Exporting and importing settings using an ARG file

Issue:
You would like to understand the process of Exporting and Importing ARG files in AutoCAD-based products

Exporting a good ARG file.

  1. Set up AutoCAD following your pre-set instructions (pathing, tool palettes, templates, etc.).
     
  2. Once set up and confirmed as working correctly, I typically close and then re-open AutoCAD to ensure all the settings are there and it’s still working as desired.
     
  3. In AutoCAD, with a blank drawing open type in OPTIONS and hit Enter or click on the down arrow next to the Red “A” in the upper left and select Options:
  4. In AutoCAD Options dialog box, navigate to the Profiles Tab, and confirm the Current Profile is the same as the selected Profile in the Available Profiles box, then Add to List

     
  5. Put in a name and click Apply and Close (I used Example)

     
  6. Click on the new Profile Name (Example) then click Export

     
  7. Save the file, and be sure to keep the name (so when we create a shortcut, we have the right one)
     

     
  8. That’s it, you now have a custom profile that contains all your pathing and settings for future use.

 

Importing or using the ARG file we created.

We have two methods to trigger the ARG and create the settings, both methods are below.

 

  1. Desktop Shortcut method
    1. Initial Creation
      1. Right mouse click on the current desktop icon and select Properties:

         
      2. Copy the entire line in the Target box:

         
      3. Paste that into Notepad (we need to know what it is for the next steps)
      4. Now we add a /p switch and the location of the ARG file:
        Before:
        "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2022\acad.exe"  /product ACAD /language "en-US"

        After:
        "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2022\acad.exe" /p "C:\Autodesk\Example.arg" /product ACAD /language "en-US"

         
      5. Now copy the line with the bold section to the clipboard, then right mouse click on the desktop or a folder and select Create New Shortcut:


        Then paste the copied text into the Location of the item text


        The name it something you can easily find:

        Click Finish and you are done.

         
      6. Now, when I use that Icon and Launch AutoCAD 2022.
        Profiles Before (new install):

        Profiles After:

         
    2. Using icon, this icon can be used anytime to bring up that profile.
       
  2. Importing the ARG
    1. Open AutoCAD
    2. Go into Autodesk Options
    3. Navigate to the Options Tab and click Import:


      Navigate to the location of the ARG file and open.

       
    4. After opening, confirm the name is correct:

      Then click Apply and Close

       
    5. Highlight the Profile and Click Set Current

      Click OK and that profile should be set and ready for use.

About the Author

Ryan Wunderlich

Sr. Technical Support Specialist<br><br>An AutoCAD Certified Professional, Ryan is responsible for taking client cases and assisting with issues with the software - everything from regular glitches to software deployments and whatever else goes wrong. He's proficient in AutoCAD (including customization), VBA, LISP, and Civil 3D.

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