【Blender】Common Beginner Mistakes and Solutions - Complete Troubleshooting Guide

Overview

When learning Blender, everyone encounters similar problems. "The object disappeared," "I can't operate," "It doesn't work as expected"... This article comprehensively covers common problems beginners face and their solutions.

Object Disappeared / Not Visible

Problem 1: Object Disappeared from Viewport

Check the following causes and solutions:

Cause	Solution
Hidden	Alt + H to unhide all
Moved to different collection	Check eye icon in Outliner
Too far from camera	Home key for full view, or Numpad . to focus
Outside clipping distance	Adjust clip start/end in viewport settings

Problem 2: Object Not Visible in Render

Check the following:

• Is the camera icon (render visibility) enabled in Outliner?
• Is the object within the camera's view?
• Is the layer or collection render-enabled?

Can't Select or Operate

Problem 3: Can't Select Object by Clicking

Check the following causes and solutions:

Cause	Solution
In Edit Mode	Tab to switch to Object Mode
Object is locked	Check lock icon in Outliner
Selection disabled	Check arrow icon in Outliner

Problem 4: G/R/S Keys Don't Work

Check the following:

• Is an object selected?
• Is the mouse cursor inside the viewport?
• Are you in a different mode (like Sculpt)?

Mesh Editing Problems

Problem 5: Double Faces When Extruding

Even if you cancel after pressing E (right-click/Esc), vertices are still created.

Use Ctrl + Z to undo, or M → "Merge by Distance" to remove duplicate vertices.

Problem 6: Faces Display Black (Normal Issue)

This is caused by face normals pointing inward.

1. In Edit Mode, select all (A)
2. Shift + N → "Recalculate Outside"

To check normals, enable "Face Orientation" in Overlays. Blue = outside, Red = inside.

Problem 7: Weird Shadows with Smooth Shading

Incorrect normals or duplicate vertices are the cause.

1. Shift + N to recalculate normals
2. M → "Merge by Distance" to remove duplicate vertices
3. Right-click → "Shade Auto Smooth" (automatically determines smooth/flat by angle)

Modifier Problems

Problem 8: Mirror Not Working Correctly

Check the following causes and solutions:

Cause	Solution
Origin is offset	In Object Mode, right-click → "Set Origin"
Wrong axis	Select correct axis in modifier
Scale not applied	Ctrl + A → Apply "Scale"

Problem 9: Subdivision Distorts Shape

This is caused by mesh problems (N-gons, non-manifold geometry, etc.).

• Select → "All" → "Select Non-Manifold" to identify problem areas
• Fix mesh to use mostly quads

Texture and Material Problems

Problem 10: Texture Displays Pink

This is caused by missing texture file.

1. Check image texture node in Shader Editor
2. Verify image path is correct
3. "File" → "External Data" → "Find Missing Files"

Problem 11: Texture Displays Distorted

This is caused by incorrect UV mapping.

1. Open UV Editing workspace
2. Check and fix UVs
3. Re-unwrap if necessary (U)

Problem 12: Texture Not Visible in Viewport

Change viewport shading to "Material Preview" or "Rendered" (Z key).

Rendering Problems

Problem 13: Render is Completely Black

Check the following:

• Does a light exist in the scene?
• Is the light power sufficient?
• Is the camera facing the object?

Problem 14: Render Has Too Much Noise

Try the following:

• Increase sample count
• Enable denoising
• Increase light size

Problem 15: Rendering is Very Slow

Try the following:

• Enable GPU rendering
• Lower sample count and use denoising
• Hide unnecessary objects
• Lower resolution for testing

Performance Problems

Problem 16: Blender is Slow / Laggy

Try the following:

Solution	Method
Lower subdivision level	Set viewport level to 1-2
Hide objects	Hide unnecessary items with H
Use simple shading	Z key → Solid or Wireframe
Temporarily disable modifiers	Turn off modifier eye icon

File Issues

Problem 17: Closed File Without Saving

"File" → "Recover" → "Open Auto Save" may help recover the file.

As prevention, enable "Edit" → "Preferences" → "Save & Load" → "Auto Save".

Problem 18: What is a .blend1 File?

This is a backup file. You can open it by changing the extension to .blend.

Summary

• Object disappeared: Alt + H, Home key, check Outliner
• Can't select: Check mode and lock state
• Mesh looks wrong: Check normals (Shift + N), remove duplicate vertices
• Texture not visible: Check shading mode and file path
• Running slow: Reduce subdivision and object count

If you encounter a problem, first stay calm and try Ctrl + Z to undo.