Everyone knows to type CO and click twice. But when twenty piles have to be spaced evenly, or one detail copied to four places, clicking them one at a time eats an afternoon. The copy command in AutoCAD already has two branches that do the job in a single pass, and most people never meet either.
This article measures all three branches on AutoCAD 2027 at the Institute by counting the objects actually created. For the full set of editing commands see our AutoCAD for Construction course.
Where to start it
Read straight out of the acad.cuix interface file of the 2027 release on the machine.
| Command | Alias | Ribbon | Classic menu |
|---|---|---|---|
COPY | CO, CP | Home → Modify → Copy | Modify → Copy |
COPYCLIP | none | Home → Clipboard → Copy | Edit → Copy |
COPYBASE | none | Home → Clipboard → Copy Drop-down | Edit → Copy with Base Point |
PASTECLIP | none | Home → Clipboard → Paste | Edit → Paste |
PASTEORIG | none | Home → Clipboard → Paste Drop-down | Edit → Paste to Original Coordinates |
The two groups are quite different. COPY works inside one drawing. The other four go through the Windows clipboard, which is what you want when copying between drawings.
The line worth remembering is PASTEORIG. It pastes at the original coordinates in the new drawing, so both drawings keep the same relative position. A plain Ctrl+V leaves you to line it up by hand, and that is where a great many misaligned drawings begin.
Step by step on the command line
The middle column is copied verbatim from AutoCAD 2027.
| Step | What the program asks | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select objects: | Select the shape, then press Enter |
| 2 | Specify base point or [Displacement/Multiple] <Displacement>: | Click the base point |
| 3 | Specify second point or [Array] <use first point as displacement>: | Click where it should go |
The word in brackets at step 2 is worth noting. The 2027 release says Multiple, not mOde as older guides have it. Reading the actual prompt on your own machine remains the surest guide.
By default it makes one copy and stops
This is the part that quietly costs people time.
We measured it by giving each run its own layer and counting the objects on that layer. Run the command, give one base point and one destination: the layer holds 2 objects, the original and one copy. The command then ends.
To copy again you call the command again, reselecting the shape each time. Five copies means five runs.
The way out sits right there at step 2. It is the multiple option: type M and press Enter. The prompt changes to:
Specify second point or [Array/Exit/Undo] <Exit>:
From there every click makes another copy, as many as you like, and Enter finishes. We tried three destinations: the layer held 4 objects. One original, three copies.
Two more words in those brackets are worth knowing. Undo removes the copy you just placed without leaving the command, handy after a misclick. Exit is the default, so Enter alone ends it.
The array option: even spacing without clicking each point
This is the strongest branch and the least used. At step 3, type A and press Enter.
Enter number of items to array:
Specify second point or [Fit]:The first question hides a trap. We entered 5, then counted: the layer held 5 objects, not 6. The number you give includes the original. For five extra copies, enter 6.
After the number, the program asks for a second point. That point sets the spacing between neighbours, and the run continues at exactly that step.
If you do not know the spacing but do know where the last one goes, type F for the Fit option. The program then spreads the whole run from the base point to the point you pick.
We measured it: 4 items, F, and a point 3000 away. Reading back the four x-positions gave 0, 1000, 2000 and 3000. So the distance is divided by n minus one, not by n.
That figure is worth keeping in mind when spacing piles or bolts along a given length. Four of them along 3000 means a step of exactly 1000, and Fit works it out for you.
When to use COPY and when to use ARRAY
The two overlap, so choosing wrongly makes trouble later.
COPY with its Array option produces copies that are entirely independent. Editing one leaves the rest alone. That suits work where each copy will later be adjusted.
The ARRAY command produces a single associative array object: change the rows or columns and the whole set follows. That suits a layout still open to change. How it works is covered in our article on the array command.
One practical limit: COPY only spreads along one straight line, set by the two points you click. Rows and columns, or a circular pattern, need ARRAY.
Hatches copy like anything else, since a hatch is an ordinary object. The one difference is that the copy keeps the pattern origin, so if your hatch has to line up with a grid, check it after copying.
What the COPYMODE variable does
Autodesk sums the command up in one line on the COPY page for the 2027 release: "Copies objects a specified distance in a specified direction". The same page mentions a variable: "With the COPYMODE system variable, you can control whether multiple copies are created automatically".
We tried that variable on the machine, and the result is worth knowing in advance.
Set COPYMODE to 0 and run the command with two destinations in a row: the layer held only 2 objects, so it still stopped after the first copy. Set COPYMODE to 1 and repeat: still 2 objects. Reading the variable back gave the value we had set, 0 for 0 and 1 for 1.
The measurement has a control. In the same session, choosing Multiple and giving three destinations produced the full 4 objects, so the method does detect a change when there is one to detect.
The practical conclusion: do not rely on the variable, type M. It is the reliable route and it costs one keystroke.
Autodesk also explains the figure we measured for Fit: "Positions the final copy in the array at the specified displacement. The other copies are fit in a linear array between the original selection set and the final copy". The last copy lands where you pointed and the rest divide the gap, which is why the step is the distance over n minus one, exactly as 0, 1000, 2000, 3000 shows.
Which layer the copy lands on
This one spoils drawings quietly.
We measured it: set the current layer to something quite different from the original's layer, then copy. The copy keeps the layer, colour and linetype of the original; it does not take the current layer.
That sounds reasonable, but it has a consequence. Copying a detail out of someone else's drawing into yours brings their layer with it, even though you are standing on a different layer. That is how drawings acquire dozens of stray layers.
The fix is to select everything after copying and reassign the layer, or tidy up in the layer manager afterwards. Organising layers is covered in our article on layers in AutoCAD.
Three things people say that are not true
| What people say | What the 2027 release actually does |
|---|---|
| The command repeats by itself, just keep clicking | By default it makes one copy and ends. Type M to repeat |
| The number in the Array option is how many extra copies you get | Enter 5 and you end up with 5 shapes in total, so only 4 are new |
| The copy lands on the current layer | It does not. It keeps the original's layer and colour |
In short, the copy command in AutoCAD asks three questions, but the two words in brackets — Multiple and Array — are where the time is saved.
Frequently asked questions
What is the alias?
CO or CP. Both run COPY.
How do I make several copies in one run of the command?
At the base point prompt, type M and press Enter. Then click each place in turn and press Enter to finish.
How do I space copies evenly along a given length?
Type A at the second-point prompt, enter the number, then type F and click the far end.
If I enter 5 in the Array option, how many copies do I get?
Five shapes in total, so four new ones. The number includes the original.
How do I copy into another drawing and keep the coordinates?
Copy with Ctrl+C, then in the other drawing use PASTEORIG at Edit → Paste to Original Coordinates.
Why does my drawing keep gaining strange layers?
Because copies keep the original's layer. Copying from another drawing brings their layers along.