How To Select All Faces In Blender

Learning how to select all faces in blender is a fundamental skill that speeds up your modeling workflow. Whether you’re applying a material or performing a large-scale edit, knowing these quick methods saves you a ton of time.

This core technique is your starting point for many operations. It’s simple but powerful. Let’s look at the basic command first.

The Basic Selection Command

The fastest way to select every face on your model is with a keyboard shortcut. Press the ‘A’ key on your keyboard. This toggles the selection of all elements in your current mode.

If you’re in Edit Mode and focused on faces, it selects all faces. Pressing ‘A’ once selects all. Pressing it again deselects everything. This is called the “Select All” toggle.

Remember, you must be in Edit Mode first. You can’t select mesh faces in Object Mode. To enter Edit Mode, select your object and press the Tab key.

Using the Menu for Selection

If you prefer using menus, the option is there too. In the 3D Viewport’s header menu, click “Select”. Then, choose “Select All” from the dropdown list.

This does the exact same thing as pressing the ‘A’ key. It’s just a different way to access the command. Some users find menus helpful when they are learning.

Important Note on Selection Modes

Blender has three selection modes for meshes: Vertex, Edge, and Face. The ‘Select All’ command (A key) works on whichever mode is active.

Vertex Select Mode: Pressing ‘A’ selects all vertices.
Edge Select Mode: Pressing ‘A’ selects all edges.
Face Select Mode: Pressing ‘A’ selects all faces.

Make sure you are in Face Select Mode! You can switch modes using the three icons in the 3D Viewport header or by pressing Ctrl+Tab.

When “Select All” Doesn’t Seem to Work

Sometimes new users press ‘A’ and nothing happens. This is usually because of one of two reasons. First, you might still be in Object Mode. Second, you might have a hidden face or a face that is not selectable due to a filter.

Check the top-left corner of the 3D Viewport. It should say “Edit Mode”. If it says “Object Mode”, press Tab to switch.

Checking for Hidden Elements

Faces can be hidden in Edit Mode. If a face is hidden, it cannot be selected. To reveal all hidden faces, press Alt+H. This will unhide any geometry you may have hidden earlier.

Also, ensure you don’t have “Limit Selection to Visible” enabled. This is the little orange cube icon in the header. When it’s on, you can only select faces you can directly see, not ones on the back of the model.

Advanced Selection Methods

Selecting every single face is useful, but often you need more control. Blender offers many tools for this. These let you select specific groups of faces based on different criteria.

Selecting by Trait (Select Similar)

The “Select Similar” tool is incredibly powerful. It allows you to select all faces that share a trait with one you already have selected.

First, select one face that has the trait you want (like a specific area or angle).
Then, press Shift+G. A menu will pop up.
Choose the trait, like “Area”, “Perimeter”, “Polygon Sides”, or “Material”.

Blender will then automatically add all faces with a similar value to your selection. It’s a huge time-saver for complex models.

Selecting Linked Faces

To select all faces connected to your current selection, use the “Select Linked” tool. Simply hover your mouse over a face and press L. This will select every face that’s attached, forming one continuous island.

For a more manual version, select one face, then press Ctrl+L. This selects all faces linked to the selected one. It’s perfect for selecting an entire object if it’s made of separate parts.

Selecting by Material or Color

If you’ve assigned different materials to your faces, you can select by them. In the “Select” menu, go to “Select All by Trait”. Then, choose “Material”.

This will select every face that shares the material of your currently selected face. This is essential for quickly editing or reassigning materials to specific parts.

Inverting Your Selection

A very common trick is to select what you don’t want, and then invert the selection. This is great for selecting all faces except a few.

Select the faces you want to keep or want to exclude from the main operation.
Press Ctrl+I. This inverts the selection.
Now, everything you didn’t have selected before is selected, and vice versa.

This is much faster than trying to manually select a large, complicated area around a small exclusion.

Using the Box, Circle, and Lasso Tools

For manual selection of large groups (but not all), Blender has three main tools.

Box Select (B): Press B, then click and drag a box around the faces you want. Everything inside the box gets selected.
Circle Select (C): Press C, then move your mouse over faces to select them. Scroll your mouse wheel to adjust the circle size. Press Enter or Esc to finish.
Lasso Select (Ctrl+Left Click): Hold Ctrl and left-click, then draw a freehand shape around the faces. This is the most flexible manual tool.

