About Saving Drawings

Save drawing files or selected objects just as you do with other applications. You can also control automatic saves and backup files.

When you work on a drawing, you should save it frequently. Saving protects you from losing work in the event of a power failure or other unexpected event.

The file extension for drawing files is .dwg, and unless you change the default file format in the Options dialog box, drawings are saved in the latest drawing file format. By default, the program creates a backup file of the previous version of your drawing folder each time you save. Experienced users consider it a best practice to leave backups turned on.

Should you ever need to revert to the previous version, you can rename the .bak file that's in the same folder as your drawing to a file with a different name and a .dwg file extension.

Note: The character limit for a DWG file name (including its path) is 256 characters.

The QSAVE, SAVEAS, and SAVE Commands

Depending on what you want to accomplish, there are several useful differences between these commands.

• QSAVE. If the current drawing has already been saved at least once, the program saves the drawing and does not request a new file name. If the current drawing has never been saved, the Save Drawing As dialog box displays. The Save icons in the user interface all use the QSAVE command.
• SAVEAS. Saves a copy of the current drawing under a new file name or location. The new file name or location becomes the current drawing and the previous drawing closes without saving any changes to it.
• SAVE. In AutoCAD, if the drawing has been previously saved, saves the current drawing to the file name or location that you specify, but leaves the current drawing unchanged. In AutoCAD LT, the SAVE command is identical to the SAVEAS command.

Change the Default Drawing Folder

Each time you start the product, the last folder that you used for opening or saving a file is set as the default path in the standard file selection dialog box. Alternatively, you can specify a fixed default folder with the program shortcut icon in Windows. For specific instructions, see the topic To Change the Default Drawing Folder below.

Access Your Drawings Remotely

You can save and open specified drawing files online with Autodesk Web & Mobile, which is accessible from any of your internet-connected devices. The primary intent of this feature is for convenient access to your drawing files from remote devices as an alternative to emailing your drawing files to yourself.

The commands for saving and opening files from your online account are available from the Quick Access toolbar.

Drawing file sizes are limited depending on your account. Drawings in free accounts can be up to 10 MB in size.

When you upload a drawing with external references to your Autodesk Web & Mobile Account:

• The files are packaged in a compressed format (*.dwgzip) together with its referenced files. When an uploaded drawing package is unpackaged, it does not recreate a folder hierarchy. The drawing and its references are in a single folder.
• External references are limited to xrefs (.dwg files) and image files only. No other reference or support files are included in the package. If you need to modify a referenced drawing, save it separately to your Autodesk Web & Mobile Account.
• Online plotting is limited to PDF format.

Use the eTransmit feature to package a complete set of files and avoid missing files when sharing drawings with others outside of your company. However, when sharing copied files, remember that version control is minimally based on date and time. Modifying the same file simultaneously on multiple devices can lead to version control problems.

Note: This feature is available only on 64-bit systems.

Automatic Saves

By default, the program automatically saves your drawing 10 minutes after the last time it was saved. You can increase or decrease the time between automatic saves, or you can turn off automatic saving from the Options dialog box, Open and Save tab. Saves are normally incremental saves, which are noticeably faster than full saves in larger drawings. Incremental saves result in temporarily larger file sizes until a full save is triggered by the ISAVEPERCENT system variable, which optimizes the drawing's file size.

Note: To force a full save, set the ISAVEPERCENT system variable to 0 and save the drawing. Saving to a different format always results in a full save.

Manage the Size of Drawing Files

In some circumstances, the size of drawing files can become larger than expected. The following list provides you with common possibilities.

• Many incremental saves (refer to the ISAVEPERCENT system variable)
• Large hatches, especially if they have been exploded
• Large 3D meshes
• Unused DGN line styles or other orphaned data
• A large number of proxy objects
• A large number of block definitions or a few large-sized block definitions
• A large number of scales defined for layout viewports, page layouts, and plotting (refer to the SCALELISTEDIT command)
• A large number of layer filters (refer to the FILTERS command)
• A large number of registered applications

The PURGE or -PURGE commands will fix most of these problems. Additional steps you can take include the following:

• Use the AUDIT command to remove any corrupt objects
• Use the WBLOCK command, selecting all objects, and save them as a new drawing file
• Save the drawing in DXF format (ASCII option) for further investigation using a text editor (advanced)

A good practice is to create several smaller drawings. Use the XREF command to merge them into a master drawing, and then do your work in the smaller drawings.

Work Internationally

If you share drawing files with offices or companies in other countries and regions, the drawing file names might contain characters that are not used in other languages.

If a drawing file is created in a different language version of the operating system, the following will occur:

In either case, you will be able to open the drawing file in AutoCAD 2007-based products and later releases.

• If the language is installed, the file name characters are visible in Windows Explorer or File Explorer.
• If the language is not installed, the file name characters appear as a series of boxes in Windows Explorer or File Explorer, and a dialog box offers to install the language pack.

Note: If you share drawing files with companies using earlier releases of the product, you can avoid file name issues for Asian languages and languages that use accented characters. In those circumstances, do not use high ASCII values, or values of 80 hexadecimal and above, when creating a file name.