Note: there is an updated version of this post here.
One thing that’s regularly asked whenever a new AutoCAD release hits the streets is how to make it work like the last release. I think you should give any new features a fighting chance before turning them off or ignoring them, but that’s entirely your choice. Let’s assume you’ve made the decision to go back to the future; how do you do it?
- Menus and Ribbon. You can turn menus on with MENUBAR 1, close the Ribbon with RIBBONCLOSE, and so on. However, there’s an easier way; just switch workspaces. In the bottom right corner there is a little button that looks like a gearwheel. This is the Workspace control. Click on it and pick the item called AutoCAD Classic.
- Dashboard. The Dashboard is gone, but you can have a vertical Ribbon instead. If the Ribbon is not visible (it won’t be if you just selected the AutoCAD Classic workspace), enter RIBBON to bring it back. In the tab title row (the bar with the word Home in it), right-click and pick Undock. Now you can place and size your Dashboard-like thing as you see fit. As before, you can right-click on things to change the various settings. However, getting the contents exactly the way you want it usually involves using CUI, and that’s well outside the scope of this post.
- Background. Many of you will want a black background, of course. Right-click on the drawing area and pick Options…, then pick the Display tab. Don’t be tempted to choose Color Scheme and set it to Dark, because that just changes the appearance of various user interface elements. Instead, pick the Colors… button. On the left, choose a context you want to change (e.g. 2D model space), choose the appropriate background element (e.g. Uniform background) and choose the particular shade that takes your fancy. There is a Restore Classic Colors button, but that only takes you back to AutoCAD 2008. When you’re done, pick Apply & Close, then OK.
- Status bar. Right-click on a status bar button, turn off Use Icons and your text-based status bar buttons will return.
- Classic commands. If you prefer not to leave the various new palettes on screen all the time, old versions of various commands are still available: ClassicLayer, ClassicXref and ClassicImage. Going back further, there are command-line methods of doing the same thing: -Layer, -Xref, XAttach, -Image and ImageAttach.
If you’ve allowed AutoCAD to migrate your settings (I never do), some of the above will already be done for you, but by no means all of it.
One of the great things about AutoCAD is that we can still do this sort of thing. Microsoft has a lot to learn from Autodesk in this regard. If you’re using Word 2007, you are going to have a Ribbon and that’s the end of it, so be a good little user and learn to love it. Oh, and don’t even think about trying to modify it. Whatever you might think about Autodesk’s development priorities, design decisions and feature implementation, at least in most cases Autodesk leaves us with a choice.
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9:28 am on March 28th, 2008 1
hi…
great post, but i want to go “more back” with the “restore” the old autocad interface, so is an option to quit the new dark/light color scheme (this with gradients like web 2.0 butons) and put like before?¿
greets
10:18 am on March 28th, 2008 2
No, there’s no option for doing that. I noticed Ralph Grabowski suggested that the Dark/Light thing might open the door for developers to provide AutoCAD “skins”. In any case, I suspect a crafty hacker could find and modify the resources involved. Right now there’s nothing to do what you are after, though.
1:14 am on April 3rd, 2008 3
great post Steve. i think it would be wonderful if Autodesk shipped a document that explained how to get the latest release looking/behaving like the last one for those who are truly focused on productivity and who don’t have the time (maybe later they will) to mess around with new features and interfaces. love your blog so far. -dave
8:41 am on April 3rd, 2008 4
ok thanks, and keep the good job with that blog!!
greets
12:52 am on April 10th, 2008 5
Thanks for that. Just upgraded from 2008 today and was about to put my boot through the screen. The Ribbon is a headwrecker
5:23 pm on April 10th, 2008 6
Wonderful stuff!Why is it deemed necessary to change the look of a programme with every new release? I would be happier if they sorted out the bugs in the current release before even thinking about a new one.
I bought a new laptop with Vista and Office with ribbons.
Hated it.
