GDS Converter
Convert a GDSII (.gds/.gdsii) mask file to OASIS, DXF, CIF, SVG, PNG or EPS — free, online, entirely inside your browser. There's nothing to install and nothing to sign up for, and the file you drop in is never uploaded: the same parser and writer code that back Glyph's own File → Open / File → Save run locally, in this tab.
Where a GDS file can go
| Target | What you get |
|---|---|
| OASIS | The full hierarchy — the same cells, references, polygons and text in a smaller file. One geometry nuance: OASIS has no round path-cap concept, so a round-capped GDS path is written with a square extension (details on the OASIS page). |
| DXF | A DXF R2000 drawing for CAD/mechanical tools — arcs are already flattened in GDS, so nothing new is lost there, but layer colour is quantized and a path's end-cap style doesn't survive. |
| CIF | Widened paths become stroked polygons, magnified references flatten, and text becomes a plain label — geometry stays correct. |
| SVG | A self-contained vector image: every SREF/AREF is expanded (flattened), and only colour — not the original layer number — round-trips back in. |
| PNG | A raster snapshot at a pixel width you choose. No way back to editable geometry from a PNG. |
| EPS | A PostScript figure for publication, with alpha flattened onto the page background (EPS has no alpha channel). |
How to convert a GDS file
- Drop your
.gdsor.gdsiifile onto the converter above, or click it to browse. - Pick the target format — OASIS, DXF, CIF, SVG, PNG or EPS.
- Download the result. Nothing is uploaded to a server first.
Honest limits
- Damaged GDS is reported, not silently dropped — see the FAQ above for exactly what gets flagged.
- There's a file-size ceiling (~50 MB warn, ~200 MB refuse) so a huge design can't stall your browser tab. Open large designs in the full Glyph editor instead.
- Construction shapes, bitmaps and persistent dimensions never export, to any target — there's no primitive for them in a fabrication mask.
- Text stays a text element everywhere — an imported font's outlines are never embedded in the output; the reader on the other end substitutes its own font unless you flatten text to polygons first.
For the full pairwise matrix across all six formats Glyph handles, see the Glyph File Converter hub. For what each destination format is built for and why it isn't a drop-in replacement for GDSII, see GDSII vs OASIS and DXF vs GDSII.
Frequently asked questions
Is this GDS converter really free, with no signup?
Yes. There's no account, no email, no payment, and no usage limit beyond the file-size ceiling above. It's the same free converter as every other page on this site.
Does converting my GDS file upload it anywhere?
No. The converter runs entirely in your browser, using the same parse and export code as the Glyph editor. There is no server anywhere in this path — your file is read, converted, and written back to your own disk without ever being sent over a network.
What formats can I convert a GDS file to?
OASIS, DXF, CIF, SVG, PNG and EPS. OASIS keeps the full hierarchy and is lossless for that model; the others each drop something specific (a path's end-cap style for DXF, all raster fidelity for PNG) — see the table above for the honest per-target answer.
What's the largest GDS file this converter accepts?
It warns above roughly 50 MB and refuses above roughly 200 MB, checked before it reads a single byte, to keep your browser tab from running out of memory. For a very large design, open it in the full Glyph editor instead, where the same parser runs off the main thread.
What happens if my GDS file is damaged?
It's reported, not silently converted as if it were whole. A missing ENDLIB, a corrupt record (with its byte offset), unconsumed trailing bytes, or dropped NODE elements all surface as warnings next to your download.
Need to look inside the file first?
A converter is one-shot: drop in, pick a format, download. If you need to inspect layers, check hierarchy, run a design-rule check, or fix damaged geometry before converting, open the file in the free Glyph editor instead — it reads and writes all the same formats, with the full canvas and layer tooling behind it. Comparing Glyph to your current desktop tool? See KLayout alternative and CleWin alternative.
Glyph is made by NANYTE. For where a finished layout goes next, read NANYTE's maskless lithography overview.