Drawings from other offices tend to arrive with dozens of lines on the wrong layer, text in the wrong size and every dimension in a different style. Fixing them one by one in the Properties palette takes an afternoon. The MATCHPROP command in AutoCAD does it in two clicks: one on an object that is right, one on an object that is wrong.
What few people mention is that the command copies more than the documentation says in some places, and less than users assume in others. This article walks through worked examples, each with before and after values. For the whole editing toolkit, the Institute runs an AutoCAD course for construction.
The MA command in AutoCAD: five ways in
The full name is MATCHPROP; the display name is Match Properties. Reading the 2027 alias file acad.pgp and interface file acad.cuix gives these routes.
| Route | Where |
|---|---|
| Type the full name | MATCHPROP |
| Aliases | MA, or PAINTER |
| Ribbon | Home → Properties → Match Properties |
| Classic menu | Modify → Match Properties |
| Toolbars | Standard → Match Properties, Standard Annotation → Match Properties |
So the MA command in AutoCAD and matchprop autocad are the same thing. PAINTER is a second alias; few people use it, but it works.
Step by step on the command line
The Autodesk documentation sums the command up in one line: "Applies the properties of a selected object to other objects." The middle column quotes the 2027 prompts verbatim.
| Step | The prompt | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select source object: | Pick one source object |
| 2 | Current active settings: Color Layer Ltype … | AutoCAD lists what it is about to copy; nothing to do |
| 3 | Select destination object(s) or [Settings]: | Pick each object to change |
| 4 | Select destination object(s) or [Settings]: | The prompt repeats after each pick; press Enter to finish |
Made a mistake? Type U once and the whole MATCHPROP run is undone, however many objects it changed. The run before it stays as it was.
Copy properties in AutoCAD: reading the active settings line
At step 2, the 2027 release prints this line verbatim:
Current active settings: Color Layer Ltype Ltscale Lineweight Transparency Thickness PlotStyle Dim Text Hatch Polyline Viewport Table Material Multileader Center objectThose are the seventeen items that will be copied. The first eight are what Autodesk calls basic properties: color, layer, linetype, linetype scale, lineweight, transparency, thickness and plot style. The rest are special properties, which only take effect when source and destination belong to the same family: dimension to dimension, hatch to hatch, text to text (single-line and multiline text count as one family).
The property settings dialog
Type S at step 3 to open the property settings dialog, where you untick anything you do not want copied. Autodesk states the default plainly: "By default, all object properties are selected for copying."
Say you want to copy properties in AutoCAD only to put objects on the right layer while keeping a colour assigned by hand. Untick Color and leave Layer ticked. For keeping layers tidy in the first place, see our article on layers in AutoCAD.
Example 1: a line and a circle matched to a line
The source line sits on layer L-DO, color 1 (red), linetype DASHED, linetype scale 5, lineweight 0.50 mm, transparency 40. The two destinations are a line and a circle, both on layer 0 with everything ByLayer.
- Type
MA, Enter. - Pick the source line.
- Pick the destination line, pick the circle, Enter.
| Property | Line before | Line after | Circle after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layer | 0 | L-DO | L-DO |
| Color | ByLayer | 1 | 1 |
| Linetype | ByLayer | DASHED | DASHED |
| Linetype scale | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Lineweight | ByLayer | 0.50 mm | 0.50 mm |
| Transparency | ByLayer | 40 | 40 |
The circle is a different object type from the source line, yet it takes all six properties. Its radius of 500 stays the same. A third line lying next to them, never picked, stays on layer 0.
Example 2: text matched to a sample text
This is where the command copies more than the documentation says. Autodesk describes the Text item as one that "changes the text style and annotative properties". On the 2027 release the results are as follows.
First source text: style S2 (Arial font), height 300, width factor 0.8, Middle Center justification, content "NGUON". Destination text: style Standard, height 100, width factor 1, left-justified, content "DICH".
