.. _bpy.types.Addon:
.. _bpy.ops.wm.addon:
.. _bpy.types.WindowManager.addon:
.. _bpy.ops.preferences.addon:

*******
Add-ons
*******

The *Add-ons* section lets you manage secondary scripts, called "Add-ons" that extends Blender's functionality.
In this section you can search, install, enable and disable Add-ons.

.. figure:: /images/editors_preferences_section_addons.png

   Blender Preferences Add-ons section.


Finding Add-ons
===============

Searching
   Blender comes with some pre-installed Add-ons already, ready to be enabled.
   But you can also add your own, or any interesting ones you find on the web.
Supported Level
   Blender's add-ons are split into two groups depending on who writes/supports them:

   - Official: Add-ons that are written by Blender developers.
   - Community: Add-ons that are written by people in the Blender community.
Categories
   Add-ons are divided into categories by what areas of Blender they affect.


Enabling and Disabling
======================

Enable and disable an add-on by checking or unchecking the box to the right
of the add-on you chose, as shown in the figure below.

.. figure:: /images/editors_preferences_addons_enable.png

   Enabling an add-on.

The add-on functionality should be immediately available.

.. note::

   Add-ons that activate or change multiple hotkeys have a special system of activation.
   or example, with the "UI: Pie Menu Official" add-on
   for each menu there's a selection box to activate the menu and its hotkey.

.. tip::

   If the Add-on does not activate when enabled,
   check the :doc:`Console window </advanced/command_line/introduction>`
   for any errors that may have occurred.


3rd Party Add-ons
-----------------

There are hundreds of add-ons that are not distributed with Blender and are developed by others.
To add them to the list of other add-ons they must be installed into Blender.

To install these use the *Install...* button and
use the File Browser to select the ``.zip`` or ``.py`` add-on file.

Now the add-on will be installed, however not automatically enabled.
The search field will be set to the add-on's name (to avoid having to look for it),
Enable the add-on by checking the enable checkbox.

Refresh
   Scans the :doc:`Add-on Directory </advanced/blender_directory_layout>` for new add-ons.

.. tip:: User-Defined Add-on Path

   You can also create a personal directory containing new add-ons and configure your files path in
   the *File Paths* section of the *Preferences*. To create a personal script directory:

   #. Create an empty directory in a location of your choice (e.g. ``my_scripts``).
   #. Add a subdirectory under ``my_scripts`` called ``addons``
      (it *must* have this name for Blender to recognize it).
   #. Open the *File Paths* section of the *Preferences*.
   #. Set the *Scripts* file path to point to your script directory (e.g. ``my_scripts``).
   #. Save the preferences and restart Blender for it to recognize the new add-on location.

   Now when you install add-ons you can select the *Target Path* when installing 3rd party scripts.
   Blender will copy newly installed add-ons under the directory selected in your Preferences.


Add-on Information
==================

You can click the arrow at the left of the add-on box to see more information, such as
its location, a description and a link to the documentation.
Here you can also find a button to report a bug specific of this add-on.


.. _prefs-addons-prefs:
.. _bpy.types.AddonPreferences:

Add-on Preferences
------------------

Some add-ons may have there own preferences which can be found
in the *Preferences* section of the add-on information box.

Some add-ons use this section for example to enable/disable
certain functions of the add-on. Sometimes these might even all default to off.
So it is important to check if the add-on enabled has any particular preferences.