How to Flip or Mirror a Sketch in SOLIDWORKS

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In SOLIDWORKS, you can mirror sketch geometry across a centerline or construction line. This is useful for symmetric profiles, hole patterns, brackets, plates, and any sketch where the left and right sides should match.

For most 2D sketches, use Mirror Entities. If you want geometry to mirror automatically while you draw it, use Dynamic Mirror Entities.

Mirror Entities tool in SOLIDWORKS sketch — Mirror Entities copies selected sketch geometry across a mirror line.

Mirror existing sketch entities

Start or edit a sketch.
Create a centerline or construction line to use as the mirror line.
Click Mirror Entities.
Select the sketch entities to mirror.
Select the mirror line.
Preview the result and accept the command.

Selecting entities to mirror in SOLIDWORKS — Select the geometry and the mirror reference carefully.

Use Dynamic Mirror Entities

Dynamic Mirror Entities works differently. You first select the line to mirror about, then sketch new entities. SOLIDWORKS creates the mirrored geometry as you draw. This is helpful when you know from the beginning that the sketch should be symmetric.

Flip sketch orientation

If your goal is to flip the orientation of a sketch rather than create mirrored copies, consider whether the sketch plane, feature direction, or mirror command is actually the issue. In many cases, editing the feature direction or changing the sketch plane is cleaner than trying to flip individual sketch entities.

For plane-related issues, see how to change the plane of a sketch in SOLIDWORKS.

Mirrored sketch result in SOLIDWORKS — A good mirrored sketch should keep symmetry easy to edit.

Mirror sketch or mirror feature?

Use sketch mirroring for simple symmetric profiles. Use feature mirroring when the model already has a clean feature that can be mirrored across a plane. Feature mirroring is often easier to manage for complex parts because it keeps the sketch simpler.

Troubleshooting mirrored sketches

No solution found: remove conflicting dimensions or relations before mirroring.
The mirror line cannot be selected: make sure it is a sketch line or centerline in the active sketch.
The sketch becomes overdefined: delete duplicate dimensions and let symmetry relations control the mirror.
The mirrored side edits badly: simplify the original half of the sketch or mirror the feature instead.

For related sketch habits, see construction lines in SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS keyboard shortcuts.

Reference: SOLIDWORKS Help describes Dynamic Mirror Entities as selecting a mirror entity first, then sketching entities that are mirrored automatically.