Grips are the small squares that appear on a selected object. Click one to make it "hot" (red), then use grip editing modes to modify the object without entering a command — the fastest way to edit geometry in AutoCAD.
Grip States
Cold Grip (Blue)
Object is selected. Grips visible. Not yet editing.
Hover Grip (Green)
Mouse is over a grip. Shows what will be affected.
Hot Grip (Red)
Grip is active. Editing mode is ready. Click once to activate.
Block Grip (Orange)
Insertion point of a block or xref. Moves the entire object.
Grip Editing Modes
After clicking a grip to make it hot (red), press Space or Enter to cycle through these editing modes. You can also right-click to pick a mode.
📷 STRETCH
Default mode
Stretches the grip point to a new location. On a line endpoint, this moves just that endpoint.
→ MOVE
Space once
Moves the entire selected object(s) to a new position.
↻ ROTATE
Space twice
Rotates the selected object(s) around the hot grip point.
↧ SCALE
Space 3 times
Scales the selected object(s) relative to the hot grip point. Enter a scale factor or pick a point.
↔ MIRROR
Space 4 times
Mirrors the selected object(s) across a line defined by the hot grip and a second point.
💡 Copy modifier: In any grip mode, hold
Shift before picking the destination to create a copy instead of moving the original. Works with Stretch, Move, Rotate, Scale, and Mirror.💡 Multiple hot grips: Hold
Shift and click multiple grip points before pressing Space to cycle modes. All selected grips become hot, so you can stretch multiple endpoints simultaneously.Grips by Object Type
| Object Type | Grip Locations | What They Control |
|---|---|---|
| Line | 2 endpoints + 1 midpoint | Endpoints: stretch/extend. Midpoint: move entire line. |
| Polyline | Each vertex + midpoints of segments | Vertex grips: stretch node. Midpoint grips: add new vertex. |
| Circle | Center + 4 quadrant points | Center: move circle. Quadrant: resize radius. |
| Arc | 2 endpoints + midpoint + center | Endpoints: stretch arc. Midpoint: stretch arc keeping center. Center: move arc. |
| Ellipse | Center + 4 quadrant points | Center: move. Quadrant: resize axis length. |
| Block Insert | 1 insertion point | Moves the entire block. |
| Text / MText | Insertion/alignment point(s) | Moves the text. |
| Dimension | Definition points + text point | Move extension line origins, text position, or arrowhead locations. |
| Spline | Control vertices | Adjusts spline shape. |
| Hatch | Centroid (AutoCAD 2015+) | Moves the hatch pattern. |
Multi-Functional Grips
In AutoCAD 2012+, some object types have "multi-functional grips" — hover over the grip to see a menu of options (shown as a tooltip or mini menu). For example:
| Object | Grip Type | Multi-Function Options |
|---|---|---|
| Polyline vertex | Vertex grip | Stretch, Add Vertex, Remove Vertex, Convert to Arc |
| Polyline midpoint | Midpoint grip | Add Vertex, Convert to Arc |
| Line | Endpoint grip | Stretch, Lengthen |
| Dimension | Arrowhead grip | Flip Arrow, Continue Dimension |
System Variables for Grips
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
GRIPS | 1 | 0 = grips off, 1 = grips on, 2 = block insertion grips only |
GRIPSIZE | 5 | Size of grip squares in pixels (1–255) |
GRIPCOLOR | 160 | Color index for unselected (cold) grips |
GRIPHOT | 1 | Color for hot (selected) grips — index 1 = red |
GRIPHOVER | 3 | Color for hovered grips — index 3 = green |
GRIPBLOCK | 0 | 0 = one grip at insert point. 1 = all grips on block components |
GRIPOBJLIMIT | 100 | Max objects for which grips display (prevents slowdown) |
GRIPSUBOBJMODE | 1 | Allows grip editing of sub-objects (faces/edges) in 3D |
Keyboard Shortcuts in Grip Mode
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Space / Enter | Cycle to next grip mode (Stretch → Move → Rotate → Scale → Mirror) |
Shift + click | Select multiple hot grips (make more than one grip red at once) |
Shift (during operation) | Copy mode — creates a copy at each picked point |
Esc | Deactivate hot grip / exit grip editing |
Esc Esc | Clear all selections and deactivate grips |
Tab | Cycle through grips when multiple objects are selected |
⚠ GRIPS = 0: If grips aren't appearing, check that the GRIPS system variable is set to 1. Type
GRIPS at the command line and set to 1.