AutoCAD Commands List (227 Commands, Aliases and Shortcuts)

Q: What's the difference between a command and an alias?

A command is the full name, such as RECTANG. An alias is its short form, REC, defined in the acad.pgp file. Both run exactly the same thing.

Q: How can I automate repeated commands?

Record them with the Action Recorder (ACTRECORD), write a script file, or use VBA macros.

A complete list of 227 AutoCAD commands, with their shortcut aliases and what each one does, plus the function-key and Ctrl shortcuts every AutoCAD user should know. Jump to a letter, or start with the 25 commands you’ll use most.

Commands listed227, A to Z

Repeat the last commandEnter or Spacebar

Edit your aliasesALIASEDIT or acad.pgp

Jump to: A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Z · 0–9 · Function keys · Ctrl shortcuts

How to use a command or alias

Type the full command, such as CIRCLE, or its alias, C, at the command line and press Enter or Space. Aliases save a lot of typing: L for LINE, TR for TRIM, CO for COPY. Press Enter or Space again on an empty command line to repeat the last command.

The 25 most used AutoCAD commands

Learn these first. They cover most everyday 2D drafting:

Command	Alias	What it does
`LINE`	L	Creates straight line segments
`PLINE`	PL	Creates a 2D polyline
`CIRCLE`	C	Creates a circle
`RECTANG`	REC	Creates a rectangular polyline
`ARC`	A	Creates an arc
`OFFSET`	O	Creates parallel lines, curves and concentric circles
`TRIM`	TR	Trims objects to meet the edges of other objects
`EXTEND`	EX	Extends objects to meet the edges of other objects
`MOVE`	M	Moves objects a specified distance in a specified direction
`COPY`	CO, CP	Copies objects a specified distance in a specified direction
`ROTATE`	RO	Rotates objects around a base point
`SCALE`	SC	Enlarges or reduces objects, keeping their proportions
`MIRROR`	MI	Creates a mirrored copy of objects
`FILLET`	F	Rounds the edges of objects
`ARRAY`	AR	Creates copies of objects in a rectangular, polar or path pattern
`ERASE`	E	Removes objects from a drawing
`EXPLODE`	X	Breaks a compound object, such as a block or polyline, into its parts
`JOIN`	J	Joins similar objects into a single object
`HATCH`	H, BH	Fills an area with a hatch pattern, solid fill or gradient
`MTEXT`	MT, T	Creates multiline text
`DIMLINEAR`	DLI	Creates a horizontal or vertical linear dimension
`LAYER`	LA	Manages layers and layer properties
`MATCHPROP`	MA	Copies the properties of one object to others
`PROPERTIES`	PR, MO, CH	Opens the Properties palette
`PURGE`	PU	Removes unused items such as blocks and layers

All AutoCAD commands, A to Z

A

Command	Alias	What it does
`ACTRECORD`	ARR	Starts the Action Recorder
`ACTSTOP`	ARS	Stops the Action Recorder and lets you save the recorded actions as an action macro
`ACTUSERINPUT`	ARU	Pauses for user input in an action macro
`ACTUSERMESSAGE`	ARM	Inserts a user message into an action macro
`ADCENTER`	ADC	Opens DesignCenter to manage and insert blocks, xrefs and hatch patterns
`ALIGN`	AL	Aligns objects with other objects in 2D and 3D
`ANALYSISZEBRA`	ZEBRA	Projects stripes onto a 3D model to analyse surface continuity
`APPLOAD`	AP	Loads applications such as AutoLISP and ARX files
`ARC`	A	Creates an arc
`AREA`	AA	Calculates the area and perimeter of objects or defined areas
`ARRAY`	AR	Creates copies of objects in a rectangular, polar or path pattern
`ATTDEF`	ATT	Creates an attribute definition for a block
`ATTEDIT`	ATE	Changes attribute values in a block
`ATTIPEDIT`	ATI	Changes the text of an attribute inside a block

B

Command	Alias	What it does
`BCLOSE`	BC	Closes the Block Editor
`BEDIT`	BE	Opens a block definition in the Block Editor
`BLOCK`	B	Creates a block definition from selected objects
`BOUNDARY`	BO	Creates a region or polyline from an enclosed area
`BPARAMETER`	PARAM	Adds a parameter with grips to a dynamic block definition
`BREAK`	BR	Breaks an object between two points
`BSAVE`	BS	Saves the current block definition
`BVSTATE`	BVS	Creates, sets or deletes a visibility state in a dynamic block

