40 most used Blender hotkeys and shortcuts pdf free download [Updated 2023]

Blender is a powerful 3D modelling and animation software with a wide range of keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys to help streamline your workflow. Here are some of the most commonly used shortcuts and hotkeys in Blender:

But before we begin please note down these 3 important shortforms:
LMB: Left Mouse Button
RMB: Right Mouse Button
MMB: Middle Mouse Button (Scroll Wheel)

General Hotkeys & Shortcuts in Bender:

1. G: Grab/Move
2. R: Rotate
3. S: Scale
4. X, Y, Z: Constrain movement along the X, Y, or Z-axis while transforming (e.g., GX for grabbing along the X-axis)
5. A: Select/Deselect all
6. Shift + D: Duplicate selected object(s)
7. Ctrl + S: Save your project
8. Ctrl + Z: Undo
9. Ctrl + Shift + Z: Redo
10. Tab: Toggle between Object and Edit mode
11. Ctrl + Tab: Switch between Vertex, Edge, and Face select modes in Edit mode or use 1/2/3 buttons in the number row in the top bar of the keyboard in Edit Mode.

Viewport Navigation Hotkeys & Shortcuts in Blender:

12. Middle Mouse Button (MMB) or Mouse Wheel: Orbit the view
13. Shift + MMB or Wheel: Pan the view
14. Ctrl + MMB or Wheel: Zoom in/out
15. Numpad 1, 3, 7: View from the front, side, or top, respectively
16. Numpad 5: Toggle between Orthographic and Perspective view

Object Manipulation hotkeys & short keys in Blender:

17. Ctrl + A: Apply transformation (scale, rotation, location)
18. Ctrl + G: Create a new group
19. Ctrl + P: Parent objects
20. Alt + P: Clear parent
21. Ctrl + J: Join selected objects into one

Editing Meshes (in Edit Mode) hotkeys & sh0rtcuts in Blender:

22. E: Extrude
23. F: Create a face/Make an edge into a face
24. Ctrl + R: Add Loop Cut
25. K: Activate the Knife Tool
26. Ctrl + B: Bevel
27. W: Specials menu (various operations)
28. Ctrl + E: Edges menu (context-sensitive)

Rendering and Shading hotkeys and shortcuts in Blender:

29. F12: Render image
30. Shift + Z: Toggle Rendered/Viewport Shading mode
31. Z: Open the shading pie menu (for selecting different shading modes)
32. Shift + S: Snap menu (for snapping objects)
33. Shift + Z: Toggle Rendered/Viewport Shading mode

Animation hotkeys & shortcuts in Blender:

34. I: Insert a keyframe
35. Alt + A: Play animation in the 3D view
36. Spacebar: Play/Pause animation
37. Alt + R: Clear rotation keyframes
38. Alt + G: Clear location keyframes

Texturing and UV Mapping hotkeys & Shortcuts in Blender:

39. U: Unwrap UVs
40. T: Open the Tool Shelf (useful for UV editing)

These are just some of the most commonly used Blender shortcuts and hotkeys. Blender has a vast number of features, so it’s essential to explore its documentation and experiment with these shortcuts to become more proficient in using the software. Additionally, you can customize Blender’s shortcuts to match your preferences via the Preferences menu.