How to View from Top in Blender

This post explains how to view from a top-down perspective in Blender.

Introduction

When working in Blender, there are times when you want to look straight down from directly above.

There are several ways to do this, so here’s a memo to keep track of them.

I want to change this angled view to a top-down view

# Version used in this post
Blender 4.2.0

Note: This article was translated from my original post.

How to Switch to a Top-Down View in Blender

There are several ways to do this:

  • Shortcut key
  • Pie menu
  • Viewport
  • 3D Navigation

Let’s go through them one by one.

Shortcut Key: Numpad 7

You can switch to a top-down view by pressing the shortcut key Numpad 7.

Switched to the top-down view

If you don't have a numpad:

"Edit" > "Preferences" > "Input" > Enable "Emulate Numpad"

This allows you to switch to a top-down view using the 7 key on the keyboard instead of the numpad.

If you don't have a numpad, enable 'Emulate Numpad' to use number keys as numpad shortcuts

Pie Menu: Top

Press the backtick "`" key to open the pie menu, and click "Top" to switch to a top-down view.

Click 'Top' from the pie menu to switch to a top-down view

Viewport: Top

From the top tab:

"View" > "Viewport" > "Top"

Clicking this switches to a top-down view.

'View' > 'Viewport' > 'Top' switches to a top-down view

3D Navigation: Z

In the 3D Navigation at the top right, press "Z" to switch to a top-down view.

Click 'Z' in the 3D Navigation to switch to a top-down view

Conclusion

This post summarized how to view from top in Blender.

Blender has so many features that remembering small operations like this can be tricky.

I hope this helps someone out there.

Reference