I recently started going through some old design archives and was reminded how dependent CDR files can be on CorelDRAW versions. Older CDR projects can become difficult to access when you no longer have the original software or compatible version.

I came across DRS Softech CDR Converter Tool while looking for a way to deal with older files. One useful feature is its support for CDR files created by major CorelDRAW versions, so you aren't necessarily tied to having the exact old version installed.

DRS Softech can open and preview CDR files without CorelDRAW and convert them into formats such as PDF, SVG, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, WEBP, and BMP. That seems like a practical way to preserve old artwork in formats that are easier to access later.

For larger archives, batch conversion could also save considerable time compared with processing every file separately.

There is a free version available for testing, although the source information notes that the free version may have conversion limitations or watermarks, while the full version provides watermark-free output.