Had the OS changed to XP and went back to my old version of office. Perfect.
3:33 pm on April 19th, 2008 7
I’m wondering if there is any chance to change the interface with the old one. I’m more familiar with the old look (skin, icons). If you copy the Acad 2008 icons and rewrite the new 2009 ones maybe most of the toolbar comands will look same as ’08. I’m not a specialist but I think this coud be possible…and now the questions: how to do that and where the comand icons can be found ? 10x
9:32 am on April 20th, 2008 8
I’ve never tried messing with AutoCAD’s built-in button definitions, which I understand are stored in acadbtn.xmx. Just copying over the 2008 file into 2009 will definitely not work.
6:04 am on May 2nd, 2008 9
Hi I’m Trying to bring back AUTOCAD Classic workspace but when I click on the gear at the bottom right hand corner there is no option for the AutoCAD Classic only: Design, Document, Detail, and Visualization Any help would be great thanks!
8:55 am on May 2nd, 2008 10
It sounds like you may be using one of the vertical products such as AutoCAD Architecture, and that team hasn’t provided you with a Classic workspace. In that case, you’ll have to make your own. Start with MENUBAR 1 and RIBBONCLOSE, then right-click on the QAT (the little toolbar near the red A) to turn on the toolbars you want.
4:01 am on May 25th, 2008 11
You Have atoCAD Architecture. To get back to AutoCAD Classic type OP (options) on the command line. Click on Profiles and this will now give you the option of stan alone AutoCAD. Set current. However I have found it defaults back to Architecture on next opening. I don’t use the Arcitecture interface so I have deleted it in Profiles and now it only loads AutoCAD complete with the Classic Workspce option each time, so far with no problems. This also means it doesn’t load a lot of unwanted architecture bits at start up, although the open splash screen still says AC Architecture.
5:22 am on June 26th, 2008 12
OK…I’ve spent an hour RE-configuring my workspace to my productive “happy place”. How do I get the familiar icons back?
The new, redesigned icons, while possibly cool to rookies, are a pain to those of us who have the familiar buttons burned into our cortex already.
I’m also in the “put my boot through the screen” division.
3:53 am on July 9th, 2008 13
Thank you so much for the great article. I was going nuts with the ribbon menu. I tried to get used to it, used it for about 2 weeks but I just couldnt. I’m an icons person, so I like to have everything on plain sight. I almost changed back to 2008 just because I hated the ribbon so much. Now I can work normally. Thanks.
11:45 pm on August 19th, 2008 14
Did my training on 2007 and finding it very hard to warm to the 2009 version. Have tried the steps listed above to make it ‘classic’ but to no avail.. Help!!
11:32 am on August 20th, 2008 15
Kate, exactly what are you hoping to see that isn’t happening?
6:58 pm on August 25th, 2008 16
I have to say thank you not only to Steve, but to Hal re bringing back the AutoCAD classic workspace – I didn’t realise the Architecture interface didn’t offer it. I too, was in the boot through the screen camp.
2:57 am on August 31st, 2008 17
i found a way to make it clasic but not the black background let me try to remember
9:11 pm on September 23rd, 2008 18
Thanks a lot for the post
greet from Moldova!
8:01 pm on September 29th, 2008 19
If you modify the shortcut to load a certain profile instead of the autocad default profiles, this will solve the problem in AutoCAD Architectural and other verticals. Saves you loading the profile manually every time you open Architectural
5:38 am on October 16th, 2008 20
not going to lie… i grew up on 2000 and still use it daily in the office (we’re a little old school… atleast i got them off of r14)but school switched up to 2009 and i am all about the boot in screen camp. thanks for the help!
7:27 am on October 16th, 2008 21
Yay! Thanks so much for all the tips they really helped get the new CAD looking like the old CAD!
