CS2 Autoexec.cfg and Crosshair Codes: Complete Setup Guide

A good CS2 autoexec does one job: it puts your HUD, radar, viewmodel and binds back exactly where you want them every time Counter-Strike 2 starts. Crosshair codes do the same for your reticle in seconds. The catch is that a lot of the configs still passed around were written for CS:GO, and several of those commands no longer exist.

Everything below was checked against the command and variable list shipped in the current Windows build, version 1.41.8.1 (build 2000908, dated September 9, 2026), plus Valve's own CS2 release notes. If a command isn't in that build, it isn't in this guide except in the "no longer works" table.

Setup at a glance

1. 1Go to Settings > Game > Game and set Enable Developer Console to Yes.1 min
2. 2In Settings > Game > Crosshair, click Share or Import, paste the CSGO- code and press Import.1 min
3. 3Right-click Counter-Strike 2 in Steam, choose Manage > Browse local files, then open game > csgo > cfg.1 min
4. 4Make a new text file named autoexec.cfg, with file extensions visible so it isn't saved as .cfg.txt.1 min
5. 5Write one command per line, use // for comments and end with an echo line.5 min
6. 6In Steam, open Properties > General and enter +exec autoexec under Launch Options.1 min
7. 7Launch CS2, open the console and look for your echo line, then type a variable name to confirm its value.2 min

01Enable the Developer Console

The console is off by default. Open Settings > Game > Game and set Enable Developer Console to Yes. That menu option simply sets the con_enable variable to 1, and CS2 remembers it between sessions.

The default toggle key is the grave/tilde key (`), which runs toggleconsole. If your keyboard layout makes that key awkward, the same settings page has a shortcut to the console key binding under Keyboard / Mouse. The in-game tooltip also notes that launch options such as -console override the menu setting, so if the dropdown looks locked, check your launch options first.

Two console habits make the rest of this guide easier:

• Type any variable name on its own (for example cl_crosshairsize) to print its current value.
• Use find followed by part of a name (for example find radar) to list matching commands, or differences to list every variable you have changed from its default. That last one is the fastest way to copy your current setup into an autoexec.

02Import and Share Crosshair Codes

Crosshair share codes came over from CS:GO and look like CSGO-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx. The reliable way to use one in CS2 is the menu:

1. Open Settings > Game and pick the Crosshair tab.
2. Under the live preview, click Share or Import.
3. Paste the code into the text box. The Import button only lights up once the game accepts the code as valid; otherwise you'll see "Invalid or old crosshair code".
4. Click Import. The settings panel refreshes with the new values straight away.

To share your own crosshair, open the same popup and click Copy Your Code. The code goes to your clipboard and also appears in the text box. You may also see an Import from CS:GO button, which pulls the crosshair from the last time you played CS:GO.

What about apply_crosshair_code? A lot of guides tell you to type apply_crosshair_code CSGO-… into the console. The command is still in CS2's command table, but in build 1.41.8.1 it is flagged development-only, and Valve's March 30, 2023 notes say development console commands were disabled. Player reports on whether it runs from the normal console have been mixed since launch, so treat it as unconfirmed. If it returns "Unknown command" or does nothing, use the menu. If you want a crosshair baked into a config file, write the individual variables from the crosshair table further down instead.

03Find the CS2 cfg Folder

CS2 still lives in the old CS:GO install folder on Steam. The quickest route: in your Steam Library, right-click Counter-Strike 2, choose Manage > Browse local files, then open game > csgo > cfg.

You're in the right place if the folder already holds Valve's files such as gamemode_competitive.cfg and server.cfg. Don't edit those; Valve's updates can overwrite them. Your own file sits next to them.

04Write Your autoexec.cfg

Create a new text file in that folder and name it autoexec.cfg. On Windows, turn on View > File name extensions in File Explorer first, or you'll end up with autoexec.cfg.txt, which the game ignores. A config is plain text: one command per line, and anything after // is a comment (Valve's own shipped cfg files use the same style).

