A general method is given for evaluating currents and coil forces in two‐dimensional magnetic fields. When the field componentsHXandHYare known along a closed contourCin the field planeZ=X+iYand we defineH≡HY+iHX, the total current withinCisC HdZ/4&pgr;iand the total field force per unit length,F≡FY+iFX, acting on all the currents withinCis−C H2dZ/8&pgr;.As an example, the current and coil force are worked out for the uniform field magnet formed by intersecting parallel cylindrical conductors and compared with prior results.