If you are using AutoCAD 2015, you have probably noticed that the bottom area of the workspace has become thinner than before since the drawing status bar, the application status bar, and the layout and model tabs have been all merged into a single, busy bar.

Although this merge allows a slight increase in the drawing area’s height, it does considerably reduce the maximum number of layout tabs that can be displayed at one time.

So if your working situation requires you to switch frequently between many layout tabs, you might consider one of the following two suggestions:

1) Right-click on any layout tab and select Dock above Status Bar. This will do exactly as it says and will expand the display of layout tabs across the whole screen.

2) In the rare case that you don’t need the status bar, set the Statusbar to 0 to hide it, or create a button or a keyboard shortcut to switch it between 0 and 1.

The file tab (type Filetab to display it) is another way to navigate through layout tabs and plot/publish them. However, I don’t find them as quickly responsive as the traditional layout tabs at the bottom.

Notes from Cadalyst tip reviewer R.K. McSwain: These are very good tips regarding AutoCAD 2015 and its new status bar. Tawfik points out some options that are a bit obscure. Experiment to see what works best for you.