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.
Depending on what you want to accomplish, there are several useful differences between these commands.
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.
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.
In some circumstances, the size of drawing files can become larger than expected. The following list provides you with common possibilities.
The PURGE or -PURGE commands will fix most of these problems. Additional steps you can take include the following:
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.
Cloud storage has been increasing in popularity for reasons that include added accessibility, file security, and backup reliability.
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.