Lesson 2: View

View

Move around your drawing and see different parts of it easily. You can also work on your drawings even when you’re not at your main computer.

Using the Mouse to Pan and Zoom

The easiest way to move around your drawing is with your mouse wheel:

• Pan (move the view) by pressing down the wheel and dragging the mouse in any direction.
• Zoom in or out by rolling the wheel forward or backward.

Tip: Your cursor acts like a magnifying glass. When you zoom in, AutoCAD focuses on the spot under your cursor. So if you want to zoom into a specific area, place your cursor there first.

Go Back to a Previous View

Want to step back to a view you had earlier? Here’s how:

1. Type Z in the command line (Z is short for ZOOM)
2. Press Enter
3. Type P (for Previous)
4. Press Enter

This will bring back the previous view. You can repeat these steps to keep going back through earlier views.
This is often written as: Enter the ZOOM command > choose Previous option.

Other Useful Zoom Options

• Window: Lets you draw a box around the area you want to zoom in on.
• Extents: Automatically zooms out to show everything in your drawing.

These are part of the ZOOM command and come in handy when your drawing is very large or you’ve lost track of something.

Work on Your Drawings from Anywhere

Sometimes you need to open or edit a drawing while you’re not at your office computer—maybe you’re on a job site, at a meeting, or traveling.

With your AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT subscription, you can:

• Use your main computer with AutoCAD installed
• Use another computer via a web browser with the AutoCAD web app
• Use your phone or tablet with the AutoCAD mobile app

Tip: Use Save to Web & Mobile to store your drawing online, and Open from Web & Mobile to open it later from another device.

How to Access Drawings Remotely

Here’s how to work from another location:

• On your phone or tablet: Download the AutoCAD mobile app, then sign in with the same Autodesk ID you use on your main computer.
• On another computer: Open your browser (Chrome or Firefox) and go to https://web.autocad.com, then log in.

Use Cloud Storage to Stay Connected

If you store your files on a cloud service like OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, or Google Drive, AutoCAD can help you access them quickly.

Here’s how:

• In the file dialog box, look on the left panel (called the Places bar)
• You’ll often see your cloud accounts listed automatically
• If not, right-click in the Places bar and add a shortcut with a name and the path to your cloud folder

This way, your drawings are always just a few clicks away—wherever you are.