Dota 2 console commands let you change game settings with a single line instead of digging through menus: show an FPS counter, remove the frame rate cap, bind chat phrases to keys and turn on autoclick. To use them, add the -console launch option in Steam once; to keep commands active every time you start the game, save them in an autoexec.cfg file. Below are the commands for everyday play, for lobbies with cheats enabled and for low-end PCs.
First, enable the console. There is a detailed walkthrough in how to enable the console in Dota 2; in short:
Open Steam on your computer.
Open the “Library” in the top menu.
Right-click Dota 2 in the game list and select “Properties”.
Go to the “General” tab.
Find the “Launch Options” field.
Type -console (without quotes) and close the window.
After that, the console opens with a hotkey right in the match. You can check or rebind the key in the game's hotkey settings.
Saving Console Commands
Many commands typed into the console only last until you quit the game, and re-entering them every session gets tedious.
That is why commands you want permanently are best kept in a config file.
To do this, create a file in Notepad called autoexec.cfg, and paste the Dota 2 console commands you need into it, one command per line.
Next, find the Steam folder on your computer; it is usually in Program Files on drive C or D. In the current version of the game, the file goes into …\steamapps\common\dota 2 beta\game\dota\cfg (the …\dota2beta\dota\cfg path belongs to the old Source 1 client). Move your config file there.
Chat Phrase Binds
Binds make communication with teammates much faster: a ready-made phrase goes out with one key press, with no typing in the middle of a fight. Enter the command in the console like this (see how to bind a phrase in Dota 2 for more examples):
bind "M" "say_team hello": this command means that by tapping the M key, you will send the word hello to your teammates. Of course, you can specify any other key or key combination and any phrase, for example, “I need help,” “The enemy is in the mid lane,” etc.
For general chat, the Dota 2 console command is entered via bind like this:
bind "X" "say gg": pressing X sends "gg" to all chat.
Cheat Commands in a Lobby
A separate group of Dota 2 console commands only works in a lobby with cheats enabled. These are Valve's built-in practice tools: you can use them in a custom lobby without any penalty, and they do nothing in regular matches.
Special rooms are created in the lobby where you can play a private match, which is not displayed anywhere, with invited people, or play a single game with bots to test what certain heroes are capable of, as well as study the interaction of objects in various combinations. It works as a sandbox. Read more about this mode in our guide to the Dota 2 lobby.
The list of Dota 2 console cheat commands includes:
Enabling cheats - sv_cheats 1. The other commands on this list do not work without it.
Disable cheat codes - sv_cheats 0.
Reset cooldowns and restore 100% mana and health - dota_hero_refresh.
Destroy all wards on the map - dota_kill_wards.
Create a new item - dota_create_item "item name". Here and further, remember: in the console, the name of the item and so on is written without quotes.
Get gold - dota_give_gold "gold number".
Set the hero level - dota_hero_level "level as a number".
Using an autoclicker in Dota 2
An autoclick is the repeated performance of the same action while holding down a key or mouse button. Its purpose is to simplify the gameplay, for example, to quickly collect several runes.
The easiest way to enable it is to enter the autoclicker command in the Dota 2 console.
This is done as follows. First you need to choose a convenient key for turning autoclick on/off, for example, “n”. Next, open the console, write bindtoggle n dota_player_auto_repeat_right_mouse, tap on Enter. You can do this in the middle of a match.
Now, thanks to the use of a useful Dota 2 console command, you can activate autoclick by pressing “n”. Pressing the key again disables the function.
Second option for enabling autoclick:
Open “Settings” and go to the advanced options.
Find the checkbox next to “Auto repeat right mouse button clicks” and tick it.
Commands for FPS and Low-End PCs
FPS is the most common reason to open the Dota 2 console. The cl_showfps 1 command displays a frame counter on screen (cl_showfps 0 hides it), and fps_max 0 removes the frame rate cap; instead of 0 you can set your monitor's refresh rate, for example fps_max 144. Both also work as launch options with a "+" sign: +cl_showfps 1 +fps_max 0. More on this in how to show FPS in Dota 2 and how to boost FPS in Dota 2.
If your PC struggles to run the game, a few commands that simplify the picture can help. Shadows, effects and detail will look worse, but the game will run more smoothly. Remember to save them in your config file as described in "Saving Console Commands" above.
For low-end PCs, players used to recommend cpu_level 0 (tells the game the CPU is weak), mat_vsync 0 (turns off vertical sync) and dota_cheap_water 1 (simplifies water rendering). Some of these date back to the old client and may not work in the current version, so the more reliable route is to lower graphics quality and turn off V-Sync in the video settings menu.