Second source text: style S2, height 300, rotated 30°, obliqued 15°. Destination: rotation 0°, oblique 0°.
| Text property | Copied? | Result on the destination |
|---|---|---|
| Text style | Yes | Standard → S2 |
| Height | Yes | 100 → 300 |
| Width factor | Yes | 1 → 0.8 |
| Rotation | Yes | 0° → 30° |
| Oblique angle | Yes | 0° → 15° |
| Justification | No | still left |
| Content | No | still "DICH" |
Copied rotation is the one to watch. Use a label rotated along a wall as the source for horizontal labels and the horizontal labels rotate too. Pick a horizontal text as the source instead.
It also works between single-line and multiline text. The 300-high source text turns a 100-high MTEXT into style S2, height 300. The other way round, an MTEXT in style S2, height 250, as the source turns a destination TEXT into S2, height 250.
Across families only basic properties pass. The source text on layer L-CHU, color 3, applied to a line changes just the line's layer and color. The other way round, the DASHED source line applied to a text changes the text's layer, color and linetype, while its style and height stay put.
Example 3: dimensions, hatches and polylines
Dimensions. The source dimension uses dimension style D-IIC (text height 200, arrows 150). The destination uses Standard. After one MATCHPROP run the destination uses D-IIC, text height 200, arrows 150. Setting up dimension styles is covered in our article on dimensions in AutoCAD.
Hatches. The source hatch uses pattern ANSI31, scale 50, angle 45°. The destination uses ANSI37, scale 20, angle 0°. Afterwards the destination is ANSI31, scale 50, angle 45°, and still associative with its boundary. For the hatch origin, Autodesk points elsewhere: "To match the hatch origin, use Inherit Properties in HATCH or HATCHEDIT." See also our article on the HATCH command.
Polylines. The source polyline has a width of 50 and linetype generation switched on. The destination has width 0 and linetype generation off. Afterwards the destination has width 50 and linetype generation on. Both properties are explained in our article on polylines in AutoCAD.
Three things match properties in AutoCAD will not change
A destination on a locked layer. Pick it at step 3 and AutoCAD answers verbatim:
Destination object on a locked layer. Cannot be updated.The object stays as it was, and the command keeps waiting for other picks. Unlock the layer and run it again.
Dimension text overrides. The source dimension has a text height override of 250 and a text override of L=<>, so it shows L=2000.0000. Applied to a destination dimension, the height of 250 comes across but the L= does not: the destination still shows 2000.0000. So match properties in AutoCAD copies overrides of appearance, not overrides of content. To copy content as well, use the Institute's LISP for editing many texts and dimensions from a sample.
Objects inside a block. Pick a block as the destination and only the block reference itself changes: layer L-DO, color 1, linetype DASHED. The objects inside the block are not touched, and one with a colour assigned by hand keeps it. To change the inside, edit the block definition; see our article on editing blocks.
MATCHPROP or the Properties palette
The two tools do the same kind of job but suit different situations.
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| A correct object already exists in the drawing | MATCHPROP |
| You need a value that exists nowhere yet, such as a new layer | The Properties palette |
| Several special properties of text, dimensions or hatches at once | MATCHPROP |
| Exactly one property, leaving everything else alone | The Properties palette, or MATCHPROP with Settings unticked |
| Text content and dimension text overrides | The STM LISP |
The MATCHPROP command in AutoCAD is at its best when the drawing already holds an object that is right. You never need to remember the layer name, colour number or dimension style; you just point at the correct one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MA command in AutoCAD?
It is the alias for MATCHPROP, which copies properties from one source object to others. PAINTER is a second alias.
Does MATCHPROP copy text content?
No. It copies text style, height, width factor, rotation and oblique angle, but keeps the content and the justification.
Why did my text rotate after MATCHPROP?
Because the source text was rotated. Rotation is copied to the destination; use a horizontal text as the source.
Why does MATCHPROP say Cannot be updated?
The destination is on a locked layer. Unlock the layer and run the command again.
How do I copy the layer but not the color?
At the destination prompt, type S to open the Property Settings dialog and untick Color.
How do I undo a wrong match?
Type U once. The whole MATCHPROP run is undone, however many objects it changed.