AutoCAD Keyboard Shortcuts: The Hotkeys Worth Learning
The fastest way to speed up in AutoCAD is to learn a small set of shortcuts and use them until your hands do it without thinking. That means roughly 20 command aliases (L, C, M, CO, TR and so on), a handful of function keys (F3, F8, F10) and a few Ctrl combinations. Autodesk publishes the full lists, but nobody needs 150 shortcuts on day one. This guide gives you the ones that matter, explains how to change them, and covers Revit hotkeys too, since many readers move between the two programs.
TL;DR
Learn command aliases first: type L for Line, C for Circle, M for Move, CO for Copy, TR for Trim, then press Enter or Space.
Function keys control your drafting aids: F3 for object snap, F8 for ortho mode, F10 for polar tracking.
Ctrl combinations handle the interface: Ctrl+1 opens Properties, Ctrl+0 toggles Clean Screen, Ctrl+Shift+C copies with a base point.
Both AutoCAD and Revit let you customize shortcuts, so build your own set for the commands you use daily.
Autodesk offers official downloadable lists, so you never need to trust a random cheat sheet.
Table of Contents
Command aliases: the shortcuts that save the most time
Strictly speaking, most of what people call AutoCAD shortcuts are command aliases: one or two letters you type at the command line or into the dynamic input prompt, followed by Enter or Space. They are the biggest time saver because they replace a trip to the ribbon. Autodesk’s own AutoCAD shortcuts guide lists the full A to Z set; the ones below are the core of daily drafting.
Drawing commands
Alias | Command | What it does |
L | LINE | Draws straight line segments |
C | CIRCLE | Draws a circle from a center and radius |
REC | RECTANGLE | Draws a rectangle from two corners |
A | ARC | Draws an arc |
PL | PLINE | Draws a connected polyline |
POL | POLYGON | Draws a regular polygon |
H | HATCH | Fills an enclosed area with a pattern |
T | MTEXT | Creates multiline text |
Modify commands
Alias | Command | What it does |
M | MOVE | Moves objects |
CO | COPY | Copies objects |
E | ERASE | Deletes objects |
O | OFFSET | Creates parallel copies at a distance |
TR | TRIM | Cuts objects back to a boundary |
EX | EXTEND | Stretches objects to a boundary |
F | FILLET | Rounds or squares off a corner |
RO | ROTATE | Rotates objects |
SC | SCALE | Resizes objects |
MI | MIRROR | Creates a mirrored copy |
X | EXPLODE | Breaks a block or polyline into parts |
AR | ARRAY | Creates rectangular, polar or path arrays |
If you want a longer tour of the commands behind these aliases, our guide to 25 AutoCAD commands that speed up your drafting walks through them with examples.
Annotation and viewing
Alias | Command | What it does |
DLI | DIMLINEAR | Horizontal or vertical dimension |
DAL | DIMALIGNED | Dimension aligned to an object |
D | DIMSTYLE | Opens the dimension style manager |
LA | LAYER | Opens the layer manager |
Z | ZOOM | Zoom options (then E for Extents, W for Window) |
P | PAN | Pans the view |
B | BLOCK | Creates a block |
I | INSERT | Inserts a block |
A useful habit: pair an alias with Space instead of Enter. Your left hand stays on the keyboard and your right stays on the mouse, so you never reposition either one.
Function keys that control your drafting aids
Function keys toggle the settings you flip dozens of times a day. Autodesk’s guide confirms that F3 toggles object snap, F8 toggles ortho mode and F10 toggles polar tracking. Other keys worth knowing:
F1: opens Help.
F2: opens the expanded command history (text window).
F3: object snap on or off.
F8: ortho mode, which locks your cursor to horizontal and vertical movement.
F10: polar tracking, which snaps the cursor to angle increments you set.
F12: dynamic input on or off, if you have it assigned in your version.
