Extract text from DSN files
To convert your DSN file to another format, you need Cadence OrCAD or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "PCB Design File" file type, you need software like Cadence OrCAD or a similar tool.
The .DSN file extension is a source of significant confusion because it serves three distinct, incompatible purposes in professional environments. Most commonly (approx. 70%), it is an electronic design file generated by PCB automation tools like Cadence OrCAD or Proteus Design Suite. These files contain complex circuit schematics, netlists, and component properties saved in proprietary binary formats (often the Microsoft Compound File format). The main challenge with these CAD files is proprietary lock-in; opening a .DSN file created in OrCAD Capture requires an expensive license, and it is generally incompatible with other EDA tools like Altium Designer or KiCad without conversion. Users frequently need to convert these schematics to PDF or PNG for sharing with stakeholders who lack engineering software, or to DXF and Gerber formats for mechanical integration and manufacturing.
A secondary but critical use of the .DSN extension is as a Data Source Name file for ODBC drivers (used by Microsoft Excel, QuickBooks, and database administrators). These are simple plain text configuration files that store connection details to external databases. Finally, in France, .DSN refers to the Déclaration Sociale Nominative, a standard XML-based payroll reporting format. For these text-based variants, users typically look to convert them to TXT, CSV, or XLSX to view the raw data in a human-readable spreadsheet format.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DSN file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DNS, DBK, QBW, DSNLCK, OPJ, PDF, DZN, AUTOSAVE, BRD, DXF, ZIP, ND and RAR files.
If you want to convert DSN file to PDF, DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, STEP, IGES, SAT or X_T, you can use Cadence OrCAD or similar software from the "Electronic Schematic Design" 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 DSN, try Cadence OrCAD or another comparable tool in the "Electronic Schematic Design" 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 DSN converter.