Here is a short starter file. Every line uses a variable or command present in the current build:

Keep the file lean. CS2 already saves any variable you set through the menus, so an autoexec is best for values the menus don't expose (viewmodel offsets, extra radar options, custom binds) and for things you want forced back after experimenting.

05Add +exec autoexec to Launch Options

CS2's engine still contains the classic startup call to run autoexec.cfg, but the explicit launch option removes any doubt about whether and when it ran. In Steam, right-click Counter-Strike 2, choose Properties, stay on the General tab and type this into Launch Options:

+exec autoexec

The + prefix tells Valve's engines to run a console command at startup, as documented on the Valve Developer Community page for Source 2 command line options. The .cfg extension is optional; Valve's own shipped perftest.cfg tells you to run it as "exec_async perftest", with no extension. You can also run the file at any time by typing exec autoexec in the console, and execifexists runs a file only if it exists, which is handy for optional configs.

Leave CS:GO-era options such as -tickrate out. The Developer Community lists it as deprecated: CS2 runs 64-tick with sub-tick updates, so it does nothing.

Valve's "Moving Beyond Tick Rate" video (March 2023) explains the sub-tick system, which is why CS:GO networking commands like cl_updaterate have no place in a CS2 config.

06Verified CS2 Commands for Your Config

These tables list commands and variables confirmed in build 1.41.8.1, with the ranges the game itself reports. Anything marked as cheat-protected only works with sv_cheats 1 on a server you run.

Console and config utilities

HUD, performance and network

Crosshair

Radar, viewmodel and audio

Practice-server commands (your own server only)

Put these in a separate practice.cfg and run it with exec practice after starting a private match, not in your autoexec: sv_cheats 1, sv_infinite_ammo 1 (cheat-protected), sv_grenade_trajectory_prac_pipreview 1, sv_rethrow_last_grenade (cheat-protected), mp_buy_anywhere 1, mp_startmoney 60000 with mp_maxmoney 60000, mp_freezetime 0, mp_roundtime_defuse 60, bot_kick, mp_warmup_end and mp_restartgame 1.

07CS:GO Commands That No Longer Work in CS2

If a copied config spits out "Unknown command" lines, one of these is usually why. None of the commands in the left column are in the current build's command list.

“Deleted cq_netgraph and cq_netgraph_problem_show_auto. Instead, use cl_hud_telemetry_serverrecvmargin_graph_show.”Valve, Counter-Strike 2 release notes for 2/15/2024

That last row catches a lot of people. Valve's August 2024 notes say binds that combine more than one movement or shooting input (jump, attack, duck, forward and so on) are ignored by default, and re-enabling them needs the cheat-protected cl_allow_multi_input_binds. So an old jump-throw alias won't work in normal matchmaking.

08Troubleshooting Your Config

• Nothing happens at launch: check the file is really named autoexec.cfg (not .cfg.txt), sits in game\csgo\cfg, and that the launch option reads +exec autoexec. Your echo line should appear in the console.
• Your crosshair keeps reverting: your autoexec probably contains crosshair variables. It runs on every launch and overwrites whatever you imported through the menu.
• A value won't change: check the range in the tables above. viewmodel_fov stops at 68, for example, and cl_radar_scale can't go below 0.25.
• A command says it's cheat-protected: it only works with sv_cheats 1 on your own server, never in matchmaking.
• A config worked last month and now errors: read the latest CS2 release notes. Valve adds and removes console variables in regular updates.

Release Notes for today are up: https://t.co/cI3gWyM79T

— CS2 (@CounterStrike), September 2026 on X

For the full background on the game itself, see the official Counter-Strike site and the Counter-Strike 2 Wikipedia article. The Developer Community also keeps an older list of CS2 console commands and variables (retrieved in October 2023) and a general autoexec explainer.