Explainer · what is trustedpaths autocad

What is the TRUSTEDPATHS setting, and why does it matter?

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By Saumyajit Maity · Published 26 Jun 2025 · Updated 21 Sept 2025

TRUSTEDPATHS is an AutoCAD system variable that controls file-loading security. It holds a list of folders you have told AutoCAD to trust, so that executable program files stored in those folders load quietly instead of triggering a 'File Loading - Security Concern' warning every time. It works alongside the SECURELOAD variable, which decides how strict AutoCAD is about loading such files in the first place.

The reason this exists is that AutoCAD can load more than passive drawings. It can run automation files — LISP routines, ARX/CRX modules, scripts and similar — and a malicious one could, in principle, do harmful things on your machine. To protect you, AutoCAD warns before loading executable code from any location it does not recognise as safe. TRUSTEDPATHS is the whitelist that says 'these folders are mine, don't nag me about them'.

Understanding it matters most when you use custom tools or downloaded utilities, because that is exactly when the warnings appear and when getting the setting wrong can either pester you constantly or open a security hole.

The security problem it solves

A plain DWG is data: geometry, layers, text. It cannot, on its own, run a program. But AutoCAD's power comes partly from automation, and automation files do contain executable instructions. If you load a routine from an unknown source, you are running someone else's code on your computer. That is the risk AutoCAD's file-loading security is designed to manage.

When SECURELOAD is on, AutoCAD checks where an executable file is coming from before running it. If the folder is on the trusted list, it loads silently. If it is not, AutoCAD shows the 'Security Concern' dialog and asks whether you really want to load it. TRUSTEDPATHS is simply the list of folders that pass that check without a prompt.

What counts as an 'executable' file here

The security check is not about your drawings. It targets the file types that can run code: AutoLISP files, compiled ObjectARX modules, .NET assemblies, VBA projects, scripts and similar automation. These are the files that customise AutoCAD — add commands, automate tasks, or load a third-party tool — and they are also the ones a bad actor could weaponise.

Regular content files are unaffected. Inserting a DWG block, opening a drawing, attaching an xref or loading a linetype does not trip this security gate, because none of those run program code. So if you only ever download and insert CAD blocks, you may never see a TRUSTEDPATHS prompt at all — it surfaces when you start using add-ins and custom routines.

How to view and set TRUSTEDPATHS

You can manage the list two ways. At the command line, type TRUSTEDPATHS and AutoCAD shows the current folders and lets you edit the semicolon-separated list. More comfortably, open OPTIONS, go to the Files tab and find 'Trusted Locations' (the friendly name for the same setting); there you add or remove folders with a browse button.

Add the folders where your own, known-good tools live — your company's support path, your personal LISP folder, a vendor's installed program directory. AutoCAD will then load executables from those places without prompting. There is also a companion option to require those folders to be read-only, which stops something silently dropping a new malicious file into a trusted folder.

The risk of getting it wrong

TRUSTEDPATHS is a balance between convenience and safety, and you can err either way. Trust too little and AutoCAD nags you every time you load a routine you use daily, which tempts people to disable security entirely — the worst outcome. Trust too much, especially a broad or world-writable folder, and you have effectively told AutoCAD to run any executable that lands there without asking.

The sensible middle is to trust specific, controlled folders that only you or your IT team can write to, and leave SECURELOAD on so anything outside them still prompts. Never add a shared download folder or a temp directory to the trusted list, because those are exactly the places untrusted files arrive. The warning dialog is doing its job when it appears for a file you did not expect — read it rather than reflexively clicking through.

Practical advice for everyday users

If you mostly download CAD blocks and the occasional template, you can largely ignore TRUSTEDPATHS — content files do not trigger it, and you should leave the default security on. The moment you start adding custom routines or a third-party plug-in, point TRUSTEDPATHS at the one folder where those tools live so they load cleanly, and resist the urge to widen it further.

When a 'Security Concern' dialog does pop up, treat it as a prompt to think, not an obstacle to dismiss. Ask: did I expect to load something from here? If yes, you can load it and optionally add the folder to the trusted list; if no, decline. Keeping the trusted list short and the source of your tools known is the whole discipline — it lets automation work for you without quietly handing your machine to a file you never meant to run.

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Questions

Frequently asked

What does TRUSTEDPATHS do?+

It lists the folders AutoCAD treats as safe to load executable files from — LISP, ARX, scripts and similar — without showing a security warning. Files from folders not on the list trigger the 'File Loading - Security Concern' prompt when SECURELOAD is on.

Will inserting a downloaded DWG block trigger a security warning?+

No. The security check only applies to files that can run code, such as automation routines and add-ins. Inserting a DWG block, opening a drawing or attaching an xref is treated as data and does not involve TRUSTEDPATHS.

How do I add a folder to TRUSTEDPATHS?+

Type TRUSTEDPATHS to edit the semicolon-separated list, or open OPTIONS > Files > Trusted Locations and use the browse button. Add only specific, controlled folders where your known-good tools live, ideally ones only you or IT can write to.

Is it safe to disable AutoCAD's file-loading security?+

It is not recommended. Turning off SECURELOAD lets any executable load without a prompt, removing the protection against malicious routines. A better fix for constant warnings is to add the specific folder your trusted tools live in to TRUSTEDPATHS instead.

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