Disable some/all plugins

[Anonymous]

Short version:

We would like to disable some or all of the plugins in AutoCAD. I have found the below topic which seems to cover this issue (i didn't want to post on it a resurrect a potentially dead topic) and wanted to confirm that the given fix still works and that it is still only possible to do all plugins or none.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-2010-2011-2012/disable-plugins/m-p/3009234/highlight/true#M124...

Long version:

Our users are upgrading to AutoCAD 2016 and have also switched their licencing for some plugins (Keysoft software) to network concurrent licencing. Unfortunately they are experiencing an issue where they are loading the Keysoft plugins even when they don't need them, thereby taking up licences that others may need. This may be solvable on the Keysoft end but I am starting here. Is there any way to disable the plugins in AutoCAD without completely uninstalling them? The above topic gives a way to disable all plugins. Is it possible to only disable specific plugins? Is there a way to do it that doesnt involve launching the program and accessing the command line, perhaps so that it could be set up as a shortcut?

[pendean · Accepted solution]

Start HELP in AutoCAD, and in the search box type:
Load/Unload Applications Dialog Box

Any chance you can create custom AutoCAD Profiles for each instance, for each user? One ARG for no-plugins, One for All, one for some variation.
Then each user can jump around them as they see fit. Bet you already have a no-plugin ARG file created (it would be the default during the installation of the software).

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice. It looks like profiles will be perfect for solving the issue. We even discovered a way to select a specific profile from a shortcut.

[cschnarr]

@pendean  Could you provide more detail on this? "Any chance you can create custom AutoCAD Profiles for each instance, for each user? One ARG for no-plugins, One for All, one for some variation."  

What are the settings within the options dialogue boxes where you can pick what plugins are loaded with the current profile?

What tab are they found on?

How do you toggle between "load" and "don't load".

This will help future readers understand how to apply your answer marked as the solution.

[GTVic]

The only feasible way to enable or disable a plugin is to rename the plugin folder and restart AutoCAD.

1. Close AutoCAD
2. Rename the Plugin Folder
   1. Rename MyPlugin.Bundle to MyPlugin.OFF
   2. Rename MyPlugin.OFF to MyPlugin.Bundle
3. Restart AutoCAD

Note that if you do something like rename the folder to !MyPlugin.Bundle, AutoCAD will still load the plugin. It is important to change the .Bundle portion of the name.

Therefore, managing plugins via Profiles requires the following:

1. A shortcut to a batch file to rename specific bundles according to the profile you want to use
2. A shortcut to launch AutoCAD with the profile you want to use