Installing on Linux¶
Check the Downloading Blender page to find the minimum requirements and where to get Blender (if you have not done so yet).
Install from Package Manager¶
Some Linux distributions may have a specific package for Blender in their repositories.
Installing Blender via the distribution's native mechanisms ensures consistency with other packages on the system and may provide other features (given by the package manager), such as listing of packages, update notifications and automatic menu configuration. Be aware, though, that the package may be outdated compared to the latest official release, or not include some features of Blender. For example, some distributions do not build Blender with CUDA support, for licensing reasons.
If there is a specific package for your distribution, you may choose what is preferable and most convenient, otherwise, there is nothing wrong with the official binary on blender.org.
Install from blender.org¶
Download the Linux version for your architecture and uncompress the file to the desired location
(e.g. ~/software or /usr/local).
Blender can now be launched by double-clicking the executable.
For ease of access, you can configure your system by adding a menu entry or shortcut for Blender. You may also associate blend-files with Blender so that when selected from the file browser, they will automatically open in Blender. These settings are typically found in conjunction with the Window Manager settings. (Gnome or KDE.)
Running from the Terminal¶
Avoiding Alt+Mouse Conflict¶
Many Window Managers default to Alt-LMB for moving windows, which is a shortcut that Blender uses to simulate a three button mouse. You can either have this feature disabled or you can change the Window Manager settings to use the Meta key instead (also called Super or Windows key):
- Gnome
Enter the following in a command line (effective at next login):
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences mouse-button-modifier '<Super>'
- KDE
- , Switch from 'Alt' to 'Meta' key.