If your career has led you into construction, engineering, or fabrication, you might find yourself needing Autodesk AutoCAD to get things done, and using AutoCAD on a cloud computer can streamline your workflow even further. AutoCAD is arguably the most popular CAD software, though it's often pitted against Solidworks).

However, the more complex an application is, the harder it can be to get the hang of it. One major step to streamlining your workflow and improving efficiency in AutoCAD is by mastering AutoCAD shortcut keys and learning as many shortcuts as you can, and fixing common AutoCAD crashes can help you avoid workflow interruptions. You probably can’t memorize every single shortcut, but mastering the ones you use most will help you render faster in AutoCAD.

Basic Shortcuts for Everyday Use

As a beginner (you won’t be one for long with the right tutorials), it's important to master the basic keyboard shortcuts. These AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts will likely be used regardless of your specific workflow, making them essential for day-to-day tasks in the software. The good thing is that some of these AutoCAD shortcuts are the same whether you’re using AutoCAD or Microsoft Word.

• Copy Object: Ctrl + C

• Cut Object: Ctrl + X

• Paste Object: Ctrl + V

• Undo: Ctrl + Z

• Redo shortcut in AutoCAD: Ctrl + Y

• New Drawing: Ctrl + N

• Save Drawing: Ctrl + S

• Open Drawing: Ctrl + O

• Select All Objects: Ctrl + A

Advanced Shortcuts for Extra Efficiency

You might feel like the last set of AutoCAD shortkeys I gave were way too basic for your needs if you’re an advanced user. If you consider yourself to be an advanced user, then you might prefer these AutoCAD hotkeys, which are bound to add a little extra boost to your workflow and make your design process a little more efficient.

One thing that can help make the design process more silky-smooth is being able to zip through different drawing modes with the tap of a single button.

• Toggle Object Snap Mode (OSNAP): F3

• Toggle 3D Object Snap Mode (3DOSNAP): F4

• Toggle Grid Mode: F7

• Toggle Ortho Mode: F8

• Toggle Snap Mode: F9

• Toggle Palette: Ctrl + 3

• Switch to Next Drawing: Ctrl + Tab

• Switch to Previous Drawing: Ctrl + Shift + Tab

• Switch to Next Tab In Current Drawing: Ctrl + Page Down

• Switch to Previous Tab in Current Drawing: Ctrl + Page Up

Shortcuts for Drawing and Editing

Drawing and editing is at the heart of what AutoCAD is all about, because what’s the point of using the application if you can’t even draw? 

Set yourself apart from others by equipping yourself with as many of these drawing-focused CAD keyboard shortcuts as possible. Beware, there are a lot of them!

• Create an Arc: A

• Create a Circle: C

• Create a 3D Cylinder: CYL

• Create a Wide Ring: DO

• Create Single-Line Text Object: DT

• Create an Ellipse: EL

• Create a Straight Line: L

• Create a Polyline: PL

• Create a Point Object: PO

• Create a Closed Polyline: POL

• Create a 3D Pyramid: PYR

• Create a Rectangular Polyline: REC

• Create Solid Triangles or Quadrilaterals: SO

• Create a Smooth Curve Through Points: SPL

• Create a Torus: TOR

• Create a Wedge: WE

• Create an Infinitely-Long Line: XL

Creating shapes is one thing, and these shortcuts will make that easier, letting you focus on inspiring AutoCAD projects that push your creativity. However, you'll also need some additional hotkeys to refine and edit your designs, and using the best AutoCAD plugins can enhance your workflow even more.

• Align Object(s) with Other Object(s): AL

• Bevel Object Edge: CHA

• Set Color: COL

• Create Equally-Spaced Points on Object: DIV

• Remove Objects: E

• Extend Object to Meet Other Object’s Edge: EX

• Extrude 2D Object or 3D Face: EXT

• Round Object Edges: F

• Create Object Groups: G

• Join Similar Objects Into Single Object: J

• Change Object Length: LEN

• Move Object Specified Distance: M

• Assign Object Properties to Other Object: MA

• Create a Mirrored Copy of Object: MI

• Remove Unused Items in Drawing: PU

• AutoCAD rotate shortcut: RO

• Enlarge or Reduce Objects: SC

Navigational Shortcuts in the Workspace

When creating complex drawings, you’ll find yourself needing to very easily navigate through the workspace. Of course, you could just grab your mouse and move to the appropriate tool, but that wastes seconds and potentially minutes over a full day. You can improve efficiency in AutoCAD by using these navigational CAD shortcuts.

