Delete key does not work in AutoCAD

To resolve this problem, s et the PICKFIRST system variable to 1. When PICKFIRST is set to 0, selected objects are not erased when you press Delete. Set PICKFIRST to 1 to enable noun-verb selection:

1. Enter pickfirst on the command line.
2. Enter 1 at the prompt.

You can now select objects and press Delete to erase the selected objects.

If the issue is hardware related, disconnect and reconnect your keyboard or try a different keyboard.

Additional information

The PICKFIRST system variable affects the selection of objects for almost all commands, and it is the system variable that is changed when you toggle the noun/verb selection setting.

When PICKFIRST is set to 0, you invoke the command first, and then select the objects to which you want to apply the command.

When PICKFIRST is set to 1 (default), you can either:

• Invoke the command first, and then select the objects to which you want to apply the command.
• Select the objects first, and then invoke the command to apply to the selected objects.

With the Sysvar (System Variable) Monitor in AutoCAD 2016 (and newer) products, you can configure a list of system variables whose modifications will cause an alert at the command line, or also with a balloon notification. Pickfirst is a good choice to have monitored by this tool, as its effects are far-reaching within AutoCAD.