Selecting Nodes

Nodes in the editor can be selected and manipulated. Selections determine which nodes can be moved, duplicated, or connected. The active node (last selected) is highlighted with a lighter outline. It serves as the reference for certain operations, such as grouping or linking, and also determines which properties are displayed in the Sidebar and Properties Editor.

Nodes are selected with LMB. Multiple nodes can be selected by holding Shift-LMB.

Blender also provides a variety of selection tools and shortcuts for quickly choosing nodes based on their type, connections, or layout.

All

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ All

Shortcut:

A

Selects all nodes.

None

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ None

Shortcut:

Alt-A

Deselects all nodes.

Invert

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Invert

Shortcut:

Ctrl-I

Inverts the current selection, selecting all unselected nodes and deselecting the currently selected ones.

Box Select

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Box Select

Shortcut:

B

Click and drag to select nodes within a rectangular region. See Box Select for more details.

Circle Select

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Circle Select

Shortcut:

C

Click and drag with a circular brush to select nodes. See Circle Select.

Lasso Select

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Lasso Select

Draw a freeform lasso to select nodes within the region. See Lasso Select.

Linked From

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Linked From

Shortcut:

L

Expands the selection to all nodes connected to the inputs of the selected nodes.

Linked To

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Linked To

Shortcut:

Shift-L

Expands the selection to all nodes connected from the outputs of the selected nodes.

Select Grouped

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Select Grouped

Shortcut:

Shift-G

Selects nodes that share similar properties with the active node.

  • Type: Select all nodes of the same type (e.g. all Math nodes).

  • Color: Select nodes with the same custom color. (This refers to user-assigned editor colors, not the color data processed by nodes.)

  • Prefix/Suffix: Select nodes whose names match the same starting or ending text.

Activate Same Type Previous/Next

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Activate Same Type Previous/Next

Shortcut:

Shift-] / Shift-[

Cycles through nodes of the same type, activating the previous or next node in the node tree and centering it in the view.

Find Node

Reference

Menu:

Select ‣ Find Node

Shortcut:

Ctrl-F

Opens a search pop-up to quickly locate and select a node within the current node tree. Nodes can be searched by name, socket label, or certain socket values such as strings and data-block references.

Once a match is selected, the editor view automatically pans and centers on the found node, highlighting it for easy access.

This operator is especially useful in large node trees for navigating complex networks efficiently.