【Blender】Essential Shortcut Keys You Must Know - Complete List

Overview

Blender is software where mastering shortcut keys dramatically improves work efficiency. Executing commands directly from the keyboard is far faster than searching through menus. This article introduces the essential shortcuts beginners should learn first.

Transform Basics: G, R, S

The most frequently used operations in 3D modeling are "move," "rotate," and "scale." Remember these by their first letters.

Key	Operation	Word
G	Move	Grab
R	Rotate	Rotate
S	Scale	Scale

Constraining to an Axis

Press an axis key after a transform operation to constrain to that axis direction only.

• G → X: Move only along X axis
• R → Z: Rotate around Z axis
• S → Y: Scale only along Y axis

Shift + axis key excludes that axis from the transform (e.g., G → Shift + Z moves only on the XY plane).

Mode Switching

Key	Operation
Tab	Toggle between Object Mode and Edit Mode
Ctrl + Tab	Mode selection menu (pie menu)

Object Operations

Key	Operation
Shift + A	Add object menu
X or Delete	Delete selected object
Shift + D	Duplicate
Alt + D	Linked duplicate (syncs with original)
Ctrl + J	Join selected objects
P	Separate (separate selected part to new object in Edit Mode)

Selection Operations

Key	Operation
A	Select all / Deselect all
B	Box select (rectangle selection)
C	Circle select (brush selection)
Alt + Left Click	Loop select (select edges/faces in a loop)
Ctrl + Click	Shortest path select
L	Select linked (select connected parts)
Ctrl + I	Invert selection

Edit Mode Operations

Key	Operation
1	Vertex select mode
2	Edge select mode
3	Face select mode
E	Extrude
I	Inset faces
Ctrl + R	Loop cut
K	Knife tool
F	Create face / Create edge
M	Merge (combine vertices)

View Operations

Key	Operation
Numpad 0	Camera view
Numpad 1/3/7	Front/Right/Top view
Numpad 5	Toggle Perspective / Orthographic
Numpad .	Focus on selected object
Home	Adjust view to show all objects
/	Local view (show only selected object)
Z	Shading toggle menu
N	Show/hide sidebar
T	Show/hide toolbar

Save and Undo

Key	Operation
Ctrl + S	Save
Ctrl + Shift + S	Save As
Ctrl + Z	Undo
Ctrl + Shift + Z	Redo
Ctrl + Q	Quit Blender

Tips for Memorizing

1. A little each day: Learn 3 new shortcuts per day
2. Use consciously: Even when tempted to use menus, deliberately use shortcuts
3. Associate: G=Grab, R=Rotate, S=Scale - link with the English words
4. Cheat sheet: Keep a list posted near your screen

Summary

• G, R, S: The 3 basic transform operations
• Tab: The key to mode switching
• Shift + A: Add objects
• E: Extrude (fundamental to modeling)

You don't need to memorize everything at once. Start with just G, R, S, and Tab, then gradually expand your repertoire.