Inventor Startup

1. Purpose

Startup options allow Autodesk Inventor to launch with predefined settings, projects, or operational modes. They are used for automation, troubleshooting, configuration management, and controlled classroom environments.

2. Documented Options

/pf "path\project.ipj"

Loads Inventor with a specific project file.

Inventor.exe /pf "C:\Inventor\Projects\Default.ipj"

/IMPORTOPTIONS="path\file.xml"

Imports Application Options and UI settings from an XML file.

Inventor.exe /IMPORTOPTIONS="C:\Settings\AppOptions.xml"

/unregister

Removes Inventor registry keys. Used for troubleshooting and repair scenarios.

Inventor.exe /unregister

3. Semi‑Documented Options

(Referenced in Autodesk support articles but not in the official Help system.)

/INSTALL

Runs Inventor in import mode without launching the user interface.

/IMPORTCUSTOMIZATIONS="path.xml"

Imports UI customizations (ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, etc.).

Inventor.exe /IMPORTCUSTOMIZATIONS="C:\UI.xml" /INSTALL

/IMPORTRIBBONCUSTOMIZATIONS="path.xml"

Imports ribbon‑specific customizations.

Inventor.exe /IMPORTRIBBONCUSTOMIZATIONS="C:\Ribbon.xml" /INSTALL

4. Known Undocumented Options

(Observed through reproducible behavior, SDK usage, automation workflows, and community testing.)

/automation

Starts Inventor in automation mode (minimal UI, no splash screen).

Inventor.exe /automation

Used by COM automation clients.

Inventor.exe /automation

/factory

Starts Inventor without add‑ins.

Useful for troubleshooting and isolating add‑in issues.

Inventor.exe /factory

/nologo

Starts Inventor without the splash screen.

Improves startup time for automated runs.

Inventor.exe /nologo

/log "path\file.log"

Writes diagnostic logging to the specified file.

Inventor.exe /log "C:\Temp\Inventor.log"

/regserver

Registers Inventor COM components.

Counterpart to /unregister.

Inventor.exe /regserver

/embedding

Used when Inventor is launched as an OLE server.

Not typically used manually.

/dde

Enables the legacy DDE interface.

Retained for backward compatibility.

5. Options That Do Not Exist

(Frequently assumed to exist but unsupported.)

/ ?

Inventor does not display help output or a parameter list.

/safe

Not supported. Use /factory instead.

/reset

Not supported. Resetting requires deleting user profile folders.

/portable

Not supported. Inventor does not offer a portable mode.

6. Usage Example

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor 2024\Bin\Inventor.exe" /pf "D:\Projects\Classroom.ipj" /IMPORTOPTIONS="D:\Settings\AppOptions.xml"

This example launches Inventor with a specific project file and imported application settings.