C

Command	Alias	What it does
`CAMERA`	CAM	Sets a camera and target location to create a 3D perspective view
`CHAMFER`	CHA	Bevels the edges of objects
`CHECKSTANDARDS`	CHK	Checks the current drawing for standards violations
`CIRCLE`	C	Creates a circle
`CLOSEALL`	–	Closes all open drawings
`COLOR`	COL	Sets the colour for new objects
`COMMANDLINE`	CLI	Displays the command line window
`CONSTRAINTBAR`	CBAR	Shows the geometric constraints applied to an object
`COPY`	CO, CP	Copies objects a specified distance in a specified direction
`CTABLESTYLE`	CT	Sets the current table style
`CYLINDER`	CYL	Creates a 3D solid cylinder

D

Command	Alias	What it does
`DATAEXTRACTION`	DX	Extracts drawing data, such as block attributes, to a table or file
`DATALINK`	DL	Opens the Data Link Manager to link a table to Excel
`DATALINKUPDATE`	DLU	Updates data to or from an external data link
`DBCONNECT`	DBC	Connects to external database tables
`DDVPOINT`	VP	Sets the 3D viewing direction
`DIM`	–	Creates dimensions automatically based on the object you select
`DIMALIGNED`	DAL	Creates an aligned linear dimension
`DIMANGULAR`	DAN	Creates an angular dimension
`DIMARC`	DAR	Creates an arc length dimension
`DIMBASELINE`	DBA	Creates a dimension from the baseline of the previous or selected dimension
`DIMCENTER`	DCE	Creates the centre mark or centre lines of circles and arcs
`DIMCONSTRAINT`	DCON	Applies dimensional constraints to objects
`DIMCONTINUE`	DCO	Continues a dimension from the extension line of the previous one
`DIMDIAMETER`	DDI	Creates a diameter dimension for a circle or arc
`DIMDISASSOCIATE`	DDA	Removes associativity from selected dimensions
`DIMEDIT`	DED	Edits dimension text and extension lines
`DIMJOGGED`	DJO, JOG	Creates jogged dimensions for circles and arcs
`DIMJOGLINE`	DJL	Adds or removes a jog line on a linear or aligned dimension
`DIMLINEAR`	DLI	Creates a horizontal or vertical linear dimension
`DIMORDINATE`	DOR	Creates ordinate dimensions
`DIMOVERRIDE`	DOV	Overrides dimension system variables for selected dimensions
`DIMRADIUS`	DRA	Creates a radius dimension for a circle or arc
`DIMREASSOCIATE`	DRE	Associates or re-associates dimensions with objects
`DIMSTYLE`	D, DST	Creates and modifies dimension styles
`DIST`	DI	Measures the distance and angle between two points
`DIVIDE`	DIV	Places evenly spaced points or blocks along an object
`DONUT`	DO	Creates a filled circle or a wide ring
`DRAWINGRECOVERY`	DRM	Lists drawing files that can be recovered after a crash
`DRAWORDER`	DR	Changes the draw order of images and other objects
`DSETTINGS`	DS, SE	Sets grid, snap, polar tracking, object snaps and dynamic input
`DVIEW`	DV	Defines parallel or perspective views using a camera and target

E

Command	Alias	What it does
`ELLIPSE`	EL	Creates an ellipse or elliptical arc
`ERASE`	E	Removes objects from a drawing
`ETRANSMIT`	–	Packages a drawing and its dependent files for sending
`EXPLODE`	X	Breaks a compound object, such as a block or polyline, into its parts
`EXPORT`	EXP	Saves objects in a drawing to a different file format
`EXPORTPDF`	EPDF	Exports the drawing to PDF
`EXTEND`	EX	Extends objects to meet the edges of other objects
`EXTERNALREFERENCES`	ER	Opens the External References palette
`EXTRUDE`	EXT	Extrudes a 2D object or 3D face into 3D

F

Command	Alias	What it does
`FILLET`	F	Rounds the edges of objects
`FILTER`	FI	Creates a list of conditions an object must meet to be selected
`FLATSHOT`	FSHOT	Creates a 2D representation of 3D objects from the current view

G

Command	Alias	What it does
`GEOGRAPHICLOCATION`	GEO, NORTH	Sets the geographic location of a drawing
`GEOMCONSTRAINT`	GCON	Applies geometric relationships between objects
`GRADIENT`	GD	Fills an area with a gradient
`GROUP`	G	Creates and manages named groups of objects

