In later versions of Vectorworks you can access quick preferences from the toolbar. In Vectorworks…
Vectorworks Tip #009 – Quick Preferences
The right-hand end of the Tool bar contains the Quick Preferences. These are Vectorworks and Document Preferences that you might want to change quickly.
There is a Utility pop-up menu on the right side where you can choose the preferences that you want to appear. You don’t need to have them all, just choose the ones that you use a lot.