If you are looking for a free and completely legal way to download AutoCAD for Mac, you have come to the right place.
Get this software for other operating systems:
In the next few lines, we will tell you how to get this popular program on your Apple device for free, as well as how to download and install previous versions.
Let’s start!
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AutoCAD for Mac M1 Free download
At the time of writing, the latest version of this design software is AutoCAD 2022.
And if we read its minimum requirements for Mac on its official page, we will see that in the CPU section it states that it must be a 64-bit Intel processor.
In fact, they recommend that it be an i7 or higher, so in theory there is no version of this software for Apple chips.
Does this mean you can’t use it on an M1 processor? As you will see below, it does not have to.
1. You can install AutoCAD on a Mac with M1
But isn’t it a prerequisite that the chip is from Intel? That’s right, but you can get around this restriction by installing Rosetta 2 on your Mac.
In fact, the software page itself states that AutoCAD 2022 for Mac is compatible with M-series chips thanks to this tool.
And what is Rosetta 2? It is an application developed by Apple to allow applications designed for Intel-based Macs to run on the new processors.
The other good news about this option is that it is very easy to install, as it comes pre-installed (but disabled) on all Apple M1 devices.
In fact, all you have to do is download the version for Apple computers with Intel processors and install it like any other application.
All you have to do is follow these steps.
Once this is done, the first time you open the application, a screen will appear telling you that you need to install Rosetta in order to open the application.
Press the ‘Install’ button and when it’s done you’ll be able to use it as if you had an Intel chip (don’t expect the same performance and stability though).
You can read more about this on the official Apple site.
2. Use AutoCAD web app
Another alternative we recommend is to use the web version of AutoCAD.
In case you don’t know, if you have an AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT licence, you have access to a cloud version of the programme.
This means that you can work with it without having to install it on your MacBook M1 and are therefore not affected by the minimum requirements.
You can also access it from any other device with an internet connection.
On the downside, you have to buy a paid licence to access the cloud version.
3. Choose an alternative to AutoCAD
Due to the short time they have been on the market, the vast majority of CAD programs have not yet been upgraded to use Apple’s M1 chips.
Fortunately, some have, and the most interesting of these are:
- SketchUp.
- SmartDraw.
- Sharp3D.
- Onshape.
All are compatible with Apple’s silicon chips or offer a cloud version.
4. Wait for a compatible version to be released
The last option is to wait for Autodesk to develop a version compatible with the M1 chips.
Although there has been no official announcement from the company, it would be odd if it did not release a version designed to work with Apple’s new processors.
Of course, this is only an alternative if you can wait.
AutoCAD 2022 for Mac Free (Intel Chips)
Does your computer support this program natively? Great, then to get started you need to download the installation file in a 100% legal and free way.
Free and legal? Is that possible? Of course, thanks to the free trial offered by its developers on their website.
This allows you to enjoy all the benefits of this well-known software for 30 days.
As the process is almost identical to that of downloading AutoCAD for Windows, we will not go into too much detail:
- Click here to go to the official AutoCAD page.
- Click on the ‘Download Free Trial’ button.
- Select ‘AutoCAD for Mac’ and click ‘Next’.
- Click the ‘Next’ button.
- Select your language and click ‘Next’.
- Log in to AutoDesk or create a new account.
- Fill in the form with your details.
- Click the ‘Start Download’ button.
Now all you have to do is wait for the installation file to download and when it does, you can proceed to the next step.
How to install AutoCAD for free on Mac
Once you have the .dmg file on your Mac, all you need to do is install it like any other application.
To do this, locate the installation file (which will have a name such as Autodesk_AutoCAD_XXX_macOS.dmg’) and double-click on it.
This will launch the installation wizard, which, as you will see, is the same as for any other application on the Mac.
All you have to do is double-click on the icon with the box and the wizard will guide you through the next steps.
Once again, all you have to do is wait for the installation to finish.
When the process is complete, you will have the software installer on your Mac and you can start working with it.
As you can see, the process of installing this tool on the Mac is identical to that of any other programme, so you should have no problems.
AutoCAD for Mac minimum requirements
As with the Windows version, before downloading the installation file, make sure that your computer meets the minimum requirements.
In the case of Apple computers, these are:
- Operating System: Big Sur (with the 2021.1 update), Catalina 10.15, Mojave 10.14 or High Sierra 10.13.
- Model: Mac Pro 4.1, MacBook Pro 5.1, iMac 8.1, Mac mini 3.1, MacBook Air, MacBook 5.1.
- CPU: Intel 64-bit (i7 recommended).
- RAM memory: 4Gb (8Gb or more recommended).
- Disk space: 3Gb.
These are the minimum requirements to download and install AutoCAD 2021 on a Mac. If you want more details, you can find them on the official page.
How to install older versions of AutoCAD on a Mac
Whether it’s because your computer doesn’t support the latest version of the program or for some other reason, you may need to download an older version of AutoCAD.
Is this your case? Well, we have some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that you can download AutoCAD 2016 (or whatever year you want) on your Mac. The bad news is that it’s not free.
For a start, the free trial only allows you to download the latest version.
And if you want to use an older version, you’ll have to buy AutoCAD for Mac with one of their subscriptions. This will allow you to download and install up to 3 previous versions.
You can expand this information in this section of its official page.