a server?

No. Glyph parses, edits, and writes GDSII entirely on your own computer. Your layout never leaves your machine — there is no backend.

Can I open a GDS file without installing anything?

Yes. Glyph runs entirely in your browser — there's nothing to download or install. Open the page, drag in a .gds file, and start editing immediately.

Is my design uploaded anywhere?

No. Glyph parses, edits, and writes your layout entirely in your browser, with no server-side processing. The one exception is the optional BEAM link: only if you connect it yourself, it sends your design to a lithography tool on the same computer — never over the internet.

Is Glyph a KLayout alternative?

For everyday viewing and editing, yes. Glyph lets you open, inspect, and edit GDSII — layers, boolean operations, hierarchy, and export — without installing desktop software. For heavy DRC and full PDK flows, a dedicated desktop tool is still the right choice.

What file formats does Glyph support?

Glyph reads and writes GDSII (.gds), imports ASCII DXF and SVG as editable vector geometry plus raster images for tracing, and exports to GDSII, SVG, and PNG.

Which browsers does it work in?

Any modern desktop browser with WebGL/WebGPU — Chrome, Edge, or Firefox are recommended for the smoothest canvas performance on large files.

What are layers and datatypes in a GDS file?

A GDS layer is just a number that a mask shop maps to a physical process step (metal, oxide, resist, …); the optional datatype is a second number for variants sharing that layer, like a drawn shape versus a pin label. Glyph lets you name and colour each layer/datatype pair for your own sanity — the numbers are what actually ship in the file. See §5 Layers in the manual.

What's the difference between a cell and an instance (SREF/AREF)?

A cell is a reusable piece of geometry; an SREF or AREF is a placed reference to that cell, not a copy. Edit the cell once and every instance updates together — the single most useful idea in GDS layout, and the top point of confusion for newcomers coming from flat drawing tools. See §6–7 Cells and hierarchy in the manual.

What units does Glyph use — nanometres, microns, or mm?

Everything is stored in nanometres internally (GDSII's native precision), but you can type and read coordinates in nm, µm, or mm — Glyph converts for you. Pick your preferred display unit under Edit → Settings. See the manual's Quickstart chapter for the short version.

Will text and circles actually print, or are they just previews?

They print. Text and circles are flattened to ordinary polygons on export — there's no font reference or curve primitive that another tool might render differently or drop entirely. What you see in Glyph is what a mask shop receives. See the manual's Quickstart chapter and §12 Fonts.

Open your first GDS file in seconds

No install, no sign-up. Just open the editor and drag in a .gds.

Launch Glyph →