H

Command	Alias	What it does
`HATCH`	H, BH	Fills an area with a hatch pattern, solid fill or gradient
`HATCHEDIT`	HE	Modifies an existing hatch
`HIDE`	HI	Regenerates a 3D wireframe model with hidden lines removed
`HIDEPALETTES`	POFF	Hides all open palettes, including the command line

I

Command	Alias	What it does
`ID`	–	Displays the coordinates of a point
`IMAGE`	IM	Opens the External References palette to manage images
`IMAGEADJUST`	IAD	Adjusts the brightness, contrast and fade of an image
`IMAGEATTACH`	IAT	Attaches an image file to the drawing
`IMAGECLIP`	ICL	Crops an image to a boundary
`IMPORT`	IMP	Imports files of other formats into the drawing
`INSERT`	I	Inserts a block or drawing
`INSERTOBJ`	IO	Inserts a linked or embedded object
`INTERFERE`	INF	Creates a temporary solid from the overlap of two sets of solids
`INTERSECT`	IN	Creates a solid, surface or region from overlapping objects

J

Command	Alias	What it does
`JOIN`	J	Joins similar objects into a single object

L

Command	Alias	What it does
`LAYER`	LA	Manages layers and layer properties
`LAYERSTATE`	LAS	Saves, restores and manages layer states
`LAYISO`	–	Isolates the layer of the selected object
`LAYOFF`	–	Turns off the layer of the selected object
`LAYOUT`	LO	Creates and modifies layout tabs
`LENGTHEN`	LEN	Changes the length of objects and the angle of arcs
`LINE`	L	Creates straight line segments
`LINETYPE`	LT, LTYPE	Loads, sets and modifies linetypes
`LIST`	LI, LS	Displays property data for selected objects
`LTSCALE`	LTS	Sets the global linetype scale
`LWEIGHT`	LW	Sets the current lineweight and lineweight display

M

Command	Alias	What it does
`MARKUP`	MSM	Opens the Markup Set Manager
`MATCHPROP`	MA	Copies the properties of one object to others
`MATERIALS`	MAT	Shows or hides the Materials Browser
`MEASURE`	ME	Places points or blocks at measured intervals along an object
`MEASUREGEOM`	MEA	Measures distance, radius, angle, area and volume
`MESHSMOOTHLESS`	LESS	Decreases the smoothness of mesh objects by one level
`MESHSMOOTHMORE`	MORE	Increases the smoothness of mesh objects by one level
`MESHSPLIT`	SPLIT	Splits a mesh face into two
`MIRROR`	MI	Creates a mirrored copy of objects
`MLEADER`	MLD	Creates a multileader
`MLEADERALIGN`	MLA	Aligns and spaces multileaders
`MLEADERCOLLECT`	MLC	Collects multileaders containing blocks into rows or columns
`MLEADEREDIT`	MLE	Adds or removes leader lines on a multileader
`MLEADERSTYLE`	MLS	Creates and modifies multileader styles
`MLINE`	ML	Creates multiple parallel lines
`MOVE`	M	Moves objects a specified distance in a specified direction
`MSPACE`	MS	Switches from paper space to a model space viewport
`MTEXT`	MT, T	Creates multiline text
`MVIEW`	MV	Creates and controls layout viewports

N

Command	Alias	What it does
`NAVSWHEEL`	WHEEL	Displays the SteeringWheels navigation tool
`NAVVCUBE`	CUBE	Controls the ViewCube
`NEWSHOT`	NSHOT	Creates a named view with motion for ShowMotion
`NEWVIEW`	NVIEW	Creates a named view with no motion

O

Command	Alias	What it does
`OFFSET`	O	Creates parallel lines, curves and concentric circles
`OOPS`	–	Restores the most recently erased objects
`OPTIONS`	OP	Opens program settings
`OSNAP`	OS	Sets running object snap modes
`OVERKILL`	–	Removes duplicate and overlapping lines, arcs and polylines

