Tutorials

How to write text in AutoCAD? (Solved)

Many people ask how to write text in AutoCAD — whether to add a single line note, create paragraphs, control size and scale, or make text that plots correctly. This guide gives a clear, step-by-step approach for beginners and covers alternative methods, common errors and fixes, plus practical tips to keep your drawings consistent.

Short answer (Solved)

  • For single-line text use the command TEXT (legacy alias: DTEXT). Set height, justification, and type your text.
  • For multi-line text (paragraphs) use MTEXT. Click to create a text box, type inside the MTEXT Editor and format with the toolbar.
  • Use STYLE to create and apply text styles (font, height, width factor, oblique).
  • To make text scale automatically with viewports, enable Annotative in the text style or MTEXT properties.
  • To edit text later, double-click an MText (opens editor) or use the Properties palette / DDEDIT / TEXTEDIT (older) commands for single-line.

Complete step-by-step tutorial

Create single-line text (quick notes)

  1. Type TEXT and press Enter.
  2. Specify the start point by clicking in the drawing.
  3. Enter height (or type 0 to use style height) and press Enter.
  4. Enter rotation angle (or press Enter for 0).
  5. Type your line of text and press Enter twice to finish.

Notes:

  • Single-line text is ideal for labels that must remain single lines and for faster creation.
  • Single-line text does not support advanced paragraph formatting (wrapping, bullets).

Create multi-line paragraph text (recommended for notes)

  1. Type MTEXT and press Enter.
  2. Click to specify first corner, then drag and click the opposite corner to set the text box width.
  3. The MTEXT Editor opens — type and format text using the editor toolbar (font, size, alignment, bullets, fields).
  4. Click outside the editor or press Ctrl+Enter to save.

Tips:

  • If width = 0, text will not wrap; set a width > 0 to enable wrapping.
  • You can insert attributes, fields, and hyperlinks in MTEXT.

Create and manage text styles

  1. Type STYLE and press Enter.
  2. Click New, name the style (e.g., Label).
  3. Choose font (SHX or TrueType), set height, width factor, and obliquing.
  4. Optionally check Annotative for automatic scaling.
  5. Apply the style before creating text or change existing text using the Properties palette.

Best practice: set height = 0 in a style if you want to define height per-object or use annotative scaling.

Annotative text and scaling

  • To keep text readable in viewports at different scales, make text annotative.
  • In STYLE or MTEXT properties, enable Annotative; then set annotation scale and desired text height.
  • In viewports, set the viewport scale so annotative text displays at consistent plotted size.

Edit existing text

  • Double-click MText to open the editor.
  • For single-line text, double-click or use Properties to change the string, height, rotation.
  • Use TXT2MTXT (Express Tools) to convert multiple single-line texts into MTEXT for easier editing.

Justification, alignment, and rotation

  • During creation you can choose Justify options (Top/Bottom/Center/Left/Right).
  • Use TEXTALIGN to align multiple text objects along a line or another text.
  • To rotate text, select and rotate like any object or set rotation on creation.

Common problems and fixes

  • Text appears too small or too large on plot

    • Fix: check text height and annotation scale. If using annotative text, ensure the annotation scale matches the viewport scale.
    • Use height = 0 in styles when you set height manually per object.

  • Text is invisible or missing

    • Fix: verify layer is on, thawed, and not frozen; check if text color is white on white background or set to ByLayer.
    • Ensure text is not placed on a non-plotting layer or set to no plot.

  • Fonts look different on another computer

    • Fix: TrueType fonts (.ttf) are more portable than SHX. If using SHX, include SHX files or use a standard font. When sharing, consider exporting to PDF with embedded fonts.

  • MTEXT editor doesn’t open

    • Fix: system variable MTEXTED controls the editor mode. Set MTEXTED=1 to use editor. Also try restarting AutoCAD or resetting the workspace if dialogs are off-screen.

  • Text wraps incorrectly or not at all

    • Fix: ensure MTEXT box width > 0. You can resize the box or set width in the Properties palette.

  • Special characters display as garbage

    • Fix: check the chosen font supports the characters (Unicode vs SHX). Use a compatible TrueType font for international characters.

  • Text not plotting

    • Fix: check plot style, layer plot flag, and viewport overrides. Check Plot/Publish settings and preview.

Alternative methods and advanced tips

  • Use Fields inside MTEXT to show dynamic content (e.g., filename, sheet number, properties).
  • For leaders with text, use MLEADER to create a leader and attach an MText note.
  • For repetitive labels, use Block Attributes (ATTDEF) so text can be edited by ATTEDIT or during block insertion.
  • To convert many single-line texts to paragraph text, use Express Tools > TXT2MTXT or the TXT2MTXT command.
  • When collaborating, standardize fonts in a template (.dwt) and use documented text styles.
  • For plotted output with embedded fonts, export to PDF and check embedding options in the plot dialog.

Best practices (consistency & performance)

  • Maintain a text style library in your company template with standard fonts and sizes.
  • Use layers named for text classes (e.g., TEXT-ANNOTATIVE, TEXT-NOTES) and set layer properties.
  • Prefer MTEXT for notes because of superior formatting and fields support.
  • Use Annotative text for multi-scale drawings; avoid manual scaling of text.
  • Keep text height = 0 in styles when you want flexible height per-instance.
  • Avoid exploding text (converts to geometry) unless necessary — it loses editability.

FAQ

How do I change the height of text I already placed?

Select the text, open the Properties palette, and change the Text height (single-line) or set a new height in the Text Editor for MTEXT. If the style enforces a height, either change the style or set the object’s text height explicitly (style height of 0 allows per-object control).

Why does my text look correct on screen but too small when printed?

Most likely an annotation scale or text height mismatch. If you’re using annotative text, ensure the viewport scale matches an annotation scale that you’ve assigned. If not annotative, check the text height vs. the drawing scale.

How can I make paragraph text wrap automatically?

Create MText with a positive width (click-drag to make a box). If the width is 0, wrapping won’t happen. You can adjust the width later by selecting and dragging grips.

Can I use bullets, numbering, or tables inside AutoCAD text?

Yes — use MTEXT formatting tools to create bullets and numbering. For tables, use the TABLE command for structured rows/columns rather than trying to simulate them in MTEXT.

How do I ensure fonts don’t change on another computer?

Use standard TrueType fonts (.ttf) that are commonly installed, or include necessary SHX files when sharing DWG. For guaranteed appearance in deliverables, export to PDF with fonts embedded.

How do I edit text that’s inside a block?

If it’s an attribute, use EATTEDIT or ATTEDIT to change attribute values, or redefine the block. If the text is native geometry inside the block, use REFEDIT or explode (not recommended) to edit.

Is there a way to automatically create leader notes with formatted text?

Use MLEADER to create leaders and set the leader content to MText. The MLeader style can be configured to use a standard MTEXT style for consistency.

How to convert many single-line texts into editable paragraphs?

Use TXT2MTXT (Express Tools) to batch-convert single-line text into MTEXT. This makes it easier to apply paragraph formatting and global edits.

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