It’s rare for the setting to get changed, but the SDI variable controls whether AutoCAD opens every drawing in a new session of AutoCAD, or allows multiple drawings to be opened in a single session. There are two settings to check if you run into this issue: Single Document Interface (SDI)Īlthough all current versions of AutoCAD can open multiple drawings at once, this hasn’t always been the case. The behavior most AutoCAD users expect is double-clicking a DWG file will do one of two things launch AutoCAD if it’s not already running, or open the DWG in an existing AutoCAD session.Īlthough all current versions of AutoCAD allow for multiple drawings to be open at once, some AutoCAD users have observed double-clicking a drawing from Windows Explorer will open the drawing in a new session of AutoCAD instead of an existing session of the application. I look forward to sharing some new tips & tricks I have been gathering for some time in some future blog posts, but first a quick tip for controlling the way AutoCAD drawings open when you double-click on a file from Windows Explorer.

Now that my upcoming book AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015: No Experience Required is off to the printers I can (hopefully) begin giving my blog the attention it deserves.

Autocad drawing