Skip to content

There are two basic methods for copying and moving objects between drawings: copy and paste (or cut and paste), and OLE drag and drop.

Cut and Paste

You can use the Windows clipboard to transfer objects between drawings.

  1. Select the objects in the source document that you want to copy or move.
  2. Select Edit / Copy (Ctrl+C), or Edit / Cut (Ctrl+X). This places a copy of the objects on the Windows clipboard. Copy leaves the source objects in place, while Cut removes them.
  3. Activate the target document by clicking in its window or on its title bar, or by choosing it from the Window menu.
  4. Select Edit / Paste (Ctrl+V). The objects will be pasted from the Windows clipboard into the target document. The pasted objects will appear at the center of the target document window.

Drag and Drop

OLE drag and drop provides a simple and intuitive way to copy objects between drawings. You can drag objects from one drawing window into another, and you can drag objects stored in block and symbol libraries from their palette into another drawing.

  1. Select the objects that you want to drag into another drawing.
  2. Place the cursor over the reference point of the selection, and it becomes a double arrow.
  3. Drag the selected objects into the window of the target document. An outline of the selection will follow the mouse cursor as you drag. Release the mouse button to place the objects.

Warning: The behavior of snap modes is slightly unusual when you are moving an object using OLE drag and drop. It is therefore not a recommended method for moving objects that require precise placement.

To drag blocks and symbols, simply drag them from their palette into the target drawing window.