Blender keyboard shortcuts

Blender is the leading free, open-source 3D suite covering modeling, sculpting, animation, simulation, rendering and video editing. It is famously keyboard-driven: nearly every operation from extruding a face to switching editors lives on a hotkey, so learning the default keymap is essential to working at production speed. This cheat sheet covers 100 default shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

General & Files

New file	`Ctrl`+`NCmd`+`N`
Open file	`Ctrl`+`OCmd`+`O`
Save	`Ctrl`+`SCmd`+`S`
Save as	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`SCmd`+`Shift`+`S`
Undo	`Ctrl`+`ZCmd`+`Z`
Redo	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`ZCmd`+`Shift`+`Z`
Quit Blender	`Ctrl`+`QCmd`+`Q`
Rename active item	`F2F2`
Search menu (find any operator)	`F3F3`
Adjust last operation panel	`F9F9`
Quick favorites menu	`QQ`

3D Viewport Navigation

Front view	`Numpad 1Numpad 1`
Right view	`Numpad 3Numpad 3`
Top view	`Numpad 7Numpad 7`
Back / left / bottom view	`Ctrl`+`Numpad 1 / 3 / 7Ctrl`+`Numpad 1 / 3 / 7`
Toggle perspective / orthographic	`Numpad 5Numpad 5`
Camera view	`Numpad 0Numpad 0`
Frame selected	`Numpad .Numpad .`
Frame all	`HomeHome`
Toggle local view (isolate selection)	`//`
View pie menu	``
Shading pie menu	`ZZ`
Toggle wireframe shading	`Shift`+`ZShift`+`Z`
Toggle X-ray	`Alt`+`ZOption`+`Z`

Selection

Select all	`AA`
Deselect all	`Alt`+`AOption`+`A`
Invert selection	`Ctrl`+`ICtrl`+`I`
Box select	`BB`
Circle select	`CC`
Select linked under cursor	`LL`
Select all linked to selection	`Ctrl`+`LCtrl`+`L`
Select similar / grouped	`Shift`+`GShift`+`G`
Grow selection	`Ctrl`+`NumpadCtrl`+`Numpad`
Shrink selection	`Ctrl`+`Numpad -Ctrl`+`Numpad -`
Select edge loop	`Alt`+`ClickOption`+`Click`
Select edge ring	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`ClickCtrl`+`Option`+`Click`

Object Mode

Toggle Object / Edit mode	`TabTab`
Mode pie menu	`Ctrl`+`TabCtrl`+`Tab`
Add object menu	`Shift`+`AShift`+`A`
Delete selected	`XX`
Duplicate	`Shift`+`DShift`+`D`
Linked (instanced) duplicate	`Alt`+`DOption`+`D`
Join selected objects	`Ctrl`+`JCmd`+`J`
Apply transform menu	`Ctrl`+`ACtrl`+`A`
Move to collection	`MM`
Hide selected	`HH`
Hide unselected	`Shift`+`HShift`+`H`
Unhide all	`Alt`+`HOption`+`H`
Parent to active object	`Ctrl`+`PCtrl`+`P`
Clear parent	`Alt`+`POption`+`P`
Snap 3D cursor to world origin	`Shift`+`CShift`+`C`
Snap pie menu	`Shift`+`SShift`+`S`

Transform

Move (grab)	`GG`
Rotate	`RR`
Scale	`SS`
Constrain to axis during transform	`X / Y / ZX / Y / Z`
Constrain to plane (exclude axis)	`Shift`+`X / Y / ZShift`+`X / Y / Z`
Precision mode during transform	`Shift (hold)Shift (hold)`
Snap during transform	`Ctrl (hold)Ctrl (hold)`
Clear location	`Alt`+`GOption`+`G`
Clear rotation	`Alt`+`ROption`+`R`
Clear scale	`Alt`+`SOption`+`S`
Toggle proportional editing	`OO`

Edit Mode (Mesh)

