How to fix errors with Autodesk AutoCAD on your Mac

It’s quite common for Mac users to experience issues when running Autodesk software on their devices. These problems can arise at various stages of software usage, ranging from installation difficulties to slow performance. The most affected Autodesk product is AutoCAD, a computer-aided design tool widely used in architecture, engineering, and construction.

In this article, we will review the main issues that Mac users face while using AutoCAD software and explore possible solutions.

Typical issues with Autodesk include:

• Error after activation. Users may receive a message indicating that the license has expired after activation with a new AutoCAD license key. Reinstalling the software often does not resolve this problem.
• Problems with launching. Applications frequently hang or become unresponsive right from the start, leading users to uninstall and reinstall the program. However, while this may occasionally work, it’s not a reliable solution, leaving many users with unresolved issues.
• Slow performance. Commands are very slow to perform their tasks, a situation that leads to wasted time and annoyance. This slowness can be due to some resource conflict with other programs or other less than ideal configurations of the system, which makes it a bit of a challenge to diagnose.
• Problem with update. The problem is that the new versions of macOS can be incompatible with Autodesk software and can create issues or bugs post update (for the older versions) To avoid problems when updating the system it is always wise to check on software compatibility.

These problems can discourage the use of Autodesk architecture products on Mac, given the persistent bugs and the frequent ineffectiveness of community solutions, such as reinstalling the product or installing updates, which often fail to produce the desired results.

Additionally, many users resort to using Windows virtualization on Macs, allowing them to run software like Revit or Inventor and avoiding problems with AutoCAD or Maya.

How to fix these problems?

Good news! There is a ‘universal’ solution to these problems. If you’re looking for a way to finally install and use AutoCAD on a Mac effectively, we will guide you through a step-by-step solution below.

TUTORIAL

Start in the Finder, from the Applications section, open the Autodesk folder and click on Remove AutoCAD

then wait for the actual removal of AutoCAD and once done, trash the entire folder of

Autodesk.

Now, go to the Finder’s Applications search bar and search for “Autodesk” look for a second

folder containing AutoSave and CrashSave and delete it; having done that, empty the trash.

Then open Terminal again from the application search bar and Execute the following

Commands below in succession one by one

this procedure is important, and spaces and command lines must be respected correctly, one at a time, or the commands will not delete all the logs or hidden Autodesk folders that block the problem and the programme conflict (we advise you to copy and paste them directly into the terminal)

sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.autodesk.AdskLicensingService.plist

Now before proceeding to any further commands, remember that you will be asked for your Mac’s password, i.e. your login user’s password, as you type it into the terminal it will not come up, so type it in correctly and press enter to unlock the terminal.

To retrieve computer username type “whoami”

copy and replace where

there is <USER NAME> of these commands, then copy and paste them one at a time and each time you you paste one you must press enter to have the command taken:

• sudo rm -rf /Users/username/Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk*
• sudo rm -rf /Users/username/Library/Logs/Autodesk*
• sudo rm -rf /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.autodesk.*
• sudo rm -rf /Library/Application\ Support/Autodesk*
• sudo rm -rf /Applications/Autodesk

• sudo pkgutil –pkgs | grep -i autodesk | xargs -n1 pkgutil –forget

CAUTION: Respect correctly the name that comes out under whoami and the spaces that you see above

Once you have ensured that all the steps have been carried out correctly, restart your Mac OS and reinstall AutoCAD or your Autodesk product and check that it has resolved the issue; if it has not, it means that the procedure is incorrect and you are invited to try again.