Issue
You are wanting to migrate your old workspace, but aren't exactly sure how.
There are 3 common reasons people have the need to migrate workspaces within CAD.
- New Computer.
- You would like to transfer your workspaces from your old computer to the new one.
- Office Standards.
- An office-wide standard has been implemented.
- Upgrading to a Newer Version.
- You have recently downloaded a newer version of CAD and it’s set to defaults.
Solution
Transferring Between Same Versions (2020 to 2020)
For a new computer or office standards, the workflow would be as follows:
- Export Settings from AutoCAD – Windows Start – AutoCAD 20xx – “Export AutoCAD 20xx Settings”
- Import Settings – same area, except “Import AutoCAD 20xx Settings”
If it's company-standard settings, you can get the .zip file from a colleague and "Import Settings" to get the same outcome.
Same Computer - Transferring Between Different Versions (2019 to 2020).
When upgrading AutoCAD versions on the same computer (provided you haven’t uninstalled the previous version), you will be asked if you would like to migrate settings (as below).
If you have multiple versions, you can select from them in the dropdown menu if need be.
If that dialog box didn’t come up (happens sometimes), you can go to the same area as the “Export Settings” but this time click on “Migrate From A Previous Release” and it’ll bring up a dialogue box and ask to accept the migration from a previous version.
If you have already uninstalled the previous versions before this step, you can import using the same steps as above, however, had you not exported the settings or have an office-standard workspace you can import, those settings would be lost once you uninstalled.
It is highly recommended that you export those settings for safe-keeping before uninstalling your CAD versions.
Transferring Between Different AutoCAD-Based Products.
If you need to transfer between different AutoCAD products (LT to CAD, Mech to Arch, etc.), between different computers (or the same computer), you will need to do so through CUI manipulation.
The process is described by Autodesk here, including a screenshot: How to transfer workspaces between different versions of AutoCAD | AutoCAD | Autodesk Knowledge Network
Additional Information
Resetting AutoCAD to Default
This can also be a handy workflow for resetting CAD to default. If you notice your CAD starting to act up after importing a workspace, or perhaps working one day but not the next, it may be worth cross-checking:
- CAD Updates.
- Is your CAD updated to the latest version?
- You can download the latest version from either the Autodesk Desktop App or through the Management Portal – manage.autodesk.com
- Windows Updates.
- Type “Windows Updates” in the Windows Search Bar
- Graphics Card Updates.
- Test by turning off Hardware Acceleration by typing in – “GRAPHICSCONFIG" - in the command line and retesting. If it starts to act appropriately, check to see if your graphics card needs an update.
If you notice performance issues on every file and it’s not isolated to just one file, export your settings (as described above) and then reset CAD to defaults.
Test those same files again and compare. It may be something within that workspace. Send it to us and we can try to isolate the reasoning behind it or escalate further to Autodesk.
Sometimes the “Reset Settings to Default” or “Migrate From a Previous Release” is missing on some installs if that’s the case for you follow the following Autodesk Article to fix this bug: https://autode.sk/2N2irne
As with everything, if you are having any issues with the above, please send through a support ticket with as much detail as possible and include screenshots if it helps you describe the situation better.
You can log a support ticket here: https://support.a2ktechnologies.com.au/hc/en-au/requests/new