What is the difference between object mode and edit mode in Blender?

Updated October 2026 · How we answer

Object Mode: Working with Whole Objects

In object mode, you select and transform entire objects as single units. You can move, rotate, scale, duplicate, delete, and apply modifiers to objects without affecting their internal structure. This is the default mode when you open Blender and is used for scene assembly and animation.

Object mode is where you set object properties like location, rotation, scale, and parenting. You also use it to apply modifiers, join or separate objects, and manage collections. Most modeling workflows start and end in object mode.

Edit Mode: Editing Geometry

Edit mode gives you access to the individual vertices, edges, and faces that make up a mesh, curve, surface, or text object. Here you can extrude, bevel, loop cut, merge, and sculpt the shape directly. Changes in edit mode alter the object's data, not just its transform.

You enter edit mode by selecting an object and pressing Tab (or using the mode dropdown in the header). The available tools change completely: you get vertex, edge, and face select modes, plus specialized tools like knife, spin, and symmetrize.

Switching Between Modes

Press Tab to toggle between object and edit mode for the active object. You can also use the mode dropdown in the 3D Viewport header. Other modes exist for sculpting, painting, and posing, but object and edit are the two you'll use most for modeling.

Remember that edit mode only works on one object at a time (unless you enable multi-object editing, which is available for some operations). Object mode can handle multiple selected objects simultaneously.

• Tab key toggles between object and edit mode.
• Edit mode works on one object at a time by default.
• Object mode transforms whole objects; edit mode transforms geometry.
• You cannot enter edit mode for multiple objects unless they are all meshes and you enable multi-object editing.