Migrate Custom Settings

If you install AutoCAD on a computer where a previous release of the product is installed, you can migrate some custom settings from the previous release to the new version.

Migration can be done manually or with the assistance of the Migrate Custom Settings dialog box. For information on which options you can migrate, or how to manually migrate your custom settings and files from a previous release, see Determine How to Migrate Custom Settings.

The Migrate Custom Settings dialog box includes the following options:

User Profiles

User profiles contains the settings for the drawing environment. These settings include the drawing window color, cursor size, command line window font, and the dictionary to use for checking spelling.

User profiles also include the folders in which AutoCAD searches for support, driver, customization, and other files. If you customized files in a location other than the default AutoCAD location, the path to the location is migrated. The files themselves in those locations do not get migrated.

NoteIf you have made changes to partial plotter configuration (PC3) files that are located in a custom folder, those files are migrated to the AutoCAD PC3 folder, which is located under your custom PC3 folder. PC3 files are migrated to a separate folder to maintain backward compatibility with previous AutoCAD releases.

CUI Files

The data from these files defines how the user interface elements in AutoCAD 2006 and later were arranged. These elements include: palettes, ribbon panels and tabs, menus, toolbars, and many others. Based on the release from which you are migrating, the Migrate Custom Settings dialog box will be looking for CUI or CUIx files.

NoteUser Profiles must be selected for migration in order to migrate CUI files.

MNU/MNS Files

The data from these files defines the user interface elements in AutoCAD 2005 and earlier. These elements include: toolbars, pull-down and image tile menus, and many others. The Migrate Custom Settings dialog box looks for MNS files first, and then MNU files.

NoteUser Profiles must be selected for migration in order to migrate MNU/MNS files.

User-Defined Icons

These files are typically referenced by commands stored in a CUI or CUIx file, and stored in the folder defined under the Custom Icon Location node on the Files tab of the Options dialog box.

NoteUser Profiles must be selected for migration in order to migrate user-defined icons.

User-Defined Tool Palette Files/Tool Palette Files

These files contain a set of user-defined and standard tools that shipped with AutoCAD.

NoteUser Profiles must be selected for migration in order to migrate tool palettes.

User-defined Tool Palette Files. Custom tool palette files that were created in AutoCAD 2009 and earlier can be migrated. However, tool palettes that are supplied with AutoCAD 2009 and earlier are not migrated.
If custom tools were added to a tool palette that shipped with AutoCAD 2009 or earlier, the tools are not migrated and need to be added back to the tool palettes that shipped with AutoCAD 2012.
Tool Palette Files. Tool palettes created or edited with AutoCAD 2010 or later can be migrated to AutoCAD 2012.

NoteIt is not recommended to copy tool palette (ATC) files between releases. Copying tool palette files from one release to another can potentially cause problems when migrating to a future release.

When migrating tool palettes, custom tool palette groups are merged with the default tool palette groups that come with AutoCAD.

Tool palette groups are stored in user profiles. You can see the default tool palette groups that ship with AutoCAD by switching to the <<AutoCAD 2012 Unnamed Profile>>.

NoteTool palette groups created with AutoCAD 2008 or later are migrated, but references to shipped AutoCAD tool palettes from an earlier release might be lost.

AutoCAD-Defined Line Files

The user-defined linetypes from these LIN files are added to a user-defined section of the file with the same name in the new release.

User-Defined Line Files

These LIN files are copied from the previous release to the new release.

AutoCAD-Defined Hatch Patterns

The user-defined hatch patterns from these PAT files are added to a user-defined section of the file with the same name in the new release.

User-defined Hatch Patterns

These PAT files are copied from the previous release to the new release.

My Material Library File

This file contains user favorite materials. This file represents the My Materials library in the Material Browser. Image files referenced by materials in a library are not moved or copied.

Acad.pgp

The user-defined command aliases from this file are added to the user-defined section of the file with the same name in the new release.

You cannot use the Migrate Custom Settings dialog box to migrate shell commands or comments that you made to your acad.pgp file.

List of Migrated Files

The following table lists the files and file types that are migrated with the Migrate Custom Settings dialog box. A description of each file and file details are also listed to help you decide if you want to migrate a file.

