Two users at a time

[Mohit_SinghDSMFV]

can two users work at a time on any autocad. If not, then is there any way to make a .dwg file shared file like MS excel

[Valentin_CAD]

@Mohit_SinghDSMFV ,

• How to work with multiple people in the same DWG in AutoCAD. (autodesk.com)

[Mohit_SinghDSMFV]

Thanks @Valentin_CAD .. but im looking something else.. 

Actually we have a main file having multiple areas, which is imported by multiple user though xref in their respective drawing.

Now if one user open that xref file in his system to do some changes in his area and at the same time other user also want to do some changes in that xref file,he can't... bcoz file is opened as read only for the other user..

So i am searching something like shred excel file in which multiple users can work at the same time..

[Valentin_CAD]

@Mohit_SinghDSMFV ,

AutoCAD is not Excel and will not "allow multiple users to edit simultaneously", your best option is to break those certain "areas" into XREFs.

• External reference (xref) management strategies in AutoCAD (autodesk.com)

[jreidKVSUZ]

Valentin is right, AutoCAD is not Excel, but 2025 version wants to ack like Excel with its new Tow-Users-At-A-Time file sharing settings.  Take warning.. I have been going to shut it off because we jumped right into 2025 and never really looked at all the new stuff put into 2025 and File Sharing is one of them. Now if one of your users have a drawing open and lets say the XREF your talking about and another user comes into work and needed to update his section of the XREF, they will be able to Open the ALREADY OPENED XREF and it will not give them a Warning that is it already being used. They will do their work and hit save and exit. If they do not look at the File Explorer Folder they will not notice that the file now has an XREFNAME-USERNAME.dwg file that AutoCAD automatically makes when you open an already open DWG file and save it. We missed several hours of work this way. I got a txt that file is all done and I go in and there was nothing. We investigated the AutoSave location and there was work there, so when I copied it over into the folder where our drawing was, I seen the crazy named file and started to look into why. AutoCAD does not put a Warning on the new 2025 version.

Link to 2025 File Sharing:  

https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2025/ENU/?guid=GUID-B8E43815-838F-4255-BD76-FC342A4CDEC9

But, Valentine is correct once again, split the XREF in sections to have others work on. We do that and then I take that work and EDIT COPY over to the Master XREF and do EDIT PASTE TO ORIGINAL. Works great! 

Just a side not to Autodesk, wouldn't it be great if AUTOCAD did act just like Excel, Word, Teams, ETC. and many could work inside the same drawing.

Hope this helps!

JRR!

[pkolarik]

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Link to 2025 File Sharing:  

https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2025/ENU/?guid=GUID-B8E43815-838F-4255-BD76-FC342A4CDEC9

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This link doesn't appear to be truly multi-users in one (all) .dwg file. It is only for cloud-hosted dwgs and appears to only be for web or browser based autocad platforms.

[pendean]

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@Mohit_SinghDSMFV wrote:

can two users work at a time on any autocad. If not, then is there any way to make a .dwg file shared file like MS excel

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No. and No.

Explore the topic of XREFs in AutoCAD's HELP and in online tutorials, where your DWG file is actually multiple DWG files that come together in one master 'top' file: you can then have a user work on each individual DWG file at the same time while the project manager supervises from the master/top file.

HTH

[jreidKVSUZ]

I agree with Mr. Pendean... No and No.  But the future is bright and Autodesk must be thinking about it with the Sharing system they setup in 2025. I do believe soon, you will be able to work in the same drawing.

I know it sounds crazy, but WE ALL thought that about Word and Excel until we started using it. I now change numbers in Excel right along with (2) other users now "at the same time" and am amazed still that it does not screw the file up some how. I even do small Chats inside while working with others to let them know I am finished or what I did.

Future will change in many ways! Lets hope for the Good of Man Kind!

JRR!