Starting Blender

Once you launch Blender, you will be presented with the Graphical User
Interface (GUI), as shown in the image below. The program pops up a
Splash Screen panel at the center of the screen, where you can select a
new Blender file or open recent files. At the top right of the splash screen,
you can see what version of Blender you are using. The following
screenshot shows Blender 2.83.

Splash screen

To remove the Splash Screen panel, click away from the panel.

The Blender user interface (Blender 2.8x)

Blender’s user interface is non-overlapping. As such, you can view and

access its tools and options without having to push or drag editors around.
Because the interface is non-blocking, tools and options do not block any
other parts of the program’s interface. Blender’s tools are non-modal,
allowing you to efficiently access the tools.

Upon removing the splash screen, the default startup screen shows the
Layout workspace. It displays five different windows opened. The 3D editor
is the main window at the center of the screen, showing a three-
dimensional space with three objects: a cube, a light, and a camera. The
Timeline window is in the bottom left. The Outliner window is in the top
right. The Properties window is in the bottom right. Finally, the Info window
is at the very top of the screen.

Blender interface: Windows

In Blender, an editor is a region where you view and modify different

aspects of data. An editor has regions, which can have panels and tabs. In
the 3D editor, you can also find the Tool Panel. In the header, you can add
an object by selecting Add ➤ Mesh ➤ the object you want to add.
Alternatively, you may use the shortcut Shift + A to add a mesh into the 3D
viewport. Upon adding an object, the Operator Panel pops up, letting you
specify some features of the object you are adding.

The 3d Editor’s Tool Panel has basic functions for measuring, scaling,
moving, and rotating an object. Upon hitting the N key on your keyboard,
you will open up the Sidebar which shows some exact measurements
relating to the object, such as its location, scale size, dimensions, and
rotation value.
Blender 3D Editor

On the header of any editor, you will find the Editor Type selector that lets
you switch between editors.

Changing editors
Customizing the Blender user interface

Areas

Area boundaries are indicated by rounded corners (yellow highlights).

The Blender window is divided up into a number of rectangles called Areas. Areas reserve
screen space for Editors, such as the 3D Viewport, or the Outliner. In general an Editor
provides a way to view and modify your work through a specific part of Blender. All
hotkeys you press will affect the contents of the Editor in the Area the mouse pointer is
located. Area boundaries are indicated by rounded (beveled) corners.

Areas can be customized to match specific tasks called Workspaces, which can then be
named and saved for later use.

Resizing
You can resize areas by dragging their borders with LMB . Move your mouse cursor over the
border between two areas, so that the cursor changes to a double-headed arrow, and then click
and drag.

Splitting

Splitting an area will create a new area. Placing the mouse cursor in an area corner will change
the cursor to a cross (+) to indicate that pressing down LMB will activate splitting or joining
operator. Dragging from area corner inward will split the area. You define the split direction by
dragging either horizontally or vertically.

Joining

Properties is being joined to the Outliner.

Dragging from an area corner outward will join two areas. The area that will be closed shows a
dark overlay. You can select which area will be closed by moving the mouse over areas. Release
the LMB to complete the join. If you press Esc or RMB before releasing the mouse, the
operation will be canceled.
Header

A header is a small horizontal strip, which sits either at the top or bottom of an area. All editors
have a header acting as a container for menus and commonly used tools. Menus and buttons will
change with the editor type and the selected object and mode.

The Header of the 3D Viewport.

Context Menu

RMB on a header reveals a context menu with a couple options:

Show Header

Toggles the visibility of the header. If a header is hidden it can be made visible again by
dragging the small arrow that appears at the top/bottom right of the editor.
Show Tool Settings

Toggles the visibility of the Tool Settings.

Show Menus

Toggles whether the Menus are collapsed or not.

Flip to Bottom/Top

Toggles whether the header or Tool Settings appear on the top or bottom of the editor.
Vertical/Horizontal Split

Shows an indicator line that lets you select the area and position where to
split. Tab switches between vertical/horizontal.

Maximize/Full Screen Area

See Toggle Maximize Area.

Duplicate Area into New Window

See Duplicate Area into new Window.

Close Area
 Closes the area and replaces it with the expansion of a neighboring area.
Toolbar

The Toolbar (on the left side of the editor area) contains a set of interactive tools. T toggles the
visibility of the Toolbar.

This is further documented here: Toolbar.

Tool Settings

The Tool Settings (at the top/bottom of the editor area) contains as its name suggests the settings
of the active tool. It’s visibility can be toggled with the header’s context menu just as its position
with the Flip to Bottom/Top operator.

Adjust Last Operation

The Adjust Last Operation is a region that shows options when operators are run.

This is further documented here: Adjust Last Operation.

Sidebar

The Sidebar (on the right side of the editor area) contains Panels with settings of objects within
the editor and the editor itself. N toggles the visibility of the Sidebar.

Footer

Some editors show a bar (on top/bottom of the editor area) that displays information about for
example the active tool or operator.

