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STL viewer online: open STL files for free

Check a print before it goes into the slicer: drop the STL file here, read its dimensions and look at it from every side. If you have a VR headset, hold the part in your hand next.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • No third-party ads
  • Your file stays on your device
  • VR with a headset, AR with a phone

Drop a file here

IFC · STEP · STP · IGES · BREP · STL · glTF · GLB · OBJ · FBX · PLY · 3MF · DAE · ZIP

Enter a code from your computer

The viewer on your computer shows the code under "View in a VR headset".

Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.

WebXR

Even better: your model in VR and AR

On a screen you look at a model. In a VR headset you stand in front of it or inside it: as a table-top model you can pick up, at full scale to walk through, or with passthrough right in your room. No app needed, just the browser on your headset. And with a phone you place the model in AR on your table.

  1. Open your model here on the computer and click View in VR or AR. You get a six-digit code and a QR code.
  2. In the browser of your VR headset, go to the address shown, for example viewer.atlasvr.ch/482913, or scan the QR code with your phone. The model comes straight from your computer, encrypted, with no upload.
  3. Tap View in VR, or View in AR for passthrough and on a phone.

It also works without a computer: open viewer.atlasvr.ch on the headset itself and load the file from its downloads folder or a cloud drive.

WebXR, the open web standard for VR and AR, is built into the Meta Quest Browser (Quest 3 and 3S), the PICO Browser, Chrome on Android XR (for example Samsung Galaxy XR and AR glasses such as XREAL Aura) and Chrome on Android phones for AR. On iPhone and iPad the viewer opens the model in AR Quick Look, Apple's AR view. Safari on Apple Vision Pro supports VR mode.

Controls in the headset

Grip button or trigger
Pick up, move and turn the model
Both hands
Pull the table-top model bigger or smaller
A or X button
Switch between table-top model and full scale
B button
Reset the view
Menu button ≡ or Y button
Show and hide the guide, with "Exit VR" on it
Joystick
At full scale push forward, aim and let go to teleport; push sideways to turn 30 degrees
Hand tracking
Pinch thumb and index finger to grab

Scan with your phone to see the sample model in AR

Open the sample model

How it works

  1. 1

    Open the STL file

    Drop the STL file into the box. Binary and ASCII STL are detected, including colours.

  2. 2

    Check unit and orientation

    STL stores no unit. The viewer assumes millimetres and points the Z axis up, as 3D printing does. You can change both.

  3. 3

    View it in VR

    Send the part to your VR headset with "View in VR or AR" and pick it up there with the grip button.

What is in an STL file?

STL describes a surface as a mesh of triangles. It comes from stereolithography and is still the lowest common denominator of 3D printing.

Geometry only
No unit, no materials and usually no colours. Dimensions are normally in millimetres.
Binary or ASCII
Binary STL is smaller, ASCII STL is readable text. The viewer opens both.
Z up
Slicers and CAD programs point the Z axis up. If your part lies on its side, switch the orientation with one click.
Related formats
3MF also stores unit and colours, OBJ can bring materials. The viewer opens both as well.

Your file stays with you

The viewer reads your file right in the browser, with WebAssembly on your device. There is no upload, no server that sees your model and no account. If you send the model to your VR headset or phone, it goes encrypted straight from device to device; our server only brokers the connection and forgets the code after 10 minutes at most. The file for AR on an iPhone is made in your browser, too. Close the tab and the model is gone. We count visits with Vercel Web Analytics, without cookies; file names and contents are never sent.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open an STL file without a program?

Drop the file on this page. You need no slicer and no CAD software, and nothing gets installed. It works on Windows, on a Mac, on a phone and in the browser of a VR headset.

What unit does my STL file use?

STL stores no unit. Almost every printed part is modelled in millimetres, so the viewer assumes millimetres. If the dimensions look wrong, switch the unit to centimetres, metres or inches.

Why is my model lying on its side?

Because the file treats Z as up while the viewer expects Y. The viewer sets STL to Z up by default. Use the Orientation button to turn the model.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The viewer reads the file in your browser, and we store nothing. If you send the model to your VR headset or phone, it goes encrypted straight from your computer to the device, not through our server. So it is safe for confidential drawings and models.

Can I view an STL model in a VR headset?

Yes. Click "View in VR or AR" in the viewer and enter the address shown in the browser of your VR headset, or open the file there directly. Then tap "View in VR" and you see the part as a table-top model or at full scale.

How large can my model be?

It depends on your device memory; there is no fixed limit. A laptop opens files of several hundred MB. In a VR headset, models up to about 1 million triangles run smoothly as a rule of thumb; above that, the viewer tells you before it starts.

From AtlasVR

Want more than a model viewer?

AtlasVR builds VR training for industry and vocational education: from high-voltage training for automotive technicians to construction trades and a crane simulator in use at AZW. Together with partners such as AGVS, suissetec and Campus Sursee. AtlasVR is an ETH Zurich spin-off based in Flüelen, Switzerland.

Want to show your own models on many VR headsets at once, in class, in a training centre or at a trade fair? Talk to us.

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More viewers

Every viewer opens every format. Each page explains its format.