Extract text from DRAFT files
To convert your DRAFT file to another format, you need Income Tax Offline Utility or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Tax Return Form" file type, you need software like Income Tax Offline Utility or a similar tool.
The .draft filename extension typically serves two distinct, incompatible purposes.
Most commonly, this is a temporary data file created by the Income Tax Department's offline utility. It contains partially filled tax return data saved in XML or JSON structure.
Common Problem: Users often try to double-click these files to view their tax return as a document. Because the file only contains raw data fields (not the visual form), standard PDF viewers and text editors cannot display it correctly.
The Solution: To convert this data into a printable PDF or viewable document, you must Import the file back into the specific Income Tax Offline Utility (Java-based) used to create it, then navigate to the "Preview & Submit" tab to generate a final PDF.
A .draft file is also the native vector drawing format for Cadlogic Draft It, a 2D CAD application.
Common Problem: This is a proprietary format that cannot be opened in AutoCAD or Adobe Illustrator directly.
The Solution: Users needing to share these drawings should open them in the free version of Draft It and export them to PDF (for viewing), BMP/JPG (for web), or DXF/DWG (for CAD interoperability).
Convert.Guru analyzes your DRAFT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DFT, PDF, BIN, DOCX and JPG files.
If you want to convert DRAFT file to PDF, DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, STEP, IGES, SAT or X_T, you can use Income Tax Offline Utility or similar software from the "Tax Return Draft Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SLDASM, DGN, PRT, IAM, X_B, CATPRODUCT, SLDPRT, RVT, ASM, DWG, CATPART or DXF files to DRAFT, try Income Tax Offline Utility or another comparable tool in the "Tax Return Draft Data" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our DRAFT converter.