The basic way to add an image to your drawing

To insert an image into AutoCAD, open your drawing file, then go to the Insert menu at the top and select Attach (or Image depending on your AutoCAD version). A file browser window opens. Navigate to the image file on your computer — it can be a JPG, PNG, TIFF, or several other formats — select it, and click Open. AutoCAD then asks you where to place the image in your drawing and how large to make it. Click once to set the starting corner, then click again to set the opposite corner and finish the placement.

The image now appears in your drawing as an object you can move, resize, or delete like any other element. Unlike pasting a picture, this method keeps the image as a separate file that AutoCAD references, so your drawing file stays smaller and changes to the original image file will update in your drawing if you choose to reload it.

Key Takeaways

  • Use Insert > Attach to add an image, not copy-and-paste, because it keeps your drawing file smaller and maintains a link to the original image.
  • AutoCAD accepts JPG, PNG, TIFF, and other common image formats, but the image must exist as a file on your computer or network.
  • After you place an image, you can move it by dragging, resize it by dragging the corner handles, or delete it by selecting it and pressing Delete.
  • If you move your drawing file to a different folder, AutoCAD may lose track of where the image file is located and show a broken link instead.

Finding the Insert menu in different AutoCAD versions

The location of the image insertion tool shifts slightly between AutoCAD versions. In AutoCAD 2020 and newer, click Insert in the top menu bar, then look for Attach in the dropdown. In older versions like AutoCAD 2018 and 2019, the same menu path works. If you cannot find Attach, look for a button labeled Image — some versions use that name instead.

If you are using AutoCAD on Mac, the menu structure is the same but the menu bar appears at the top of the screen rather than in the ribbon. Click Insert, then Attach, and proceed the same way. If you are working in a web-based version of AutoCAD (AutoCAD Web App), the Insert menu is in the same location but may look slightly different visually.

Why your image might not show up after you place it

The most common reason an image does not appear is that the image layer is frozen or turned off. In the Layers panel on the right side of the screen, look for the layer the image was placed on (often called "Image" or "Raster"). If the lightbulb icon next to that layer is off, click it to turn the layer back on. If the snowflake icon is frozen, click it to unfreeze the layer.

A second reason is that the image file path is broken. This happens when you move your drawing file to a new folder but leave the image file in the old location. AutoCAD cannot find the image anymore. To fix this, go to Insert > Manage Images (or External References in older versions), find the broken image in the list, and click the path field to browse for the image file in its new location.

Resizing and moving an image in your drawing

Once the image is placed, click on it to select it. Four small square handles appear at the corners and edges. To resize the image while keeping its proportions correct, hold Shift and drag one of the corner handles. To stretch or squash the image without holding Shift, drag any handle freely. To move the image, click anywhere on the image itself (not on a handle) and drag it to the new location.

If you need the image to be a specific size in real-world units, right-click the image and select Properties. In the Properties panel, you can enter exact width and height values. This is useful when you are placing a scanned floor plan or site photo that needs to align with your drawing scale.

Controlling image transparency and appearance

By default, images appear at full opacity — you cannot see drawing elements behind them. To make an image semi-transparent so you can see through it, select the image, right-click, and choose Properties. Look for the Transparency field and enter a value between 0 (fully opaque) and 100 (fully invisible). A value of 30 to 50 is common when you want to use a background image as a reference without hiding your drawing work.

You can also control the image brightness and contrast from the same Properties panel. If your image is too dark or washed out, adjust the Brightness and Contrast sliders. These changes affect only how the image appears in AutoCAD — they do not change the original image file on your computer.

Keeping track of image files when you share your drawing

When you send your AutoCAD drawing to someone else or move it to a different computer, the image file must move with it. AutoCAD stores only a link to the image, not the image itself, so the other person needs both the drawing file and the image file in the correct folder structure. The safest approach is to create a folder for your project, put the drawing file and all image files in that folder, then send the entire folder to the other person.

If you want to embed the image directly into the drawing file so it travels with the drawing no matter where it goes, right-click the image and select Embed Image (available in AutoCAD 2021 and newer). This makes your drawing file larger, but you no longer have to worry about broken image links. After embedding, you can delete the original image file from your computer if you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I insert a PDF into AutoCAD the same way as an image?

No. PDFs require a different process. Go to Insert > PDF Underlay instead of Attach. This treats the PDF as a reference layer rather than an image, which gives you more control over how it displays and scales in your drawing.

What image formats does AutoCAD accept?

AutoCAD accepts JPG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, and several other formats. The most common are JPG for photographs and PNG for graphics with transparent backgrounds. If you have an image in a format AutoCAD does not recognize, you can convert it using free online tools or image editing software.

Why does my image look blurry or pixelated in AutoCAD?

This usually means you enlarged the image beyond its original resolution. Images have a fixed number of pixels, so stretching them makes them appear fuzzy. Start with a higher-resolution image, or resize the image to match the size you actually need before inserting it into AutoCAD.

Can I crop an image after I place it in AutoCAD?

Yes. Select the image, right-click, and choose Crop Image. A crop frame appears around the image. Drag the handles inward to remove the parts you do not want, then press Enter to explore the crop. The original image file is not changed — only the version in your drawing is cropped.