How to Reset AutoCAD and Inventor to Default Settings

Very rarely do we get a do-over in life. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a reset button that would give us a fresh start? Well, the good news for AutoCAD and Inventor users is that such a tool does exist for us.

Why Use the Reset Tool?

Have you ever accidentally changed a setting, and you don’t know how or which one it was, you just know that AutoCAD is not behaving the way it used to? Or maybe you were doing some customization in the menu system, and now you can’t get back to a good working menu. Other common symptoms that a reset can fix include:

• Toolbars, ribbons, or palettes missing or corrupted
• Dialog boxes not appearing after launching a command
• Inventor working fine for one Windows user but not another on the same machine
• Add-in commands that are grayed out or disabled
• Import/export commands not functioning correctly

The AutoCAD/Inventor reset tool is designed to help you recover quickly and easily from these types of events. The AutoCAD “Reset Settings to Default” tool can be used to bring your AutoCAD and AutoCAD-based products back to a “just installed” default condition. 

Resetting AutoCAD to Default Settings

The Reset Settings to Default tool works for AutoCAD and all AutoCAD-based products, including AutoCAD Electrical, Mechanical, Civil 3D, and others. It restores your installation to a "just finished" condition for the current Windows user account.

Note: Each Windows user account has its own AutoCAD settings. The reset only affects the account that's currently active. To reset settings for a different user, log in as that user first.

Steps for AutoCAD

1. Close your AutoCAD or AutoCAD-based product (Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, etc) completely before proceeding.
2. Open the Windows Start menu and search for "Reset Settings to Default". Select the result that corresponds to your version of AutoCAD.
   
3. Next, you will see a warning message stating that all custom settings and files will be removed and restored to their original installed state (see image below). You have two options here. First, you have the opportunity to back up all your custom settings and files to a ZIP file. This file can then be used to restore your custom settings in the event that the reset does not give you the desired outcome. I highly recommend doing this, as it gives you something to fall back on and does not take that much space on disk. The second option performs the reset without doing a backup. Either option will result in the program launching the AutoCAD-based application with a clean slate.
   
4. Once you confirm, AutoCAD will launch automatically with a clean default configuration.

*Tip: If multiple versions of AutoCAD are installed, Windows may group the "Reset Settings to Default" shortcuts. If you don't see the right version in search results, navigate directly to "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\AutoCAD 20xx" to find the correct shortcut.

Manual reset (for older versions or when the tool doesn't work)

If you're on an older version or the automated tool doesn't fully resolve your issue, a manual reset is the next step. This involves renaming the AutoCAD profile folder in your AppData directory and a corresponding registry key, which forces AutoCAD to rebuilt both from scratch on next launch. Because this touches the Windows registry, it should only be done by someone comfortable with those steps, or with IT support.    

Resetting Inventor to Default Settings

Inventor also includes a Reset Utility that covers all current versions. Unlike AutoCAD's built-in reset, the Inventor Reset Utility is available under the "Tools" program group folder under the Inventor Program Group in the Windows Start Menu and is a built-in utility available as far back as 2020.

Important: The Inventor Reset Utility does not offer a built-in backup option. Before running it, manually back up your Inventor Application Options and any customized settings. Exporting your Application Options from within Inventor (Tools > Application Options > Export) is the easiest way to do this.

Steps for Inventor

1. Close Inventor completely.
2. Back up your Application Options manually before proceeding (see the warning above).
3. Disable Windows User Account Control (UAC) temporarily before running the utility. Autodesk recommends this to avoid permission issues during the reset process.
4. Run the Inventor Reset Utility from the Windows Start area. It is typically found in the Programs list, under the Autodesk Inventor 20xx\Tools subfolder. (For versions prior to 2016 the utility is available for download from the web)
5. Next, you will be presented with the list of versions installed on the machine and which one(s) you want to reset. Choose the version and hit the Reset button.
6.  The next time you launch Inventor it will start up fresh, like the day you first installed it. 

Manual reset for Inventor

A manual reset is also available and is sometimes more reliable. This involves renaming two Inventor-related folders in your AppData directory and two registry keys in the Windows Registry Editor. When Inventor launches again, it recreates all of these from scratch. As with AutoCAD, back up your settings first and proceed carefully if you're touching the registry.

Which Reset Method Should You Use?

For most users, the automated tools (AutoCAD's built-in reset or the Inventor Reset Utility) will solve the problem quickly. If those don't fully resolve the issue, the manual reset method should do it, and because you're renaming rather than deleting, you can easily reverse course if needed.

Both approaches are straightforward when followed step by step, and can get you back up and running in no time.