Move a cluster of geometry exactly 2500 across and 1500 up. It sounds trivial, yet a great many people finish the command, see the shape sitting in the wrong place, and press undo to start again.
The move command in AutoCAD offers two ways of declaring how far to go, and the confusion sits precisely on the second question it asks. This article measures both routes on the same shape, copies the prompt sequence verbatim, and shows why shapes land in the wrong place. 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 and the acad.pgp alias file of the 2027 release.
| Way in | What to use |
|---|---|
| Full command | MOVE |
| Alias | M |
| Ribbon | Home → Modify → Move |
| Classic menu | Modify → Move |
| Toolbar | Modify → Move |
A single-letter alias makes this one of the fastest commands to type. Two commands that go with it, from the same files:
| Command | Alias | Ribbon |
|---|---|---|
COPY | CO, CP | Home → Modify → Copy |
3DMOVE | 3M | none |
The steps on the command line
Copied verbatim from AutoCAD 2027.
Command: M
MOVE
Select objects: 1 found
Select objects:
Specify base point or [Displacement] <Displacement>:
Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>:| Step | What it asks | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select objects: | Pick the geometry, then Enter |
| 2 | Specify base point or [Displacement] <Displacement>: | Click a base point, or type D |
| 3 | Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>: | Click the destination, or press Enter |
How you drag the box at step 1 decides whether you catch everything, and that is covered in our article on selecting objects in AutoCAD.
A displacement and the base point: two routes, one result
This is where it gets muddled, so it is worth measuring. Take a 2000 × 1000 rectangle whose bottom-left corner sits at 1000, 1000. Move it 2500 across and 1500 up, by two different routes:
| Route | What was done | Corner afterwards | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two points | base 1000,1000, destination 3500,2500 | 3500, 2500 | 2500 and 1500 |
Displacement | type D, then 2500,1500 | 3500, 2500 | 2500 and 1500 |
Two entirely different ways of declaring it, landing on exactly the same spot. Which to use depends on the job: two marks already on the drawing call for two points, a known distance calls for a displacement.
Why a shape lands in the wrong place
Cause number one is pressing Enter at the second prompt, and it comes with a figure.
The prompt Specify base point or [Displacement] <Displacement>: carries its default inside the angle brackets, and that default is Displacement. Press Enter to hurry through and the program stops reading what you type next as a destination coordinate and starts reading it as a distance.
The same rectangle with its corner at 1000, 1000, and the same figure 3500,2500 typed in.
| How it was declared | Corner afterwards |
|---|---|
Properly: base 1000,1000, destination 3500,2500 | 3500, 2500 |
Enter at step 2, then 3500,2500 | 4500, 3500 |
The lower row is out by exactly 1000 both ways, because the shape moved by 3500 and 2500 from where it stood rather than to those coordinates. Autodesk's page on moving an object using a displacement describes that mechanism, and its key instruction is short: "At the prompt for the second point, press Enter."
Object snap switched off is the second cause. To land a shape exactly on an existing corner, snapping has to be on, otherwise you are clicking by eye and land a few units out. On the test drawing OSMODE read 0, meaning no snap mode at all — F3 brings it back. Snapping is covered in our article on object snap in AutoCAD.
One thing is widely repeated and is not true, so it is worth saying plainly: ortho mode does not help when you type coordinates. With ORTHOMODE set to 1, moving from 1000,1000 to 3500,2500 still lands on exactly 3500, 2500, the same as with ORTHOMODE at 0. Ortho constrains points picked with the mouse, and leaves typed coordinates alone.
Relative coordinates and two other ways of declaring the destination
The same move of 2500 across and 1500 up can be typed three different ways, and all three measure to the same spot.
| Typed at the destination | Meaning | Corner afterwards |
|---|---|---|
3500,2500 | the absolute coordinate of the destination | 3500, 2500 |
@2500,1500 | measured from the base point just picked | 3500, 2500 |
D at step 2, then 2500,1500 | a displacement declared directly | 3500, 2500 |
Relative coordinates with @ are the tersest route when you know the distance and would rather not work out the destination. Entering coordinates is covered in our article on entering coordinates in AutoCAD.
Working with the mouse is different again: click the base point on an existing corner with snapping on, then click the destination on the corner it has to meet. No figures needed, and it is the quickest route when both marks exist on the drawing.
Choosing between them is a matter of what the drawing already gives you. A column that has to sit on a grid intersection wants two picked points, because the intersection is already there and no arithmetic can beat snapping to it. A detail that has to shift a stated distance off its neighbour wants a displacement, because the distance is the thing you were given and the destination is not.
The parts few people reach for
The command does not change size, and that is the most important distinction. In the same run the rectangle stayed 2000 × 1000 and the circle kept its radius of 300. Stretching one direction is a different job, covered in our article on the scale command in AutoCAD.
The dragmode variable reads 2, meaning the geometry shows as a ghost following the cursor while it moves. Set it to 0 and the ghost disappears, which makes a very heavy drawing feel lighter. On a documentation file of several thousand objects that setting is the difference between a smooth drag and a stuttering one.
Nothing gets selected and the command still runs. Type M, press Enter at Select objects: with nothing picked, and the command line prints nothing beyond the prompt itself before returning to Type a command. No error, no complaint, no message of any kind. That silence is why a move sometimes appears to have done nothing at all, and why the count printed after each pick, 1 found, is the thing worth watching before pressing Enter.
STRETCH turns into a move in one case, and knowing that saves a lot of undo. If the crossing window catches every definition point in the selection, STRETCH stretches nothing and simply moves the lot. In a separate measurement all four objects — a rectangle, a circle, a line of text and a block reference — moved exactly 2000 without a single unit of size change.
Several moves can be folded into one undo step. Type UNDO and choose Begin, do the moves, then UNDO and choose End. One press of U afterwards reverses the whole run. How undo works is covered in our article on undo in AutoCAD.
Moving between drawings
MOVE works inside one drawing only. Going to another drawing means copy and paste, and the paste has to carry a base point, or the geometry lands somewhere arbitrary.
Select the geometry, press Ctrl+Shift+C to copy with a base point, then Ctrl+V in the other drawing. It differs from plain Ctrl+C in exactly one respect: it asks for the base point, so the paste can be placed precisely.
Three things people say that are not true
| What people say | What the 2027 release actually does |
|---|---|
Typing D then a coordinate sends the shape to that coordinate | D means a distance, not a destination |
| Moving shifts sizes slightly | The rectangle stayed 2000 × 1000 and the circle kept its radius of 300 |
| Ortho mode constrains a move declared by typed coordinates | With ORTHOMODE at 1, moving to 3500,2500 still lands on 3500 and 2500 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest way to use the move command in AutoCAD accurately?
Turn object snap on, click the base point on an existing corner, then click the destination on the corner it has to meet. No figures to type and nothing to work out.
What is the alias?
M, a single letter, according to the acad.pgp of the 2027 release.
What is the D option at the second prompt for?
For declaring the distance directly instead of picking two points. Type D then 2500,1500 and the shape moves 2500 across and 1500 up.
Why does the shape fly off when I press Enter?
Because the default at the second prompt is Displacement. Press Enter and then type a coordinate, and that figure is read as a distance.
How do I move geometry to another drawing?
Use Ctrl+Shift+C to copy with a base point, then Ctrl+V in the other drawing. MOVE cannot cross between drawings.
The shape only moves horizontally and vertically, never diagonally?
Ortho mode is on; press F8. Note that it only constrains points picked with the mouse — typed coordinates still go diagonally.