There are plenty of keyboard shortcuts in Blender that can help you work faster and be more productive.
With so many keyboard shortcuts available in Blender, it can be hard to remember them all. However, there are some essential Blender keyboard shortcuts that you should definitely know in order to increase your productivity.
Here are some essential Blender keyboard shortcuts that you should know.
Latest Shortcuts
- Edit OR Object mode toggle: Tab – Toggles between “Object Mode” and “Edit Mode”.
- Tool Shelf: T – The Tool Shelf is a context-sensitive region containing tools depending on the mode (Modeling, Editing, Sculpting, etc.).
- Properties: N – Show/Hide Properties sidebar.
- Move an object: G – This shortcut lets you quickly move an object. Simply press the G key and then click and drag the object to move it.
- Rotate an object: R – This shortcut lets you quickly rotate an object. Simply press the R key and then click and drag the object to rotate it.
- Duplicate an object: Shift + D – This is one of the most basic and essential Blender shortcuts. It allows you to quickly duplicate an object in your scene.
- Scale an object: S – This shortcut lets you quickly scale an object. Press the S key and then click and drag the object to scale it.
- Extrude an object: E – Extruding is a basic modeling technique that allows you to create new geometry from an existing object. This shortcut lets you quickly extrude an object without having to go through the menu.
- Add Object: Shift + A – Add object pop up menu.
- Undo an action: Ctrl + Z – This shortcut lets you quickly undo an action. Simply press Ctrl + Z to undo an action.
- Redo an action: Ctrl + Shift + Z – This shortcut lets you quickly redo an action. Simply press Ctrl + Shift + Z to redo an action.
- Z-pie menu: Z – The Z-pie menu is a handy quick way to switch between Solid, Wireframe, LookDev and Rendered mode.
- Toggle wireframe mode: Shift + Z – The Shift + Z key toggles between Wireframe and Solid view in the viewport window.
- Select / Deselect objects: A/AA – Press A to select all objects and AA to deselect all.
- Hide / Unhide objects: H/ Alt + H – Select an object and press H to hide. Simply press Alt + H to unhide the hidden object.
- Repeat Last: Shift+R – The Repeat Last feature will repeat your last action when you press Shift+R.
- Local View: Numpad / – This hides everything except the selected object while still being independent from the regular.
- Maximize Area: Ctrl+Space – Maximizes the size of the area you’re currently hovering over. Very useful when you are modeling something and want to concentrate on the mesh.
- Bevel Edges: Ctrl+B – To bevel an edge (or edges) switch to Edge Select mode and make a selection then press Ctrl+B.
- Bevel Vertices: Shift+Ctrl+B – To bevel vertices switch to Vertex Select mode and make a selection then press Shift+Ctrl+B.
More shortcuts: Blender Windows Keyboard Shortcuts.
Essential Blender Hotkeys You Might not know
Even though you might be using Blender for years, there are still some essential shortcuts you might not know. In this section, we will discuss a few of them.
Pie menu: Tilde (~) or Backtick (`)
Press this symbol on your keyboard and a menu will pop up, where you can choose a view – Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Left, Right, View camera or View selected.
The pie menu provides quick access to the Numpad hotkeys without interfering with the default shortcuts, unlike Numpad emulation.
Search Tools (F3)
A pop-up menu with access to all Blender tools is available by pressing F3. Simply start typing the name of the tool you want to refine the list.
Blender’s search function is not only helpful if you don’t know where to find something, but it also allows you to perform the desired operation immediately.
This feature is a great way to familiarize yourself with the way Blender works, especially if you’re coming from another software.
In Order to use the search feature on a Mac, press Fn + F3 (macs have the F keys the secondary buttons.
If you use Blender’s search feature a lot, the fastest way to access from any editor is to press Spacebar. You can set the Spacebar Action in Preferences -> Keymap and set it to ‘Search’.
Quick Favorites (Q)
The Quick Favorites is a customizable popup menu where you can assign the most frequently used tools. This allows for a faster workflow, especially if you frequently use the same tools.
- Click on the option in the menu with the right mouse button and then on Add to Quick Favorites.
- Press Q to show the quick favorites.
Also Read: 7 Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Learning Blender
Numpad Hotkeys
The Numpad hotkeys in Blender allows you to quickly switch to different views on the viewport, View through active camera and frame selected objects.
- NumPad 0 = Camera Perspective
- NumPad 1 = Front ortho (looking back)
- NumPad 3 = Right ortho (looking left)
- NumPad 5 = toggle Perspective/Orthographic
- NumPad 7 = Top ortho (looking down)
- NumPad / = Local/Global orientation
- NumPad + = Zoom in
- NumPad – = Zoom out
- NumPad . = Frame selected
- Ctrl+NumPad 1 = Back ortho (looking forwards)
- Shift+NumPad 1 = axis orientation to Z/X/Y (up/down, left/right, front/back)
- NumPad 4/6, 2/8 = Roll scene left/right, up/down (relative to view left/right) [*]
- Ctrl+NumPad 3 = Left ortho (looking right)
- Shift+NumPad 3 = axis orientation to Z/Y/X (up/down, front/back, left-right)
- Ctrl+NumPad 7 = Bottom ortho (looking up)
- Shift+NumPad 7 = axis orientation to Y/X/Z (front/back, left/right, up/down)
- Ctrl + NumPad 4/6, 2/8 = Strafe/Pan scene Left/Right, Up/Down [*]
- Shift + NumPad 4/6 = Roll scene clockwise/anti-clockwise [*]
These are just a few of the essential Blender keyboard shortcuts that you should know. By learning these shortcuts, you can increase your productivity and work faster in Blender.
What’s your favorite Blender keyboard shortcut?