7:20 pm on October 22nd, 2008 22
another guy in the “put my boot through the screen” division right here…
1:25 am on November 7th, 2008 23
I hated ribbon’s at first, I went to classic and set up as normal, but went back to ribbons soon after. I went into customize and changed my home ribbon to have all my usual commands and even added the breakline and mtext convertor from the express tools. I have used AutoCAD since v14 and love the new ribbons. Just give them a go.
7:23 am on November 7th, 2008 24
thank you very much
11:47 am on November 7th, 2008 25
Thank you a lot, again!
1:51 am on February 12th, 2009 26
Thanks so much! They sure didn’t make it easy to get rid of that nauseating pus-colored background.
12:21 pm on March 4th, 2009 27
Thanks so much for such a great post!
10:12 pm on March 11th, 2009 28
I have auto Classic now, but no black background. How do I fix it? Currently using 2009.
11:09 pm on March 11th, 2009 29
See above, where it says Background.
8:02 am on March 12th, 2009 30
I scrolled the page up and down and I am not seeing any instruction on how to get my black background back up. I would appreciate any help.
8:15 am on March 12th, 2009 31
Ok I actually figured it out. Now where are all the different layers. All I have is white.
9:01 am on March 12th, 2009 32
The layers are stored in each drawing and are not affected by a new release of AutoCAD. Maybe you had a template drawing set up in your previous release, with all the layers set up? If so, you need to find it, copy it across and use the Options command’s File tab to point AutoCAD at it.
9:45 am on March 12th, 2009 33
you have been a great deal of help, thank you.
3:55 am on March 15th, 2009 34
Thanks so much that was great and extremely helpful!
3:46 am on March 18th, 2009 35
I can switch between the new ribbons and the classic AutoCad. However I have gotten used to the new ribbons. I generall like them except for object snaps. The only problem I have with osnaps is that it requires lots of key strokes especially if I am using tangent or paralell. Is there a way I can have th old object snap tool bar vertical on the right side of the screen? This way I can pick the particulat snap I want with one click without going to that menu on the bottom
2:15 pm on March 18th, 2009 36
There are many ways of getting at osnaps and they all have 3-letter abbreviations (including TAN and PAR), but if the osnap toolbar combined with the Ribbon works best for you, you can certainly have it.
Let’s assuming you have just chosen the 2D Drafting and Annotation workspace and want to add the Osnap toolbar. Right-click on a button in the QAT (the fixed-location toolbar next to the red A), then pick Toolbars > AutoCAD > Object Snap. The toolbar should appear, and you just drag and drop it to your desired location.
1:42 am on March 20th, 2009 37
i seem to have lost the toolbars on classic view on autocad 2009, how do i get the basic toolbars back? iv searched everywhere on it but no luck!?!?!?
could you help please?
1:18 pm on March 23rd, 2009 38
Can you turn them on using the menu you get by right-clicking the QAT as mentioned above?
7:38 pm on March 27th, 2009 39
hi,,i have lost all the basic toolbars..n wen i click on the wheel i dnt hve the option autocad classic..kud u plzzzzzzzz help…thxxxx
10:32 pm on March 27th, 2009 40
Joy, it sounds as if you possibly don’t have the default acad.cui as your main menu. That’s a perfectly valid way to work, but only if you set things up like that on purpose! Enter the CUI command and see if you can see ACAD at the top level of the tree. If it is, then you can right-click on it and perform a restore or reset.
All this advice is provided as-is, for you to assess and use at your own risk, based on guesswork from very limited information. This is really the sort of thing you should have a local support person doing, such as a CAD Manager or support staff from your reseller.
12:43 am on April 1st, 2009 41
I cannot zoom or pan with the mouse scroll, is there a setting I have to set before using this elementary tool??
Thanks!
1:05 am on April 1st, 2009 42
MBUTTONPAN = 1, perhaps? If not, try changing your middle button assignment in Control Panel.
