How to Convert AI to G-code Free, Step by Step

Why convert AI to G-code?

A G-code is motion commands a controller runs directly: move here, at this speed, with the tool on. No interpretation left. The machine does exactly what the file says.

Laser cutting and engraving.
CNC routing.
Sending straight to the controller.

The catch is the AI itself. Lettering traced from a bitmap comes back as outlined shapes, not live type. No tracer can recover a font that was never in the file. That is why the conversion matters as much as the file you start with.

Where most converters let you down

Plenty of tools will happily take your AI and give you something back. The trouble is what they give you: many lose the units, flip the drawing, or rebuild curves into thousands of tiny segments. You only find out later, when the file will not cut, print, import or open the way you expected.

What you actually want is the same geometry, carried across with its scale and the right way up. That is the standard this AI to G-code converter is built to.

How to convert AI to G-code in 3 steps

Open the AI to G-code converter and drop in your AI.
Check the result in the preview and adjust the settings if you need to.
Download the G-code.

Convert AI to G-code now

Why Veconvert is the better AI to G-code converter

No re-tracing. Your AI geometry is carried across, not redrawn from pixels.
Units stated. G-code output says what its numbers mean.
Transforms applied properly. Nested groups and scaled paths land where they should.
Checked before you cut. The output file is read back and drawn on screen.
Private. The conversion runs in your browser.

What happens to your file

An AI already holds shapes, so it is not traced at all. Its paths are read directly (curves, lines and the transforms applied to them) and written out as a G-code, so nothing is thrown away and re-approximated.

The conversion runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded: client work, statements and unreleased designs stay on your computer.

Getting the best G-code: mistakes to avoid

Save from Illustrator with PDF compatibility on (the default); that is what makes an AI file readable outside Illustrator.
Convert text to outlines in your AI before converting if your design software can; fonts are not available to a cutter.
Remove guides, hidden layers and anything you do not want cut.
Check the reported size against the size you expect before sending it to the machine.

What it costs

Yes, converting is free: the conversion and checking the result cost nothing, and the work runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. The side-by-side preview on the converter pages comes with a free account. Saving the finished file is paid: $3.49 for one file ($3.99 for a technical file such as DXF, G-code, STL or embroidery) with no account needed, or included in a plan from $6.99 a month.

You see the result before you spend anything, so you only pay for a file you are happy with.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert AI to G-code?

Drop your AI file on this page, check the preview, and press Download. The G-code is made in a few seconds, with no sign-up.

Is my AI file uploaded anywhere?

No. The ai to g-code conversion runs in your browser, on your own device. The file never leaves it.

What units does the G-code use?

Millimetres or inches, whichever you choose. The size you set is the size the machine cuts.

What is the best AI to G-code converter?

One that gives you the same geometry, carried across with its scale and the right way up, shows the result before you pay, and does not upload your file. That is what this page is built to do.