Graphic designers commonly work with vector images. The files are small, yet the images themselves are infinitely resizable. They're perfect for drawings, and especially for things like logos and icons.

The AI file is the most common type of vector image. It's a proprietary Adobe Illustrator format, so it can be tricky to open AI files if you don't have Illustrator. The best way to do it depends on what you want to do with it. Put simply, it's easy to open an AI file just to view it, but it's less straightforward if you want to edit it. In this article, we'll take a look at both scenarios.

How to Open AI Files Without Illustrator

If you need to open an AI file to view but not edit, there are lots of programs that can do it. The default save settings for AI files in Illustrator mean that the files are saved with PDF content embedded. This means you can view them in most apps that support PDF viewing.

  • In Windows, you need to change the AI file extension to PDF. Highlight the file and hit F2 on your keyboard. Add PDF to the end of the filename and confirm the change when prompted. Now, double-click the file and it will open in your default PDF viewer.
  • On a Mac, you can view AI files in Preview without any changes.
  • You can also upload AI files to Google Drive and view them there.

If you want to add the file to a larger collection of artwork and have a way to browse through it easily, try Adobe Bridge. This is one of the best free Adobe apps and lets you open and view Illustrator files.

In all these instances, you'll be looking at a flat, uneditable image.

Open AI Files in Photoshop or GIMP

Should you need to incorporate an AI image into a larger piece of artwork without editing it directly, you can do so using Photoshop or its free equivalent, GIMP.

When you open the image in these apps, it is imported as a PDF. You'll see an Import dialog box, and you can normally accept the default suggestions.

import ai file to photoshop

The main thing to remember is to import the image at a large size. You'll lose the benefits of vector graphics when importing, so it's better to import a large image and shrink it down than it is to import a small image and enlarge it.

When you're done, you can copy and paste the image onto a separate layer in another piece of artwork or add additional layers to this file. You'll have to save it in a different format afterward, as you cannot save files in the AI format outside of Illustrator.

If none of the above options work, try changing the file extension to EPS (another vector image format) to see if that helps. If not, you'll need to convert the image to a different format. We'll look at that next.

How to Edit AI Files Without Illustrator

When you download an Illustrator template or get sent an AI file that you need to edit, things get trickier. There aren't many mainstream apps that can edit AI files natively; you normally have to convert it to a different format first.

Convert AI to SVG or EPS Online for Free

If you are going to convert the file yourself, you should convert it to SVG. This is an open format with wide support, although it's designed primarily for web use. If you're working in print, try EPS instead.

convert ai to svg online

To convert your image:

  1. Go to cloudconvert.com.
  2. Click Select File and choose the file from your hard drive. You can also get them from Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft OneDrive.
  3. Next, click Convert to and choose either SVG, EPS, or WMF listed under Vector.
  4. If you've got text in your image, click the wrench icon and set Text To Path to Yes. This will make your fonts look more accurate, although the text will no longer be directly editable.
  5. Select Convert and wait.
  6. When it's done, click Download to save your newly converted file.

CloudConvert is free to use for up to 25 image conversions a day. You can pay for a bigger allowance if you need it.

Problems With Editing Converted AI Files

Whenever you try to edit AI files without Illustrator, there are a few potential problems you need to be aware of.

  • Conversions are not always 100% accurate. This is especially true when the original file used features or effects that are unique to Illustrator.
  • You'll often lose layer information. This can make complex files difficult to navigate since all the elements will no longer be labeled (although each one will still be on its own layer).
  • You often cannot save or export your edited file in the AI format (and Illustrator can't read the proprietary format of your editing app either). Save in a format like SVG or EPS for widest compatibility.

Whether or not you need to convert your file first depends on what software you're using. Here are the best apps for editing AI files.

Inkscape

open ai files in inkscape

The most well-known free Illustrator alternative is the open-source Inkscape. It's available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

You can open AI files directly in Inkscape. It doesn't support drag-and-drop, so you need to go to File > Open and select the document from your hard drive. The file is imported as a PDF. Like Photoshop, you have to click through some Import settings first—you can accept the defaults here—but unlike Photoshop, the resulting image is fully editable.

All the parts of the image are grouped together. The easiest way to select a specific element is to hit F2 to activate the Edit nodes tool, hover over the image until the part you want is highlighted, then click to select it.

You can't save edited images in the AI format. SVG and EPS are supported as alternatives.

Download: Inkscape (Free)

Corel Vector

corel vector

Corel Vector is a great Illustrator alternative. It's a cloud-based app that runs directly in your browser so you can edit and open AI files online no matter whether you're using Windows, macOS, Linux, or Chrome OS.

To work with AI files, you need to convert them to the SVG format first, as outlined above. Once that's done, simply drag the file into the Corel Vector window to open it. As is often the case, all parts of the image are grouped into a single layer, but they can be edited individually.

The app has a very modern and user-friendly interface. Although there's plenty of power beneath the hood, it makes working with vector art very accessible. It's especially good for things like logos, icons, and symbols, and you can unlock more features via an annual subscription.

Download: Corel Vector (Free trial available, subscription required)

CorelDRAW Standard

coreldraw file compatibility

CorelDRAW Standard is a professional graphic design program for Windows. It's built for graphics enthusiasts and is quite pricey, although still works out cheaper than an Illustrator subscription in the long run, while offering full AI file support.

You need to import your Illustrator files by going to File > Import, then clicking through the Import settings (which you'll only see for the PDF-based files). The main option to consider here is whether to have the text rendered as text (which makes it editable but may lose some effects), or as curves. This will be a more accurate conversion, but the text won't be editable.

When you have finished editing the Illustrator file, you can export it back to the AI format. However, if you've used any features unique to CorelDRAW, these won't be supported in Illustrator.

Download: CorelDRAW Standard (Free trial available, $299)

Affinity Designer

open ai files in affinity designer

Affinity Designer is a commercial graphic design package available for Windows and Mac, as well as iPad. It's aimed at the same pro users as Illustrator, but is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription—it'll cost you less than four months of an equivalent Adobe sub.

The program can open AI files as long as they have been saved with PDF content (usually the default option in Illustrator). This means you lose the layer information, as usual, and cannot save the file in its original format. You can't save your work as an AI file either. If you want to be able to open your edited image in Illustrator again, you need to save it in PDF, SVG, or EPS format.

Affinity Designer is a powerful and popular piece of software with an impressive feature list. It could be a good option for anyone looking to transition away from Illustrator.

Download: Affinity Designer (Free trial available, $69.99)

Open an AI File Without Illustrator

Opening any proprietary file outside the app for which it was intended can produce mixed results. It's the same when you open a PSD file without Photoshop. But apart from a few limitations, support for AI files is generally pretty good. In fact, while Illustrator is still the industry standard, most casual users don't really need it.