How to Use Ortho Mode in AutoCAD: Quick Guide

In AutoCAD, you can use Ortho Mode to restrict cursor movement to horizontal or vertical directions, making it easier to draw straight lines. Enable it by pressing F8 or clicking the Ortho Mode button on the status bar. When active, your drawing cursor will snap only along the X or Y axis.

Syntax

Ortho Mode in AutoCAD does not require a command with parameters. It is a toggle mode that you can turn on or off.

• F8: Keyboard shortcut to toggle Ortho Mode.
• Ortho Mode button: Click this button on the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window to toggle.

When Ortho Mode is ON, cursor movement is restricted to horizontal or vertical directions only.

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F8  // Press F8 key to toggle Ortho Mode on or off

Output

Ortho Mode toggled ON or OFF

Example

This example shows how to draw a straight vertical line using Ortho Mode.

1. Press F8 to enable Ortho Mode.
2. Start the Line command by typing LINE and pressing Enter.
3. Click a start point anywhere on the drawing area.
4. Move the cursor straight up or down; it will only move vertically because Ortho Mode is on.
5. Click to set the endpoint of the line.
6. Press Enter to finish the command.

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LINE
Specify first point: 0,0
Specify next point: 0,5
Specify next point or [Undo]: Enter

Output

A vertical line from (0,0) to (0,5) is drawn

Common Pitfalls

Some common mistakes when using Ortho Mode include:

• Trying to draw diagonal lines while Ortho Mode is ON, which is not possible because movement is restricted.
• Forgetting to turn off Ortho Mode, causing unexpected cursor behavior.
• Confusing Ortho Mode with Polar Tracking, which allows angled lines but is not restricted to just horizontal/vertical.

To fix these, remember to toggle Ortho Mode off (F8) when you need free cursor movement or angled lines.

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/* Wrong way: Trying to draw diagonal line with Ortho ON */
F8  // Ortho Mode ON
LINE
Specify first point: 0,0
Specify next point: 3,3  // Cursor snaps to either (3,0) or (0,3), not diagonal

/* Right way: Turn off Ortho Mode for diagonal lines */
F8  // Ortho Mode OFF
LINE
Specify first point: 0,0
Specify next point: 3,3  // Diagonal line allowed

Output

With Ortho ON, diagonal points snap to horizontal or vertical; with Ortho OFF, diagonal lines draw freely

Quick Reference

Action	Method	Effect
Toggle Ortho Mode	Press F8 key	Restricts cursor to horizontal/vertical movement
Toggle Ortho Mode	Click Ortho Mode button on status bar	Same as F8 key
Draw straight line	Use Line command with Ortho ON	Draws only horizontal or vertical lines
Draw angled line	Turn Ortho OFF (F8)	Allows free cursor movement for angled lines

Key Takeaways

Press F8 to toggle Ortho Mode on or off in AutoCAD.

Ortho Mode restricts cursor movement to horizontal and vertical directions only.

Use Ortho Mode to draw straight lines easily without diagonal movement.

Turn off Ortho Mode when you need to draw angled or diagonal lines.

The Ortho Mode button on the status bar also toggles this mode.