1:30 am on April 1st, 2009 43
Thanks!!
the problem awas linked to the configuration of the mouse in Control Panel…
6:17 pm on April 17th, 2009 44
Hi,
I have autocad architecture, successfully close all the ribbons as you suggested. But now having trouble to get the normal icon toolbars back (layer, draw, etc…) I clicked the QAT and found this long list of commands to choose, but then how to get those to the toolbars on the screen?
8:54 pm on April 17th, 2009 45
In AutoCAD, clicking the QAT should give you a Toolbars option, under which is list of CUI files, under each of which should be a list of toolbars. You should be able to just click on each one you need turned on. But I’ve never even seen AutoCAD Architecture, so maybe things are different there.
2:33 pm on May 22nd, 2009 46
I’ve been using acad2009 for a year now using “autocad classic”, and I would like to give the new ribbons a try. However, I might have accidentaly deleted the ribbons a while back during the time when I’m trying to figure out how to switch it to classic view. A note saying “The Ribbon does not have any tabs or panels currently loaded” everytime i switch the workspace to 2D Drafting & Annotation and 3D Modeling. How can I turn the ribbons up again? Appreciate the help. Thanks!
4:39 pm on May 22nd, 2009 47
Before you do anything, use the Options command’s Files tab to find out what your main CUI file is. I’ll assume here that you’re using acad.cui as your main. Make a safe copy of that acad.cui file. Now, in the CUI command, right-click on where it says Restore ACAD.CUI. Pick OK and see if that worked. You may need to restart AutoCAD and/or pick the workspace again. If that didn’t work, repeat the above but with Reset ACAD.CUI. Once you have a functional Ribbon, you may need to use the CUI Transfer tab to bring in any custom stuff from your safe copy of the old acad.cui to the restored acad.cui.
Or you could just use AutoCAD 2010, which has a better Ribbon.
6:59 am on July 13th, 2009 48
Dont get me wrong, change CAN be good. Ive been using Autocad since R10 and its just getting further out of my productive happy place. Admittedly Im using solidworks more and more but need to go back to Acad every now and then. These changes are just causing me to stay away longer next time.
I really need to get back to a familar UI.
Dazza
12:23 am on August 14th, 2009 49
the black borders (dark/light) in autocad 2009 are SOOO depressive.
Why i cant change these? this is really BAD
12:41 am on August 18th, 2009 50
How can I get the “area” command to list in feet and inches?
3:47 pm on August 19th, 2009 51
Rich, if you mean what I think you mean, use the Units command. If your units are set to an inch-based format (e.g. Architectural), then the Area command’s display will look like this:
Area = 47351.0 square in. (328.826 square ft.), Perimeter = 85′-1″
Is that what you’re after? This setting is stored in each drawing. You can change the units setting in your template drawing if you wish, but this will only affect new drawings you create, not existing ones.
7:51 pm on September 2nd, 2009 52
The ribbon is not good. It is a tool designed to make it look as though Autodesk are busy justifying their fees to users while the best use of OUR cash would be to speed the program up – not slow it down. I used to teach AutCAD and ADT when it was quicker-8 years ago! what are you guys playing about at? I am appaled at the state you have allowed this bag of nails to get into. Saving a ‘small’ drawing using ‘intelligent’ databasing features is driving me bananas WAITING for results as I did when I was using a machine with 4Mb of RAM 18 years ago. Get with the program people and pull your finger out-Or I will move to ArchiCAD permanently-even if it means changing my job…I feel THAT annoyed. I will no longer recommend your software.
11:05 pm on September 16th, 2009 53
I’ve been using 2009 in the classic configuration for a while now, and the only problem I’ve had is that interface will revert back to a default configuration every three or four months. Is there any way to prevent this?
12:10 am on September 18th, 2009 54
Thanks for the great tips.
I was having a hard time drafting on the white background at first.
9:42 pm on October 12th, 2009 55
How do you create a new custom menu? Is there a “cui” editor? Cmon guys, I need a lot of my old routines and commands. This 2010 stuff sux.
