Default Keymap

While this isn’t a comprehensive list, this page shows common keys used in Blender’s default keymap.

Global Keys

Common Editing Keys

Common Editor Keys

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

3D Viewport Keys

Platform Specific Keys

macOS

The Cmd key can be used instead of Ctrl on macOS for all but a few exceptions which conflict with the operating system.

List of additional macOS specific keys:

Keymap Preferences

Select with Mouse Button

Controls which mouse button, either left or right, is used to select items in Blender. If Left is selected, the RMB will be a context sensitive menu. If Right is selected, the LMB will place the 3D Cursor.

Spacebar Action

Controls the action of Spacebar. These and other shortcuts can be modified in the keymap preferences.

• Play:

  Starts playing through the Timeline. This option is good for animation or video editing work.

  Tools:

  Opens the Toolbar underneath the cursor to quickly change the active tool. This option is good if you are doing a lot of modeling or rigging work.

  Search:

  Opens up the Menu Search. This option is good for someone who is new to Blender and is unfamiliar with the menus and shortcuts.

Activate Gizmo Event

The activation event for gizmos that support drag motion. This option is only available when Left click Select with Mouse Button is chosen.

• Press:

  The gizmo’s operation gets initiated (and additional options become available in the Status Bar) the moment you press down the mouse button on the gizmo.

  Drag:

  The operation only gets initiated once you start dragging the gizmo.

Tool Keys

The method of keys to activate tools such as move, rotate, and scale.

• Immediate:

  Activate actions immediately.

  Active Tool:

  Activate the tool for editors that support tools.

Alt Click Tool Prompt

Tapping Alt shows a prompt in the status bar prompting a second keystroke to activate the tool. Note that this option is not available when using Emulate 3 Button Mouse.

Alt Tool Access

Hold Alt to use the Active Tool when the gizmo would normally be required. (For example, with the Move tool selected, you can hold Alt and drag the mouse anywhere in the viewport to move the selected object, rather than having to drag its gizmo.) This option is only available when Select with Mouse Button is set to Left click and Emulate 3 Button Mouse is disabled.

Select All Toggles

Causes selection shortcut A to deselect all when any selection exists.

Region Toggle Pie

N opens a pie menu to toggle Regions, rather than toggling a single region.

3D Viewport

Grave Accent / Tilde Action

• Navigate:

  Navigation pie menu, useful on systems without a numeric keypad.

  Gizmos:

  Transform gizmos pie menu, useful for quickly switching between transform gizmos. Note that this doesn’t apply to tools that force a certain gizmo (Move, Rotate, Scale and Transform); if you have such a tool selected, the gizmo will stay the same no matter what you choose in the pie menu.

Middle Mouse Action

The action when MMB dragging in the viewport, this also applies to trackpads.

• Orbit:

  Rotates the view around a pivot point, Shift-MMB is used for panning the view.

  Pan:

  Shifts the view towards the mouse, Shift-MMB is used for orbiting the view.

Alt Middle Mouse Drag Action

• Relative:

  Set the view axis where each mouse direction maps to an axis relative to the current orientation.

  Absolute:

  Set the view axis where each mouse direction always maps to the same axis.

Tab for Pie Menu

Causes Tab to open a pie menu (swaps Tab and Ctrl-Tab).

Pie Menu on Drag

This allows keys to have a secondary drag action.

• Tab

  • tap:

    Toggles Edit Mode.

    drag:

    Object Mode pie menu.

  Z

  • tap:

    Toggles wireframe view.

    drag:

    Display mode pie menu.

  AccentGrave

  • tap:

    First person Fly/walk Navigation.

    drag:

    View axis pie menu.

Extra Shading Pie Menu Items

Show additional items in the shading menu (Z key).

Transform Navigation with Alt

During transformations, use Alt to navigate the 3D Viewport.

When disabled, hotkeys for proportional editing, automatic constraints, and auto IK chain length will require holding Alt.

File Browser

Open Folders on Single Click

Navigate into folders by clicking on them once instead of twice.