P

Command	Alias	What it does
`PAN`	P	Moves the view without changing the zoom
`PARAMETERS`	PAR	Manages the associative parameters in the drawing
`PASTESPEC`	PA	Pastes from the Clipboard with control over the format
`PEDIT`	PE	Edits polylines and 3D polygon meshes
`PLINE`	PL	Creates a 2D polyline
`PLOT`	PRINT	Plots a drawing to a plotter, printer or file
`POINT`	PO	Creates a point object
`POINTCLOUD`	PC	Creates and attaches point cloud files
`POINTCLOUDATTACH`	PCATTACH	Inserts an indexed point cloud file
`POLYGON`	POL	Creates an equilateral closed polyline
`POLYSOLID`	PSOLID	Creates a 3D wall-like solid
`PREVIEW`	PRE	Shows the drawing as it will be plotted
`PROPERTIES`	PR, MO, CH	Opens the Properties palette
`PSPACE`	PS	Switches from a model space viewport to paper space
`PUBLISHTOWEB`	PTW	Creates web pages with images of drawings
`PURGE`	PU	Removes unused items such as blocks and layers
`PYRAMID`	PYR	Creates a 3D solid pyramid

Q

Command	Alias	What it does
`QLEADER`	LE	Creates a leader and annotation
`QSAVE`	–	Saves the current drawing
`QUICKCALC`	QC	Opens the QuickCalc calculator
`QUICKCUI`	QCUI	Opens the Customize User Interface editor in a collapsed state
`QUICKPROPERTIES`	QP	Shows Quick Properties for selected objects
`QUIT`	EXIT	Exits AutoCAD
`QVDRAWING`	QVD	Shows open drawings and layouts as preview images
`QVDRAWINGCLOSE`	QVDC	Closes the preview images of open drawings
`QVLAYOUT`	QVL	Shows model space and layouts as preview images
`QVLAYOUTCLOSE`	QVLC	Closes the preview images of layouts

R

Command	Alias	What it does
`RECTANG`	REC	Creates a rectangular polyline
`REDRAW`	R	Refreshes the display in the current viewport
`REDRAWALL`	RA	Refreshes the display in all viewports
`REGEN`	RE	Regenerates the drawing in the current viewport
`REGENALL`	REA	Regenerates the drawing in all viewports
`REGION`	REG	Converts a closed object into a region
`RENAME`	REN	Renames items such as layers and dimension styles
`RENDER`	RR	Creates a realistic image of a 3D model
`RENDERCROP`	RC	Renders a rectangular area of the viewport
`RENDERPRESETS`	RP	Manages reusable render settings
`RENDERWIN`	RW	Displays the Render window
`REVOLVE`	REV	Creates a 3D solid or surface by sweeping a 2D object around an axis
`ROTATE`	RO	Rotates objects around a base point
`RPREF`	RPR	Shows or hides the advanced render settings

S

Command	Alias	What it does
`SAVEALL`	–	Saves all open drawings
`SCALE`	SC	Enlarges or reduces objects, keeping their proportions
`SCRIPT`	SCR	Runs a sequence of commands from a script file
`SECTION`	SEC	Creates a region from the intersection of a plane and 3D objects
`SECTIONPLANE`	SPLANE	Creates a cutting plane through 3D objects
`SEQUENCEPLAY`	SPLAY	Plays named views in one category
`SETVAR`	SET	Lists or changes system variables
`SHADEMODE`	SHA	Starts the VSCURRENT command
`SHEETSET`	SSM	Opens the Sheet Set Manager
`SHOWPALETTES`	PON	Restores hidden palettes
`SLICE`	SL	Slices 3D solids and surfaces
`SNAP`	SN	Restricts cursor movement to set intervals
`SOLID`	SO	Creates solid-filled triangles and quadrilaterals
`SPELL`	SP	Checks spelling in a drawing
`SPLINE`	SPL	Creates a smooth curve through or near points
`SPLINEDIT`	SPE	Edits a spline or spline-fit polyline
`STANDARDS`	STA	Manages standards files linked to a drawing
`STRETCH`	S	Stretches objects crossed by a selection window
`STYLE`	ST	Creates and modifies text styles
`SUBTRACT`	SU	Subtracts one set of solids or regions from another
`SURFPATCH`	PATCH	Creates a surface by capping a closed edge loop

T

Command	Alias	What it does
`TABLE`	TB	Creates a table
`TABLESTYLE`	TS	Creates and modifies table styles
`TABLET`	TA	Calibrates and configures a digitising tablet
`TEXT`	DT	Creates single-line text
`TEXTEDIT`	ED, TEDIT	Edits text, dimension text and attribute definitions
`THICKNESS`	TH	Sets the default 3D thickness for new 2D objects
`TILEMODE`	TI	Controls whether paper space can be accessed
`TOLERANCE`	TOL	Creates geometric tolerances in a feature control frame
`TOOLBAR`	TO	Displays, hides and customises toolbars
`TOOLPALETTES`	TP	Opens the Tool Palettes window
`TORUS`	TOR	Creates a donut-shaped 3D solid
`TRIM`	TR	Trims objects to meet the edges of other objects

