Despite several improvements to the Ribbon interface over the years, many AutoCAD users still prefer the AutoCAD Classic workspace featuring menus and toolbars. Since introducing the Ribbon interface in AutoCAD 2009, Autodesk has been nice enough to provide a classic interface to aid users transitioning from the old interface. The menu and toolbar-based AutoCAD Classic Workspace was included with the 2009-2014 versions of the software, but beginning with AutoCAD 2015 the AutoCAD Classic Workspace was retired from the default installation.
While I would encourage those still using menus & toolbars to give the Ribbon a chance, that’s not the purpose of this post. Although the AutoCAD Classic interface is no longer included in the default installation of AutoCAD 2015 or AutoCAD 2016, the good news is it’s not terribly difficult to recreate on your own. Watch the video above for a step-by-step look into recreating the AutoCAD Classic Workspace.