AutoCAD ZOOM Command: Zoom Extents, Window and More
Enlarges or reduces the view without changing the drawing itself.
- Command
- ZOOM
- Aliases
- Z
- English name
- Zoom
The AutoCAD ZOOM command changes how large the drawing appears on screen. The actual size of the objects never changes; only your viewing distance does. Typing Z is the fastest way to start it.
The most used option is Extents: type Z, press Enter, then E to fit every object on screen. Window zooms to a rectangle you pick, and Previous goes back to the last view.
Rolling the mouse wheel also zooms, centered on the cursor position. Double-clicking the wheel does the same as ZOOM Extents.
How to use it
- Type ZOOM or Z and press Enter.
- Enter E (Extents) to fit the whole drawing on screen.
- Choose W (Window) and pick two corners to zoom into a specific area.
- Use P (Previous) to go back to the previous view.
- Press Enter with no option for real-time zoom, and press Esc to exit it.
Options
- Extents
- Zooms to show all objects in the drawing.
- All
- Shows all objects and the drawing limits, whichever is larger.
- Window
- Fills the screen with a rectangle you specify by two corners.
- Previous
- Returns to the previous view; can be repeated.
- Object
- Zooms so the selected objects appear as large as possible.
- Scale
- Zooms by a factor; 2X is relative to the current view and 2XP is relative to paper space units.
Notes and tips
- If Extents shows a tiny drawing, a stray object is far away from the main drawing; find and delete it.
- The ZOOMFACTOR system variable controls how much each wheel step zooms.
- Inside a paper space viewport, use XP with Scale for an exact scale, for example 1/50XP.