Xref path options: Relative, Absolute

External references can be made flexible by choosing the right path.

Relative and absolute paths in xrefs directly affect portability, teamwork, and the time spent fixing broken references.

Key differences

Relative path: Stored relative to the host project file location. Moving the entire project folder together preserves the references.

Absolute (full) path: Stores the full drive/UNC path. It is best to reference a central, standardized directory that never moves.

When should you use each path?

Use relative paths when sharing, archiving, cloud syncing, or moving projects between machines. This is the safest default setting for your work.

Use absolute paths for stable, read-only content on a network share. To avoid letter mismatches, prefer UNC paths (\\server\share\...) over mapped drives.

Where to find it?

Location: File - Links - Manage Links