Basics

Getting started with Blender

Set up Blender, learn what every part of the interface does, and start navigating the 3D viewport with confidence.

Step-by-step

1
Download and install Blender
Grab the latest stable release from blender.org. Blender is free, open-source, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The installer is around 300 MB.
2
Understand the interface
The default workspace contains the 3D Viewport (center)
, Outliner (top-right)
, Properties (bottom-right)
and Timeline (bottom)
. Each editor can be split or swapped using the icon in its top-left corner.
3
Navigate the 3D viewport
Use middle-mouse-drag to orbit, Shift + MMB to pan, and scroll to zoom. The numpad gives you precise orthographic views (1 front, 3 side, 7 top).
4
Add and transform objects
Shift + A opens the Add menu. Press G to grab, R to rotate, S to scale. Constrain to an axis by tapping X, Y or Z after pressing the transform key.
5
Save your file
Ctrl + S saves a .blend file. Use File → Save As (Shift + Ctrl + S) to create versioned backups while you learn.

Enable 'Emulate Numpad' in Preferences if your keyboard has no numpad.
Turn on Auto Save in Preferences → Save & Load — set the timer to 2 minutes.
Use workspaces (top tabs)
to switch quickly between Modeling, Sculpting and Shading layouts.