AutoCAD Command Shortcuts That’ll Help You Design Faster

One of the simplest ways to design more efficiently is by using AutoCAD command shortcuts. With shortcuts, you can quickly open tools, make modifications, draw, and more. You don’t have to waste time skimming through the toolbar searching for your next move when the most-used commands are just a couple of keystrokes away.

How many commands are there in AutoCAD?

There are 150 AutoCAD command shortcuts. Jump to the bottom of this post to view 80 of the most-used AutoCAD basic commands.

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Where are the keyboard shortcuts for AutoCAD?

To locate AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts, follow the steps below:

1. From a new drawing, select the Manage tab.
2. Find the Customize User Interface (CUI) editor.
3. Select the Customization tab.
4. In the Customization Files box, select Keyboard Shortcuts.
5. In the Shortcuts box, click either the Copy to Clipboard or Print button to view the AutoCAD commands in a PDF.

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How to set up custom commands in AutoCAD

To set up AutoCAD custom commands, follow the steps below:

1. Select the Manage tab.
2. Find the Customize User Interface (CUI) editor.
3. Select the Customization tab.
4. In the Customization Files box, find Keyboard Shortcuts.
5. Expand Keyboard Shortcuts.
6. Expand Shortcut Keys.
7. In the Command List box, select the AutoCAD command you want to create a shortcut for.
8. Drag the command under Shortcut Keys in the Customization Files box.
9. Click the icon to the left of the command you just dragged over.
10. In the Properties box, click Access.
11. In the Shortcut Keys pop-up box, enter the shortcut of your choice.
12. Click OK.

How to change commands in AutoCAD

Changing AutoCAD commands is helpful when you want to use keystrokes that are currently assigned to another command. For example, the default AutoCAD keyboard shortcut for drawing a circle is “C”. But if you use the “Copy” command more often, you may want to change “C” to be a shortcut for “Copy” instead.

To change AutoCAD commands, follow the steps below:

1. Select the Express Tools tab.
2. Select Command Aliases.
3. Click the Add button to create a new shortcut.
4. In the New Command Alias pop-up box, enter an Alias or shortcut and select an AutoCAD command from the drop-down list.
5. Click OK.
6. To overwrite the current default shortcut, click Yes.
7. Click OK.

To remove an AutoCAD command, follow the steps above and select Remove rather than Add.

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List of AutoCAD commands