Triggers
- Navigating the Scene view with the mouse and keyboard
- Saving the current scene
- Switching between loaded scenes or additive scene workflows
- Telling a user how to frame the camera on an object
Step-by-step instructions for Scene view navigation and scene management inside the Unity Editor. Paths assume the default English Unity UI; translate the labels into the user's Unity language when replying.
When to guide manually vs automate
Guide manually when the user can finish the task in 3 clicks or fewer: orbiting the view, saving, setting a scene active, or loading one additive scene.
Automate when the task involves querying scene contents, batch loading/unloading, dependency analysis, screenshot capture, or switching scenes programmatically across many scenes — use the scene REST module instead.
Navigate the Scene view
Step 1 — Orbit
Hold Alt and drag with the left mouse button to orbit around the current pivot.
Step 2 — Pan
Hold Alt and drag with the middle mouse button (or scroll wheel pressed) to pan.
Step 3 — Zoom
Scroll the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
Step 4 — Focus on an object
Select a GameObject and press F to frame the Scene view on it.
Toggle 2D / orthographic view
Step 1 — Click the 2D toggle
In the Scene view toolbar, click the 2D button to switch between perspective and orthographic views (relevant for 2D projects or flat alignment).
Step 2 — Change projection with a hotkey
Press the scene-view toolbar shortcut Right-click > Perspective/Orthographic or use the dropdown on the view axis gizmo, depending on Unity version.
Save the current scene
Step 1 — Save
Press Ctrl + S.
Alternative path:
- Main menu
File > Save
Step 2 — Save as a new file
Choose File > Save As... and pick a location under Assets/.
Open a different scene
Step 1 — Open the scene asset
Double-click a .unity scene file in the Project window.
Alternative path:
- Main menu
File > Open Scene.
Step 2 — Confirm save
If the current scene has unsaved changes, Unity prompts to save or discard.
Additive scene workflow
Step 1 — Open the first scene
Double-click the first scene asset.
Step 2 — Add a scene additively
Right-click another scene asset in the Project window and choose Open Scene Additive.
Alternative path:
- Drag the scene asset into the Hierarchy to add it additively.
Step 3 — Manage loaded scenes
Open the Scenes in Build list from File > Build Profiles (or File > Build Settings in older Unity versions) to set which scenes are included in builds and their order.
Automate instead?
If the user wants to load or unload scenes programmatically, query scene hierarchy data, capture scene screenshots, or analyze scene dependencies, switch to the REST module: