Extract text from AutoCAD drawing lock files (DWL2)
To convert DWL2 lock files to another format, you need AutoCAD or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "AutoCAD Lock File" file type, you need software like AutoCAD or a similar tool.
The .DWL2 file is a temporary drawing lock file created by AutoCAD. When a user opens a DWG file, AutoCAD automatically generates both a DWL and a .DWL2 file in the same directory. The .DWL2 file stores internal metadata using an XML structure, recording the username, computer name, and the exact time the drawing was opened. This mechanism prevents multiple users on a network from modifying the same drawing concurrently.
Users typically encounter .DWL2 files when AutoCAD crashes or a network connection drops, leaving these temporary files orphaned in the project folder. The primary disadvantage of this format is the confusion it causes; users frequently mistake it for a recoverable backup or an actual drawing file. Because it is strictly a system lock file, it contains zero 2D or 3D CAD geometry. You cannot convert a .DWL2 file to a PDF, DXF, or DWG.
Standard online converters fail to process this format because they incorrectly assume it contains vector data. Because this is a proprietary, closed system file, traditional conversion is useless. However, since the underlying format is XML, you can safely convert it to basic text formats like TXT to read the locking data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DWL2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DWL, DWG, DW2, BAK, PDF, GEDCOM, DOCX, SV$, RAR, TSX, CRDOWNLOAD, PRNX and ZIP files.
If you want to convert DWL2 file to DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, STEP, IGES, SAT, X_T or X_B, you can use AutoCAD or similar software from the "Drawing Lock File" 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 DWL2, try AutoCAD or another comparable tool in the "Drawing Lock File" 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 DWL2 converter.