Files Migrated with the Migrate Custom Settings Dialog Box
File Name	File Description	Details
FavoriteMaterials.adsklib	Contains materials that are added to the My Materials library.	File is created and managed with the Materials Browser and is migrated.
*.atc	Defines a tool palette and its tools.	User-defined tool palettes, and new or changed tools on a standard AutoCAD tool palette are migrated if you are migrating from AutoCAD 2010 or later. User-defined tool palettes created in releases prior to AutoCAD 2010 are migrated, but not changes made to the shipping tool palettes.
*.arg	Used to back up user profile information from the system registry. The ARG file is not migrated. Registry settings are migrated.	Changes you make to your user profiles are stored in the system registry and are migrated.
*.lin	Stores your user-defined linetypes.	User-defined linetype files are migrated.
acad.lin	Contains standard linetype definitions (an AutoCAD library file).	The file itself is not migrated; however, any linetypes that you created in this file are migrated to the AutoCAD acad.lin file, in the User Defined Linetypes section of the file.
acadiso.lin	Contains metric linetype definitions (an AutoCAD library file).	The file itself is not migrated; however, any linetypes that you created in this file are migrated to the AutoCAD acadiso.lin file, in the User Defined Linetypes section of the file.
*.pat	Stores user-defined hatch patterns.	User-defined hatch pattern files are migrated.
acad.pat	Contains standard hatch pattern definitions (an AutoCAD library file).	The file itself is not migrated; however, any hatch patterns that you created in this file are copied to the AutoCAD acad.pat file, in the User Defined Hatch Patterns section of the file.
acadiso.pat	Contains metric hatch pattern definitions (an AutoCAD library file).	The file itself is not migrated; however, any metric hatch patterns that you created in this file are copied to the AutoCAD acadiso.pat file, in the User Defined Hatch Patterns section of the file.
acad.pgp	Stores shell commands and command alias definitions (a program parameters file in ASCII text form).	The file itself is not migrated; however, any command aliases you created in this file are copied to the AutoCAD acad.pgp file.
*.mnu	Contains menu customization from a release prior to AutoCAD 2006.	The file itself is not migrated; a copy of the file is created and converted into a CUIx file with the same name. The new CUIx file is stored in the same folder as the main CUIx file. An MNU file is converted when an MNS file with the same name is not found.
*.mns	Contains menu customization from a release prior to AutoCAD 2006.	The file itself is not migrated; a copy of the file is created and converted into a CUIx file with the same name. The new CUIx file is stored in the same folder as the main CUIx file. An MNS file is converted, whether or not an MNU file with the same name is present.
*.cui	Contains customization from AutoCAD 2006 through AutoCAD 2009.	The file itself is not migrated; a copy of the file is created and converted into a CUIx file with the same name. The new CUIx file is stored in the same folder as the main CUIx file. Enterprise CUI files are not automatically migrated. You must do so manually.
*.cuix	Contains customization from AutoCAD 2010 and later.	If the CUIx file is supplied with the product, the custom changes made to the file are migrated to the newer version of the CUIx file. If the CUIx file is not supplied with the product, the file is migrated and copied to the location of the main CUIx file, unless the CUIx file is in a network location. In that case, the file is migrated but is not copied to the location of the main CUIx file. Enterprise CUIx files are not automatically migrated. You must do so manually.

Before MNU, MNS, CUI, and CUIx files are migrated, a backup copy of each file is saved in the following directory:

(Windows XP) <drive>:\Documents and Settings\<user profile>\Application Data\Autodesk\<product version>\<release number>\<language>\Previous Version Custom Files
(Windows Vista or Windows 7) <drive>:\Users\<user profile>\Application Data\Autodesk\<product version>\<release number>\<language>\Previous Version Custom Files

NoteOther custom settings and files can be migrated using Autodesk migration tools. For more information, see Migration Tools.

To migrate custom settings when you start the AutoCAD

Start AutoCAD.
In the Migrate Custom Settings dialog box, Migrate Settings From drop-down list, select the AutoCAD release from which you want to migrate your custom settings.
In the Settings and Files to Migrate box, select the custom files that you want to migrate.
Click OK.
In the Migrate Custom Settings message, click OK to view the log file, or click No if you do not want to view the log file now.
NoteYou can view the log file at another time. For information about accessing the log file at another time, see View the Migration Log File.

Each time the Migrate Custom Settings dialog box is used, AutoCAD resets the program’s default CUIx file from the UserDataCache folder and then migrates any customization done in a previous release forward.

To migrate custom settings from the Start menu (Windows)

Do one of the following:
- (Windows XP) Click Start menu Programs Autodesk AutoCAD 2012 Migrate Custom Settings Migrate From a Previous Release.
- (Windows Vista and Windows 7) Click Start menu All Programs Autodesk AutoCAD 2012 Migrate Custom Settings Migrate From a Previous Release.
In the Migrate Custom Settings dialog box, Migrate Settings From drop-down list, select the AutoCAD release from which you want to migrate your custom settings.
In the Settings and Files to Migrate box, select the custom files that you want to migrate.
Click OK.
In the Migrate Custom Settings message, click OK to view the log file, or click No if you do not want to view the log file.

NotePull-down menus that are migrated from a MNU/MNS file to a CUIx file need to be added to a workspace.

View the Migration Log File

The migration log file (migration.xml) provides specific information about any settings or files that were not successfully migrated to AutoCAD.
Restore Profiles After Migrating Files from an Earlier Release

After you migrate your profiles from an earlier AutoCAD release, you can restore the default profile or reset a profile to use the default profile settings of the latest release.

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Migrate Custom Settings

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