Work faster with AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can make your work go much faster. You can use the default keyboard shortcuts and create your own.

Here are the defaults that come with AutoCAD:

F1: Displays Help

F2: Toggles the Text Window

F3: Toggles OSNAP

F4: Toggles Tablet mode

F5: Toggles ISOPLANE

F6: Toggles Dynamic UCS

F7: Toggles GRID mode

F8: Toggles ORTHO mode

F9: Toggles SNAP mode

F10: Toggles Polar Tracking

F11: Toggles Object Snap Tracking

F12: Toggles Dynamic Input

CTRL+0: Toggles Clean Screen

CTRL+1: Toggles the Properties palette

CTRL+2: Toggles the DesignCenter palette

CTRL+3: Toggles the Tool Palettes Window

CTRL+4: Toggles the Sheet Set Manager

CTRL+6: Toggles the dbConnect Manager

CTRL+7: Toggles the Markup Set Manager

CTRL+8: Toggles the QuickCalc calculator palette

CTRL+9: Toggles the command window

CTRL+A: Selects all objects in the drawing

CTRL+SHIFT+A: Toggles Groups

CTRL+B: Toggles Snap mode

CTRL+C: Copies objects to Clipboard

CTRL+SHIFT+C: Copies objects to Clipboard with Base Point

CTRL+D: Toggles Dynamic UCS

CTRL+E: Cycles through isometric planes

CTRL+F: Toggles running object snaps

CTRL+G: Toggles the grid

CTRL+H: Toggles PICKSTYLE

CTRL+I: Toggles COORDS

CTRL+J; CTRL+M: Repeats the last command (pressing Enter does the same)

CTRL+L: Toggles Ortho mode

CTRL+N: Creates a new drawing

CTRL+O: Opens an existing drawing

CTRL+P: Prints/plots thecurrent drawing

CTRL+R: Cycles through layout viewports

CTRL+S: Saves the current drawing

CTRL+SHIFT+S: Opens the Save As dialog box

CTRL+T: Toggles TABLET mode

CTRL+V: Pastes data from the Clipboard

CTRL+SHIFT+V: Pastes data from the Clipboard as a Block

CTRL+X: Cuts objects to Clipboard

CTRL+Y: Cancels the preceding Undo action

CTRL+Z: Reverses the last action

CTRL+[; CTRL+\: Cancels the current command (pressing Esc does the same)

CTRL+PAGE UP: Moves to the next layout tab to the left of the current tab

CTRL+PAGE DOWN: Moves to the next layout tab to the right of the current tab

ALT+F11: Displays the Visual Basic Editor

ALT+F8: Displays the Macros dialog box

You can create your own keyboard shortcuts. See my tip, “Create a custom keyboard shortcut” for the detailed steps.

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Ellen Finkelstein

Ellen Finkelstein is the author of the best-selling AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT Bible, which started with R14. Ellen has written extensively on AutoCAD, including articles for Autodesk’s website and features for AutoCAD’s Help system. Ellen’s first book was AutoCAD For Dummies Quick Reference.

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