1:33 am on November 22nd, 2009 56
Thank you for all these infos. It was really helpfull.
Cheers
3:53 am on December 5th, 2009 57
Can you auto hide the whole ribbon when it sits on the top?
1:02 pm on December 15th, 2009 58
I lose the ” PAPER/MODEL”in the bottom and besides the ” layout1 and layout 2″ of the autoCAD !! So I can’t adjust my paper and just can edit my model onli… Sob… Help me ! Thanks
9:55 pm on December 16th, 2009 59
if you right click at the bottom, you can turn it back on by checking the paper/model option, or just use the tilemode system variable to switch back and forth. 1 is model space, 0 is paper space
11:46 pm on December 30th, 2009 60
When I loaded autocad 2009 version, toolbars do not show on the top? .
it says ” the ribbon does not have any tabs or panels loaded”
10:39 pm on January 5th, 2010 61
I am currently using acad 2009. All icons cannot be seen for some strange reason. Is there a way of restoring them without re-installing the software.
7:28 pm on January 20th, 2010 62
I am using AutoCAD 2009. I have saved a workspace, which appears in the customisation window, but every time I start up AutoCAD, no workspaces appear in the ‘Gear’ menu, and I have no ribbon tabs or panels.
What is going wrong here?
It takes me an hour to try to get back my previous settins each time. Im new to Autocad and love the software, but the learning process is taking so much longer because of this problem.
Is it a file path setting?
PLEASE, PLEASE advise, it is sooooooo frustrating.
Regards Chris
9:37 pm on January 20th, 2010 63
It’s hard to work out what’s going on there. There are lot of unknowns to do with how much you have changed things from the default arrangements (not that that’s a bad thing), but my first guess would be a corrupt Main CUI file.
If you’re just using acad.cui as the Main, and if you don’t have any customisation to lose that you’re not losing every day anyway, you could try a reset. enter CUI, right-click on ACAD near the top left and pick Reset ACAD.CUI. That should put things back to the default state, after which you can change a few things around, save a workspace, close AutoCAD and see if things have improved.
Please bear in mind that this is a long-range punt based on a lot of guesswork, and I can’t guarantee anything.
6:17 am on January 28th, 2010 64
Hey!!! omg this website saved me from a long assignment my teacher made me figure out what was wrong with his autocad and bam!!! i did thanks u rock my sox off
10:49 pm on January 30th, 2010 65
Always happy to be of service.
2:27 am on February 10th, 2010 66
I got frustrated trying to bring the ribbon back to normal untill I saw this…, Am a new user anyway…, Thanks alot.
1:14 am on February 17th, 2010 67
I’m finally getting around to using AutoCad 2009. Was perfectly content using 2006, but, alas, my Office is demanding I use 2009. I have it tweaked pretty well to look like 2006, but I have one more thing that’s driving me crazy! How do I get the Model/Paper button on the status bar to move from the right side to next to the other buttons (where it used to be on 2006)? Every time I go to use it, I hit the wrong button (LWT) and my blood pressure goes up. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
3:33 am on February 17th, 2010 68
Scott, I dont think you can relocate/rearrange the buttons on the statusbar unless you use a 3rd party app. If some does now how I would love to know, I have 2 additional toggles I would like to add (OSNAPZ and EDGEMODE).
6:09 am on February 17th, 2010 69
Thanks, Chris. I’ll keep looking.
12:50 pm on February 17th, 2010 70
I bet Owen Wengerd (manusoft.com) could do it, but I don’t think he has.
9:59 pm on February 17th, 2010 71
Owen does have an app to allow you to add items to the status bar, but it only adds them at the far right (that I know of) acadstatbutton.zip on his freebies page. He has posted comments here before, maybe he’ll stop by and set us all straight.
2:51 am on February 26th, 2010 72
I must have lucked out in an unintended command when tying to fast because now the Maximize and Restore Down button are in my workspace. Is there a toggle somewhere to move these buttons off of the current work space and back under the main’s minize buttons? I am using Autocad 2009 classic view.