Vertex select mode	`11`
Edge select mode	`22`
Face select mode	`33`
Extrude	`EE`
Inset faces	`II`
Bevel edges	`Ctrl`+`BCtrl`+`B`
Loop cut and slide	`Ctrl`+`RCtrl`+`R`
Knife tool	`KK`
Fill edge / face	`FF`
Merge menu	`MM`
Rip vertices	`VV`
Separate to new object	`PP`
Vertex menu	`Ctrl`+`VCtrl`+`V`
Edge menu	`Ctrl`+`ECtrl`+`E`
Face menu	`Ctrl`+`FCtrl`+`F`
Edge slide	`G, GG, G`
Triangulate faces	`Ctrl`+`TCtrl`+`T`
Tris to quads	`Alt`+`JOption`+`J`
Recalculate normals outside	`Shift`+`NShift`+`N`
UV unwrap menu	`UU`

Animation & Timeline

Play / pause animation	`SpaceSpace`
Insert keyframe menu	`II`
Delete keyframe menu	`Alt`+`IOption`+`I`
Next / previous frame	`Right / Left ArrowRight / Left Arrow`
Next / previous keyframe	`Up / Down ArrowUp / Down Arrow`
Jump to start / end of frame range	`Shift`+`Left / Shift`+`Right ArrowShift`+`Left / Shift`+`Right Arrow`

Rendering

Render image	`F12F12`
Render animation	`Ctrl`+`F12Ctrl`+`F12`
Show last render	`F11F11`

Interface & Editors

Toggle toolbar	`TT`
Toggle sidebar	`NN`
Maximize area toggle	`Ctrl`+`SpaceCtrl`+`Space`
Next / previous workspace	`Ctrl`+`Page Down / Page UpCtrl`+`Page Down / Page Up`

Sculpt & Paint Modes

Adjust brush size	`FF`
Adjust brush strength	`Shift`+`FShift`+`F`
Invert brush stroke	`Ctrl (hold)Ctrl (hold)`
Smooth while sculpting	`Shift (hold)Shift (hold)`

Put your top Blender shortcuts on real keys

The five Blender actions most worth binding to a physical macropad key:

F3F3 Search menu One key that reaches every operator in Blender; the ultimate escape hatch when you forget a binding.

Ctrl+RCtrl+R Loop cut and slide The bread-and-butter topology tool in every modeling session.

TabTab Toggle Object / Edit mode Modelers flip between modes hundreds of times a day; a dedicated key next to transform macros keeps the flow.

F12F12 Render image Instant test renders on a physical button shorten the look-dev feedback loop.

Numpad .Numpad . Frame selected Snaps the view to whatever you are working on; painful on tenkeyless keyboards, perfect for a macropad.

I hand-build small-batch programmable macropads (QMK/VIA) in Barcelona. One press, any shortcut, any app.

See the macropads

Blender shortcut FAQs

How do I see and change keyboard shortcuts in Blender?

Open Edit, then Preferences and select the Keymap tab to browse, search and rebind every shortcut. You can also right-click almost any button or menu item and choose Assign Shortcut.

What do G, R and S do in Blender?

They are the core transform keys: G grabs (moves), R rotates and S scales the selection. Press X, Y or Z after any of them to lock the transform to an axis, and type a number to apply an exact value.

How do I switch between Object Mode and Edit Mode?

Press Tab with the mouse over the 3D viewport to toggle between Object and Edit mode on the active object. Ctrl+Tab opens a pie menu with all available modes, including Sculpt and Weight Paint.

What if my keyboard has no numpad for Blender's view shortcuts?

Enable Emulate Numpad in Preferences under Input. The number row 1, 3, 7, 5 and 0 then works as front, right, top, perspective toggle and camera view instead of switching select modes.

How do I search for a command I cannot remember in Blender?

Press F3 to open the operator search menu, type part of the command name and press Enter to run it. It works in every editor and is the fastest way to discover where a tool lives.