You can combine these with the Shift key to add to a selection, or with the Ctrl key to subtract from it.

Practical Uses for Selecting All Faces

Why would you need to select every face? Here are some common, practical applications in a typical workflow.

Applying a Single Material

The most common use. If you want your entire object to have one base material, select all faces first. Then, in the Material Properties panel, assign the material. It applies it to the whole mesh at once.

Smoothing or Sharpening Normals

To make a low-poly object look smoother, you use Shade Smooth. With all faces selected, right-click and choose “Shade Smooth”. Conversely, choose “Shade Flat” to make it look faceted and sharp.

Applying a Subdivision Surface Modifier

Sometimes after adding a Subdivision Surface modifier, the edges are too round. To mark all edges as sharp, select all faces first. Then press Ctrl+E and choose “Mark Sharp”. This tells the modifier to keep those edges defined.

UV Unwrapping Preparation

When preparing to UV unwrap a simple object, selecting all faces is the first step. Then you can choose a unwrap method like “Smart UV Project” or “Project From View” for the entire model simultaneously.

Flipping Normals

Normals define the inside and outside of a face. Sometimes they get flipped inward. To fix this, select all faces, press Alt+N, and choose “Recalculate Outside”. This makes all normals consistent.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Even simple actions can sometimes go wrong. Here’s how to fix common issues related to face selection.

Faces Are Not Shading Correctly

If you applied a material or smooth shading and it looks wrong, normals might be the issue. With all faces selected, go to the Mesh menu > Normals > Recalculate Outside. This often fixes dark or weird shading.

Selection Seems Incomplete or Buggy

If selection tools are acting strange, you might have a clipping border or a selection filter on. Go to the “View” menu and make sure “Clipping Border” is off. Also, check the filter icons in the header (like the selectable object types).

Another cause could be that you have “Face” selection disabled in the “Select Mode” menu. Make sure the face icon is highlighted.

Can’t Apply a Material to All

If you assign a material with all faces selected, but it only applies to some, you likely have multiple material slots. In the Material Properties panel, look at the material list. With all faces selected, click the “Assign” button to force it onto the current slot for all faces.

Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Here’s a quick reference for all the shortcuts mentioned. Memorizing these will make your work much faster.

Tab: Toggle between Object and Edit Mode.
A: Select All / Deselect All.
Ctrl+Tab: Open the Mode Selection Pie Menu.
Alt+H: Unhide all hidden geometry.
Shift+G: Open the “Select Similar” menu.
L: Select Linked under the mouse cursor.
Ctrl+L: Select Linked to the current selection.
Ctrl+I: Invert the current selection.
B: Activate Box Select tool.
C: Activate Circle Select tool.
Ctrl+Left Click Drag: Activate Lasso Select tool.
Alt+N: Open the Normals menu.

FAQ Section

How do I select all faces in Blender with one click?
While there’s no literal one-click method, the closest is pressing the ‘A’ key on your keyboard. It’s a single action that selects all faces instantly when you are in Edit Mode and Face Select mode.

What is the Blender select all faces shortcut?
The primary shortcut is the ‘A’ key. This is the universal “Select All” command in Blender and works on vertices, edges, or faces depending on your current selection mode.

Why can’t I select faces in Blender?
Ensure you are in Edit Mode (press Tab) and that Face Select mode is active (check the header icons). Also, the faces might be hidden (press Alt+H) or you might have a selection filter like “Limit Selection to Visible” turned on.

How do I select multiple separate faces in Blender?
Hold down the Shift key while left-clicking on faces to add them to your selection one by one. You can also use the Box (B), Circle (C), or Lasso (Ctrl+Left Click Drag) tools to select groups of them at once.

How do I select all faces in edit mode?
First, enter Edit Mode by pressing Tab. Then, switch to Face Select mode (click the triangle icon or press Ctrl+Tab and choose Face). Finally, press the ‘A’ key to select every face on the mesh.

Can I select all faces to assign a UV map?
Yes, this is a standard step. Select all faces with ‘A’, then press U to open the UV Mapping menu. Choose your unwrapping method (like “Smart UV Project”) and it will apply to the entire selected geometry.

Mastering selection is the first step to mastering Blender itself. Start with the simple ‘A’ key, then gradually incorporate tools like Select Similar and Invert Selection into your habits. With these techniques, you’ll handle complex models with much greater speed and confidence. The key is practice, so open a simple model and try each method listed here.