🫐 BLENDER SHORTCUTS
Essential keyboard shortcuts for Blender 4.x — modeling, navigation & more.
⚠️
Some shortcuts only work in specific modes. Look for these badges:
OBJECT
EDIT
BOTH
NO SHORTCUTS MATCH YOUR SEARCH.
🖱️SELECTION
| ACTION | MODE | SHORTCUT |
|---|---|---|
| Select object / element | BOTH | Left Click |
| Select all / Deselect allPress A to select all · Alt+A to deselect all | BOTH | A |
| Invert selection | BOTH | Ctrl+I |
| Box selectDrag a rectangle to select everything inside | BOTH | B |
| Circle selectPaint-select with a circular brush — scroll to resize | BOTH | C |
| Select linked / connectedHover over mesh and press L to select connected geometry | EDIT | L |
| Select edge loopAlt+click an edge to select the whole surrounding loop | EDIT | Alt+Left Clickedge |
| Vertex / Edge / Face select mode1 = vertex · 2 = edge · 3 = face | EDIT | 123 |
🔄MODES & WORKSPACES
| ACTION | MODE | SHORTCUT |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Object / Edit modeThe most-used shortcut in Blender — know this one! | BOTH | Tab |
| Mode pie menuQuick access to Object, Edit, Sculpt, UV, etc. | BOTH | Ctrl+Tab |
| Open Shader EditorFor creating and editing materials | OBJECT | Editor dropdown |
| Open UV EditorSwitch the editor type to UV Editor from the header dropdown | EDIT | Editor dropdown |
| Toggle viewport overlaysShow/hide grid, edge overlay, face normals, etc. | BOTH | Alt+Z |
| Toggle wireframe / solid viewUseful for seeing through objects while modeling | BOTH | Z(pie)or Alt+Z |
🧱MESH MODELING
| ACTION | MODE | SHORTCUT |
|---|---|---|
| ExtrudeExtends selected geometry outward — most-used modeling tool | EDIT | E |
| Loop cutCtrl+R then scroll to add more cuts, click to confirm | EDIT | Ctrl+R |
| Inset facesCreates an inset border on a face — great for windows, panels | EDIT | I |
| Bevel edgesRounds off sharp edges — scroll to add more segments | EDIT | Ctrl+B |
| Merge verticesCombine selected vertices — choose At Center or At Cursor | EDIT | M |
| Fill / make faceCreates a face from selected edges or vertices | EDIT | F |
| Knife toolDraw freehand cuts across mesh. Space or Enter to confirm, Esc to cancel | EDIT | K |
| SubdivideRight-click in Edit mode → Subdivide to split faces into smaller ones | EDIT | Right Click→ Subdivide |
| Separate mesh into new objectSelect geometry, then P → Selection | EDIT | P |
| Join selected objects into oneMerges multiple objects into a single mesh | OBJECT | Ctrl+J |
| Add mesh / objectOpens the Add menu — Mesh, Light, Camera, etc. | BOTH | Shift+A |
| DeleteOpens delete menu — delete vertices, edges, faces, or dissolve | BOTH | X |
| DuplicateCreates a copy you can immediately move | BOTH | Shift+D |
↔️TRANSFORM
| ACTION | MODE | SHORTCUT |
|---|---|---|
| Grab / moveThen type X, Y, or Z to constrain to an axis. Type a number for exact distance. | BOTH | G |
| RotateThen X/Y/Z to constrain. Type degrees for exact rotation (e.g. R Z 90) | BOTH | R |
| ScaleThen X/Y/Z to constrain. Type a number for exact scale (e.g. S 2 to double) | BOTH | S |
| Apply transformsResets scale/rotation/location to "clean" values — always do this before Unity export! | OBJECT | Ctrl+A |
| Undo | BOTH | Ctrl+Z |
| Redo | BOTH | Ctrl+Shift+Z |
| TIP Axis constrainingAfter pressing G / R / S, press X, Y, or Z to lock movement to that axis. Press the same letter twice to use the local axis. | BOTH | XYZ |
👁️VIEWPORT & VISIBILITY
| ACTION | MODE | SHORTCUT |
|---|---|---|
| Hide selectedHides selected objects from the viewport | BOTH | H |
| Unhide allReveals all hidden objects | BOTH | Alt+H |
| Toggle local view (isolate)Shows only selected objects, hides everything else temporarily | BOTH | Numpad / |
| Shade smooth / flatRight-click in Object mode for the option | OBJECT | Right Click→ Shade Smooth |
| Show face normals / orientationIn Viewport Overlays panel → enable Face Orientation | EDIT | Overlays panel |
📤EXPORT & SAVE
| ACTION | MODE | SHORTCUT |
|---|---|---|
| Save fileSave your .blend file — do this constantly! | BOTH | Ctrl+S |
| Save as new file | BOTH | Ctrl+Shift+S |
| Export as FBX (for Unity)File → Export → FBX. Check "Apply Transform" before exporting! | OBJECT | File → Export → FBX |
| IMPORTANT Before every Unity exportSelect your object → Ctrl+A → Apply All Transforms. Then File → Export → FBX → check "Apply Transform." This prevents scale and rotation issues in Unity. | OBJECT | Ctrl+A |