11:57 am on February 26th, 2010 73
Donald, I only see those buttons in AutoCAD’s drawing area when the menu bar is turned off (MENUBAR 0).
1:42 pm on February 26th, 2010 74
Thanks you for the post and help everyone… Just upgraded from 2007. It must be nice to know you can change your software to any extent you wish just because people have to learn it in order to keep up. I dont want to turn this into a rant session but c’mon autodesk, this is rediculous. After using autocad for over 15 years this ribbon crap is too much. I love usually love new releases in software, I even liked Vista.
9:32 pm on March 11th, 2010 75
I am using autocad 2010 and I wanted to change the bacground color of the model space to black. I tried to follow the instructions you posted under background but the display tabs shows nothing. All it says is to select component, which i am not able to. please help.
9:40 pm on March 11th, 2010 76
I have never come across a situation where you can’t select things in the [Color...] section of the Display tab of Options. If that’s happening then it looks like something is broken in your AutoCAD installation and I can only suggest a repair install.
Please note that I have done an updated version of this post for AutoCAD 2010, but I don’t expect that will help in this case.
7:13 pm on April 14th, 2010 77
Yea Baby! Just the info I was looking for. I prefer to work in the “Classic” style and the info at this site is just what I need.
Thanks!
2:54 am on May 7th, 2010 78
I have both AutoCad Architectural 2000 & 2009. I tried to open 2000 just the other day and the 2000 screen popped up for about 2 seconds and the shut down. Is there some way to fix this problem?
3:11 pm on May 7th, 2010 79
Sorry Rob, I don’t have access to AutoCAD Architectural 2000 so I really have no idea. If it was working before on that PC and now isn’t, all sorts of things could have broken it in the meantime. Installing and uninstalling other apps, registry cleaners, anti-virus software, driver updates, hardware changes, all sorts of things. I suggest a repair install or reinstall of 2000 as one place to start.
11:52 pm on May 11th, 2010 80
Alright i was in my autocad 2009 and i clicked something on the left to try and view it another way. Now i cannot get back to my original state. My screen is completely white with my floor plan im working on. How can i get back to have the bars on the side and the file, view, etc on the top
8:58 am on May 12th, 2010 81
Maybe you hit the clean screen button? Hit it again, press Ctrl+0 (zero) or enter CLEANSCREENOFF.
11:39 am on May 18th, 2010 82
Thanks a lot for your help!!! I just installed the software and as soon as the new version runned I was shocked looking how the toolbars changed….Thanks for the “autocad classic gearwheel tip” the usual toolbar presentation is back!!!!!!!
4:15 pm on May 21st, 2010 83
thanks for the menubar tip, saved me to uninstalling my cad, ))
6:19 am on June 5th, 2010 84
Steve;
Just discovered your blog; excellent. You have the patience of a saint. Thank you.
12:11 am on July 11th, 2010 85
Nice tutorial man really helpful
8:08 pm on August 20th, 2010 86
hi, i have a simple qustion:i instulled AutoCad 2010.now i need to move the tools on top to side..? like tools of AutoCad of 2007&6..
so,plz giv me an option to do it..thank u.
9:38 am on August 23rd, 2010 87
See “Dashboard” above. Is that what you mean?
2:59 am on September 2nd, 2010 88
Some one please help!
I have a huge problem…
Autocad 2009 doesn’t show in the tool bar the layer of the selected object. It used to change and show in wich layer the object is. Do you think this is a bug? Or just a configuration trouble, i tryied to check in options, preferences, etc…
Please help!
Than you in advance!
L
10:47 am on September 3rd, 2010 89
Assuming you can actually select the objects (check PICKFIRST & PICKADD), I’m not sure what’s going on there. I haven’t seen that happen. If you’ve exhausted the configuration possibilities, you could consider a repair install.