Arranging

Scrolling

A region can be scrolled vertically and/or horizontally by dragging it with the MMB . If the
region has no zoom level, it can be scrolled by using the Wheel , while the mouse hovers over it.
Some regions, in particular animation timelines have scrollbars with added control points to
adjust the vertical or horizontal range of the region. These special scrollbars will have added
widgets at the ends, as shown in the following image:

Scrollbars with zoom widgets.

This can be used to stretch or compress the range to show more or less detail within the available
screen space. To use these control select the dot and drag it to either increase or decrease the
displayed range. You can also use the shortcut Ctrl-MMB and move the mouse left/right to adjust
the horizontal range and move the mouse up/down to adjust the vertical range.

Changing the Size and Hiding

Resizing regions works by dragging their border, the same way as Areas.

To hide a region resize it down to nothing. A hidden region leaves a little arrow sign. LMB on
this icon to make the region reappear.

Hiding and showing the Sidebar.

Tabs & Panels
Tabs

Top: Horizontal Tab header in the Topbar. Bottom: Vertical Tab header shows tab icons in the
Properties.

Tabs are used to control overlapping sections in the user interface. Contents of only one Tab is
visible at a time. Tabs are listed in Tab header, which can be vertical or horizontal.

Switching/Cycling

Vertical tabs can be switched with Ctrl-Wheel from anywhere in the tab. You can also cycle
through tabs with Ctrl-Tab and Shift-Ctrl-Tab , or press down LMB and move mouse over tab
header icons. (Workspace tabs do not use this keymap. See Workspace controls.)
Panels

Panels in Properties.

A panel is highlighted in yellow and a subpanel in red.

The smallest organizational unit in the user interface is a panel. The panel header show the title
of the panel. It is always visible. Some panels also include subpanels.

Collapsing and Expanding

A panel can either be expanded to show its contents, or collapsed to hide its contents. An
expanded panel is indicated by a down-arrow (▼) in the panel header, while a collapsed panel is
shown with a right-arrow (►).

• A click with the LMB on the panel header expands or collapses it.
• Pressing A expands/collapses the panel under the mouse pointer.
• A Ctrl-LMB click on the header of a specific panel will collapse all other panels and
make this the only expanded one.
• A Ctrl-LMB click on the header of a specific panel that contains subpanels will
expand / collapse all subpanels.
• Dragging with LMB over the headers will expand or collapse many at once.
Position

You can change the position of a panel within its region by clicking and dragging it with
the LMB on the grip widget (::::) located in on the right side of the panel header.

Pinning

Sometimes it is desirable to view panels from different tabs at the same time. This has been
solved by making panels pinnable.

A pinned panel remains visible regardless of which tab has been selected. You can pin a panel by
clicking on the pin icon in its header. Panels that do not have a pin icon can also be pinned
by RMB and selecting Pin, or you use Shift-LMB on the panel.

Zoom

The zoom factor of a whole region with panels can be changed by Ctrl-MMB clicking and
moving the mouse anywhere within that region or use the NumpadPlus and NumpadMinus to
zoom in and out the contents. Pressing Home (Show All) will reset the zooming at the
screen/panel focused by the mouse pointer.
Default Keymap
While this isn’t a comprehensive list, this page shows common keys used in Blender’s
default keymap.

Global Keys

Ctrl-O Open file.

Ctrl-S Save file.

Ctrl-N New file.

Ctrl-Z Undo.

Shift-Ctrl-Z Redo.

Ctrl-Q Quit.

F1 Help (context sensitive).

F2 Rename active item.

F3 Menu Search.

F4 File context menu.

F5 - F8 Reserved for user actions.

F9 Adjust last operation.

F10 Reserved for user actions.

F11 Show render window.

F12 Render the current frame.

Q Quick access (favorites).

Ctrl-Spacebar Toggle Maximize Area.

 Ctrl-Alt-Spacebar Toggle Fullscreen Area

Ctrl-PageUp / Ctrl-
PageDown Next/previous Workspace.

User configurable.
Play

Toggle animation playback.

Tools

Tool switching with hotkeys ( Shift-Spacebar for

play).
Search

Spacebar Search for actions ( Shift-Spacebar for play).

Shift-Ctrl-Spacebar Playback animation (reverse).

Common Editing Keys

X Deletes the selected item, requires a confirmation dialog.

Delete Deletes the selected item, does not require a confirmation dialog.
Common Editor Keys

These keys are shared across editors such as the 3D Viewport, UV and Graph editor.

A Select all.

Alt-A Select none.

Ctrl-I Invert selection.

H Hide selection.

Alt-H Reveal hidden items.

T Toggle Toolbar.

N Toggle Sidebar.
3D Viewport Keys

Tab Edit-mode toggle.

Ctrl-Tab Mode switching pie menu (toggles Pose Mode for armatures).

1 - 3 Edit mesh vertex/edge/face toggle ( Shift extends, Ctrl expands).

AccentGrave 3D Viewport navigation pie menu.

Ctrl-AccentGrave Toggle gizmos.

Shift-AccentGrave Walk/Fly Navigation.

Platform Specific Keys