• Zoom Entire Drawing to Fit Screen: Z + A

• Zoom in to Specified Window: Z + W

• Return to Previous Zoom Level: Z + P

• Zoom In: Ctrl + Shift + Z

• Zoom Out: Ctrl + Shift + A

• Zoom In/Out: Mouse Scroll Wheel

• Zoom Mode: Z

• Pan Mode: P or Click + Drag Middle Mouse Button

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Customizing Your Own Shortcuts

One of the best AutoCAD tips that you might not know, even as someone who has been using the application for a long time, is that you can actually create your own AutoCAD custom shortcuts. So, if there’s some reason why you don’t like the ones the folks at Autodesk have already set, you can change them up. To create your own AutoCAD custom shortcuts, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Manage tab on the Ribbon.

2. Click the “User Interface” in the customization section.

3. In the window that pops up, open the Keyboard Shortcuts section.

4. From here, you can either drag a command from the Command List below and set a new key combo for it, or choose one of the existing commands and change its keyboard shortcut.

Common Mistakes and Tips

When it comes to learning AutoCAD shortcuts, it can seem very overwhelming since there are so many of them. This article alone contains several, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg to be completely honest. However, I can give you a few tips that could potentially make using shortcuts a little easier for you.

• Don’t feel pressured to learn 10 new shortcuts each day; prioritize the ones you use the most. You have a specific workflow, so look out for actions you tend to perform over and over and find out if there’s a shortcut for that.

• If you frequently use another app with different shortcuts for the same commands, you might want to learn how to change AutoCAD shortcuts to match the ones you're more familiar with.

• Also, simply feel free to change shortcuts if you just feel like the default is hard to remember.

AutoCAD is an engineer’s or designer’s best tool, but to truly harness its power, you need to make it work for you. One way to do that is by getting it to do what you want it to do, and fast, and shortcuts and hotkeys can help you get there (AutoCAD courses can help too!).

Shortcuts stick best when you use them every single day, so don't be afraid to try to incorporate at least one new shortcut into your workflow every day, especially for tasks that you do rather often. If you're an architect, here are some other articles that you might find very useful.

You can also check out our GPU Guide for tips to use GPU, along with speed up and acceleration tips for Autodesk AutoCAD.

FAQs:

1. What are the most important AutoCAD shortcut keys to learn first?

   • The most important AutoCAD shortcut keys include basic functions like Copy (Ctrl + C), Cut (Ctrl + X), Paste (Ctrl + V), Undo (Ctrl + Z), and Redo (Ctrl + Y). These shortcuts help you manage everyday tasks efficiently.

2. How do I customize AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts?

   • You can customize AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts by going to the "Manage" tab, selecting "User Interface," and navigating to the Keyboard Shortcuts section. From there, you can assign new shortcuts or modify existing ones.

3. How can I improve my efficiency with AutoCAD shortkeys?

   • Learning both basic and advanced AutoCAD shortkeys can significantly boost your workflow. Start with shortcuts you use most often, then incorporate more complex ones as you get comfortable.

4. What is the AutoCAD rotate shortcut?

   • The AutoCAD rotate shortcut is "RO." It allows you to quickly rotate objects around a specified base point, saving you time when making adjustments in your design.

5. Can I use CAD shortcuts across different applications?

   • Some CAD shortcuts, such as Copy (Ctrl + C) or Undo (Ctrl + Z), are universal across various applications like Microsoft Word or Excel. However, others are specific to AutoCAD or other CAD software.

6. What should I do if AutoCAD shortcuts aren’t working?

   • If your AutoCAD shortcuts aren’t working, it could be due to software issues or conflicts with other applications. Customizing or resetting your shortcuts might solve the issue. You can also check out guides on fixing common AutoCAD crashes.