The common mistake here is leaving ortho and polar tracking on at the same time. They conflict, so turning one on usually turns the other off. If lines stop going where you aim them, check F8 and F10 first, then F3. Our AutoCAD snap settings checklist goes through the full set so your cursor lands on exactly the point you intend. For the prompt that follows your cursor, see our short guide to AutoCAD dynamic input.
Ctrl shortcuts for the interface and clipboard
AutoCAD’s default Ctrl shortcuts live in the customization (CUIx) file, and Autodesk documents them in its Shortcut Keys Reference. The ones used most often:
Shortcut | Action |
Ctrl+N | New drawing |
Ctrl+O | Open drawing |
Ctrl+S | Save |
Ctrl+Z | Undo |
Ctrl+Y | Redo |
Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V | Copy / Paste |
Ctrl+Shift+C | Copy to clipboard with base point |
Ctrl+Shift+V | Paste as block |
Ctrl+1 | Properties palette |
Ctrl+0 | Clean Screen |
Ctrl+9 | Command line on or off |
What does Ctrl+Y do in AutoCAD?
Ctrl+Y is Redo. It reapplies the last action you undid with Ctrl+Z, so the two work as a pair when you are testing a change and want to compare before and after. Be aware that some LISP routines and scripts can interfere with the undo history, so save a copy of the drawing before running anything you cannot easily reverse.
What does Ctrl+Shift+C do in AutoCAD?
Ctrl+Shift+C copies objects to the Windows Clipboard with a base point. You pick the point, and when you paste into another drawing, that point is your insertion point. It is the right choice when you move details between drawings and need them to land in the right place. Plain Ctrl+C uses an arbitrary reference, which is why pasted objects sometimes appear in the wrong location.
Why Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+0 are worth the muscle memory
Ctrl+1 opens the Properties palette, where you change layer, color, linetype and dimensions for selected objects. Ctrl+0 hides the toolbars and palettes to give you the biggest possible drawing area. If you are still finding your way around the interface, our explainer on the AutoCAD ribbon interface shows what Clean Screen is hiding.
Selection shortcuts people overlook
Selection is where drafters lose the most time. Two features pair well with keyboard work: selection cycling, covered in our guide to toggling AutoCAD selection cycling, and the Quick Select command, explained in our walk-through of AutoCAD Quick Select filtering. Typing QSELECT, or using the Properties palette after Ctrl+1, lets you pick every object of a given layer or type in one go, rather than clicking them individually.
How to customize AutoCAD shortcut keys
Once you know the defaults, build your own. Autodesk’s documentation says that shortcut keys can combine Ctrl with Shift, Alt, or both, plus a letter, number, function key or supported virtual key. The Customize User Interface editor shows a “Currently Assigned To” label if the combination you choose is already taken, so you can see a conflict before you create it.
A sensible approach:
Track which commands you reach for through the ribbon more than five times a day.
Open the Customize User Interface editor and find the Keyboard Shortcuts section.
Assign a combination that does not clash, using the defaults in the Shortcut Keys Reference as patterns.
Use it for a week before adding another.
If you find yourself repeating the same sequence of commands, a macro or a small routine goes further than a single shortcut. Our guides to AutoCAD action macros and AutoCAD LISP basics cover both.
Revit keyboard shortcuts
Revit works differently from AutoCAD. Its shortcuts are not aliases typed into a command line but sequences of at least two keys pressed one after another, with no Enter needed. Autodesk’s default Revit shortcut list includes these:
Shortcut | Command |
DI | Aligned Dimension |
TX | Text |
VG | Visibility/Graphics |
Other widely used defaults, such as WT for Tile Windows or MV for Move, are in the same official list. Check it for your version rather than relying on memory, because the defaults can differ between releases.
Temporary snap overrides in Revit
Revit also has snap overrides you can type while drawing. The Snaps dialog, found on the Manage tab, lists them: SO turns snaps off, and SM snaps to midpoints, for example. These help most when two elements sit close together and the cursor keeps grabbing the wrong one.
