Convert DGN files to Shapefile, online and free. GISConverter reads your DGN data locally in the browser and writes a Shapefile file so you can load it into desktop GIS such as ArcGIS or QGIS, nothing is uploaded, and your data never leaves your computer.
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Every format stores different things, so a conversion is never perfectly loss-free. Here is exactly what carries over when you convert DGN to Shapefile, and what to watch for.
| What | DGN → Shapefile | |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Changes | Points, lines and polygons are all carried over, but a Shapefile holds a single geometry type per file. A layer that mixes types is written one type at a time. |
| Attributes | Changes | DGN is a CAD format with no attribute table, so the output carries geometry with only the fields the drawing exposes (typically a layer name). |
| Styling & labels | Changes | CAD layer/level organisation is mapped where it can be, but CAD line styles do not translate to GIS symbology. |
| Coordinate system | Changes | DGN has no CRS. You can assign one before converting; otherwise the numbers are passed through and tagged WGS84. |
| Elevation (Z) | Kept | 3D Z values carry from DGN into Shapefile wherever the source records them. |
| File structure | Changes | A working Shapefile is several files, so you download one .zip holding .shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and .cpg. Keep them together. |
DGN is a CAD/engineering format, so it isn't always the format the next tool expects. Converting it to Shapefile lets you load it into desktop GIS such as ArcGIS or QGIS without redrawing or re-collecting anything.
DGN drawings usually sit in a local or engineering coordinate system rather than latitude/longitude, and the file rarely records which one. If the drawing is georeferenced, set its CRS before converting; otherwise the geometry keeps its drawing coordinates.
On output, the coordinate system is written into the Shapefile .prj file. By default the data is reprojected to WGS84, or you can choose another EPSG code if your workflow needs one. A quick CRS check before you download saves the classic "my DGN data is in the wrong place" surprise; the guide on coordinate systems and EPSG codes goes deeper.
DGN files typically come out of Bentley MicroStation, AutoCAD, QGIS. Once you convert to Shapefile, the file opens in ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, MapInfo and GeoServer, the whole desktop-GIS world. The Shapefile output follows the standard specification exactly, so those programs read it without any special import settings.
DGN (.dgn): DGN is Bentley MicroStation's CAD format, used heavily in civil engineering, transportation and infrastructure projects. Like DXF it is organised around drawing levels and elements rather than GIS feature tables, and can hold very precise engineering geometry.
Shapefile (.shp): The Shapefile is the long-standing Esri vector format and remains the lingua franca of desktop GIS. A single “shapefile” is really a set of files that must travel together, at minimum .shp (geometry), .dbf (attributes) and .shx (index), usually with a .prj that records the coordinate system.
The Shapefile is the long-standing Esri vector format and remains the lingua franca of desktop GIS.
DGN is Bentley MicroStation's CAD format, used heavily in civil engineering, transportation and infrastructure projects.
A Shapefile file opens in ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, MapInfo and most desktop GIS. Because the output follows the standard specification, any tool that supports Shapefile will read it without special settings.
No conversion is perfectly loss-free because each format stores different things, but the only change to watch is that shapefile field names are shortened to 10 characters; your geometry, coordinates and values are all preserved.