U

Command	Alias	What it does
`UCSMAN`	UC	Manages user coordinate systems
`UNDO`	U	Reverses the last action
`UNION`	UNI	Combines solids or regions into one
`UNISOLATEOBJECTS`	UNHIDE, UNISOLATE	Shows objects hidden with ISOLATEOBJECTS or HIDEOBJECTS
`UNITS`	UN	Sets coordinate and angle display formats and precision

V

Command	Alias	What it does
`VIEW`	V	Saves and restores named views
`VIEWGO`	VGO	Restores a named view
`VIEWPLAY`	VPLAY	Plays the animation linked to a named view
`VISUALSTYLES`	VSM	Creates and modifies visual styles
`VSCURRENT`	VS	Sets the visual style in the current viewport

W

Command	Alias	What it does
`WBLOCK`	W	Writes objects or a block to a new drawing file
`WEDGE`	WE	Creates a 3D solid wedge

X

Command	Alias	What it does
`XATTACH`	XA	Attaches a DWG file as an external reference
`XBIND`	XB	Binds named objects from an xref into the drawing
`XCLIP`	XC	Crops an xref or block to a boundary
`XLINE`	XL	Creates a line of infinite length
`XREF`	XR	Opens the External References palette

Z

Command	Alias	What it does
`ZOOM`	Z	Changes the magnification of the view

0–9

Command	Alias	What it does
`3DORBIT`	3DO, ORBIT	Rotates the view in 3D space, constrained to horizontal and vertical orbit

Function keys

Key	Does
`F1`	Help
`F2`	Expanded command history
`F3`	Object snap on/off
`F4`	3D object snap on/off
`F5`	Next isoplane
`F6`	Dynamic UCS on/off
`F7`	Grid on/off
`F8`	Ortho on/off
`F9`	Snap on/off
`F10`	Polar tracking on/off
`F11`	Object snap tracking on/off
`F12`	Dynamic input on/off

Ctrl shortcuts

Shortcut	Does
`Ctrl + 0`	Clean screen
`Ctrl + 1`	Properties palette
`Ctrl + 2`	DesignCenter
`Ctrl + 3`	Tool palettes
`Ctrl + 4`	Sheet Set Manager
`Ctrl + 7`	Markup Set Manager
`Ctrl + 8`	QuickCalc
`Ctrl + 9`	Command line on/off
`Ctrl + N / O / S`	New, open, save drawing
`Ctrl + P`	Plot
`Ctrl + A`	Select all objects
`Ctrl + C / X / V`	Copy, cut, paste
`Ctrl + Shift + C`	Copy with a base point
`Ctrl + Shift + V`	Paste as a block
`Ctrl + Z / Y`	Undo, redo
`Ctrl + E`	Cycle isometric planes
`Ctrl + F`	Running object snaps on/off
`Ctrl + G`	Grid on/off
`Ctrl + H`	Pick style on/off
`Ctrl + Shift + H`	Hide or show palettes
`Ctrl + Tab`	Switch between open drawings
`Esc`	Cancel the current command

Create your own aliases

All aliases are stored in a file called acad.pgp. To change one, or add your own, go to Manage → Customization → Edit Aliases, or type ALIASEDIT (Express Tools). After saving the file, type REINIT and tick PGP file to load the changes without restarting. See AutoCAD command aliases for a step-by-step guide.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a command and an alias?

A command is the full name, such as RECTANG. An alias is its short form, REC, defined in the acad.pgp file. Both run exactly the same thing.

Do these commands work in AutoCAD LT?

Most 2D commands do. 3D modelling commands, such as EXTRUDE and REVOLVE, and programming features need the full version of AutoCAD.

How do I see the full list of commands inside AutoCAD?

Start typing at the command line and AutoComplete lists matching commands. For aliases, open acad.pgp from Manage → Edit Aliases.

How can I automate repeated commands?

Record them with the Action Recorder (ACTRECORD), write a script file, or use VBA macros.

AutoCAD Commands List: 227 Commands and Shortcuts