How-to guide · how to audit a drawing in autocad

How to audit a drawing in AutoCAD

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By Sumana Kumar · Published 17 Sept 2025 · Updated 26 Jun 2026

Every so often a drawing starts behaving oddly: a command fails for no reason, objects disappear when you regen, or the file takes far longer to open than its size suggests. Before you blame your hardware, run AUDIT. It is AutoCAD's built-in database checker, and it walks the drawing's internal records looking for broken references, bad object handles and corrupted entities, then offers to repair what it finds.

AUDIT works only on the drawing that is currently open, so it is the tool you reach for when a file opens but misbehaves. If a file will not open at all, you use its sibling, RECOVER, which opens and audits in one pass. This guide covers running AUDIT, reading its report, and the habits that keep your blocks and base files clean — particularly the symbol and title-block drawings you reuse across projects, where one hidden error can propagate into every sheet that references them.

Step 1 — Open the drawing and run AUDIT

With the suspect drawing open, type AUDIT and press Enter. AutoCAD asks a single question: 'Fix any errors detected?' Type Y for Yes and press Enter. If you answer N, AUDIT runs in report-only mode — it lists what is wrong but changes nothing, which is useful when you want to inspect a file before letting AutoCAD touch it.

For a routine cleanup, answer Yes. AUDIT then scans the drawing database object by object. On a small symbol block the scan is instant; on a large coordinated plan with thousands of entities it can take a few seconds. Let it finish before doing anything else.

Step 2 — Read the audit results in the command line

When AUDIT finishes it prints a summary in the command window, something like the count of objects scanned and the number of errors found and fixed. Press F2 to expand the text window if the summary scrolled past. A clean drawing reports zero errors; a damaged one lists each problem and what was done about it.

Typical entries describe invalid object handles, entities pointing at non-existent owners, or out-of-range values that AUDIT reset to a safe default. You do not usually need to act on individual lines — the value is confirmation that the database was checked and repaired. If errors keep reappearing every time you audit, that is a sign of deeper corruption and a cue to try the RECOVER workflow instead.

Step 3 — Save the repaired drawing

AUDIT fixes the in-memory copy of the drawing, not the file on disk, until you save. Run SAVE (or QSAVE) once the audit is clean so the repairs are written out. It is good practice to use SAVEAS with a new filename the first time — keep the original as a fallback in case the audit removed something you actually wanted.

If you maintain a folder of reusable blocks, run a quick AUDIT on any block file before you add it to your shared library. A free DWG you downloaded will almost always pass, but auditing it once means you never import a hidden problem into a live project.

Step 4 — Generate an audit log file (optional)

If you need a record of what AUDIT found — handy when a colleague reports a problem file or when you are documenting a fix — set the AUDITCTL system variable to 1 before running AUDIT. With AUDITCTL on, AUDIT writes a text log (an .adt file) alongside the drawing, listing every error and repair. Set it back to 0 afterwards if you do not want a log every time.

The log is plain text, so you can open it in any editor or attach it to an email. It is the closest thing AutoCAD gives you to a paper trail for a repaired file.

When to use AUDIT versus RECOVER

Use AUDIT when the drawing opens. Use RECOVER when it does not. RECOVER forces the file open even when the header is damaged, then runs the same audit pass automatically; it is the heavier tool for files AutoCAD refuses to load normally. There is also RECOVERALL, which recovers and audits the drawing plus every external reference attached to it — the right choice for a coordinated set where the corruption might live in an xref rather than the host file.

A sensible routine for a problem file is: try AUDIT first; if it will not open, RECOVER; if it pulls in xrefs, RECOVERALL. Follow any of them with PURGE to strip the unused junk the repair often leaves behind, and the file is usually back to health.

Pitfalls and good habits

The most common mistake is auditing in report-only mode (answering N) and assuming the file is now fixed — report mode changes nothing, so always answer Y when you actually want repairs. A second trap is forgetting to save: the repairs vanish if you close without saving.

More broadly, AUDIT is not a magic wand. It repairs structural database errors, not design mistakes, and it cannot bring back objects that were genuinely lost to corruption. If a drawing audits clean but is missing geometry, the loss happened before the audit. Build a habit of auditing base files, title blocks and shared symbol libraries on a schedule rather than only in a crisis — clean source files are the cheapest insurance against a sheet set going wrong the week before a deadline.

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Questions

Frequently asked

What is the difference between AUDIT and RECOVER in AutoCAD?+

AUDIT checks and repairs a drawing that is already open. RECOVER opens a file that AutoCAD cannot load normally and audits it in the same pass. Use AUDIT for misbehaving files that open, and RECOVER for files that refuse to open.

Does AUDIT change my geometry?+

No. AUDIT repairs the drawing's internal database — broken handles, bad references, out-of-range values. It does not move, delete or redraw your geometry. Anything already lost to corruption before the audit cannot be recovered by it.

How do I get a log of what AUDIT fixed?+

Set the AUDITCTL system variable to 1 before running AUDIT. AutoCAD then writes a text .adt log next to the drawing listing every error and repair. Set AUDITCTL back to 0 to stop generating logs.

Should I audit blocks I download before using them?+

It is a sound habit for any file entering a shared library. Most free DWG blocks audit clean instantly, but running AUDIT once before you add a block to a reusable library means you never import a hidden database error into a live project.

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