Customizing Revit shortcuts
You can edit shortcuts in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog, reached from the User Interface drop-down on the View tab or from Revit Options. A tool can have more than one shortcut, but some keys are reserved and cannot be assigned. You can also import or merge shortcuts from a text or XML file, which is how offices keep everyone on the same set. If your team uses a standard file, one person builds it and the rest import it.
Where to get a PDF cheat sheet
The PDFs that rank for this topic vary a lot in quality, and some are years old. Use the official ones:
AutoCAD shortcuts guide (PDF) from Autodesk.
Revit default keyboard shortcuts (PDF) from Autodesk. Autodesk’s documentation also says the default Revit shortcuts can be downloaded as PDF or XLS.
Print the page, tape it beside your monitor, and circle only the ten shortcuts you plan to learn this week. A cheat sheet with 150 entries is a reference, not a learning tool.
How to make shortcuts stick
Knowing a shortcut and using it under deadline pressure are different things. A few habits close the gap:
Learn in batches of five. Pick five commands, use only the keyboard for them for a week, then add five more.
Practice on real work. Drilling lists in isolation fades quickly. Drawing a floor plan with only aliases sticks.
Train your hands, not just your memory. Accurate typing matters more than people expect, since an alias typed wrong runs the wrong command. If you want to tighten up, practice typing on a trainer for ten minutes a day alongside your drafting.
Keep a stuck list. When you catch yourself reaching for the ribbon, write down the command and find its alias.
A beginner who follows this routine typically feels the difference within a few weeks, though the pace varies from person to person. If you are new to the software altogether, start with Getting Started with AutoCAD before memorizing anything.
Our view: shortcuts belong inside real projects
Most people learn shortcuts the wrong way round. They memorize a list, forget half of it within a week, and go back to the ribbon. In our training, we do the opposite: the shortcut arrives at the moment a drawing needs it. When a student offsets a wall line for the fifth time in a floor plan, that is when O becomes natural. When they keep snapping to the wrong endpoint, F3 and the snap settings suddenly matter. That is why our courses are project-based and designed around real-world workflows rather than command lists. With 20 years of Autodesk-certified experience behind our teaching, we see the same pattern in architects and technicians in every office: speed comes from a small set of habits, practiced on real drawings, with someone to ask when something does not work. That is the reason we offer direct trainer support and lifetime access to course materials, so you can return to a lesson whenever a habit slips. Steve
Learn AutoCAD and Revit with a trainer’s support
If you want the shortcuts built into your workflow rather than just read about, our AutoCAD Training course takes you from beginner to expert through practice projects, and costs €79 as a one-off payment. It includes a completion certificate, lifetime access to materials and direct trainer support, and we back it with a money-back guarantee.
Working in Revit as well? The Revit Course Only is also €79 one-off, and the Revit Introduction is a €20 starting point. For a path that covers both programs, see our Complete Revit and AutoCAD Training.
FAQ
What are the most important AutoCAD shortcuts for beginners?
Start with L (Line), C (Circle), M (Move), CO (Copy), TR (Trim) and E (Erase), plus the function keys F3, F8 and F10. Add Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y for undo and redo. These cover most of a basic drawing session.
Are AutoCAD hotkeys the same on every version?
Mostly, but not entirely. Autodesk publishes shortcut references per release year, and its Revit lists are also versioned, so check the list for your version before assuming a key exists. Your own customizations are stored separately and can differ from the defaults.
Can I change AutoCAD shortcuts to my own keys?
Yes. In the Customize User Interface editor you can assign combinations of Ctrl with Shift or Alt and a letter, number or function key. The editor shows a “Currently Assigned To” label if the combination is already in use, so you can avoid conflicts.
Do Revit and AutoCAD use the same shortcuts?
No. AutoCAD uses typed command aliases and Ctrl combinations, while Revit uses two-key sequences such as VG or DI without pressing Enter. A few keys overlap in purpose, but you should learn each program’s list separately.
Where can I download a shortcut PDF?
Autodesk provides an official AutoCAD shortcuts guide PDF and a Revit keyboard shortcuts PDF. Both are the safest versions to print.
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