Runs Anywhere
Blender is cross-platform, it runs on every major operating system. All efforts to make Blender work on specific configurations are welcome, but we can only officially support those used by active developers. Supported architectures are x64 and arm64. For Windows there is an installer available if you wish to add an icon on the desktop, register .blend file extensions, etc.
Truly Portable
Whether it’s on a USB stick, sitting on a folder on your desktop, or fully installed, Blender runs out of the box.
No installation needed, no Internet connection required. Truly portable, take it with you wherever you go! Read more about portable installations in the manual.
Compatible
Blender strives to keep compatibility with older and even future versions as much as possible. Sometimes new features require breaking changes, here is an overview of all compatibility changes.
Windows
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 8.1 (64-bit) | Windows 10 or Windows 11 |
| CPU | 4 cores with SSE4.2 support | 8 cores |
| RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB |
| GPU | 2 GB VRAM with OpenGL 4.3 (see below) | 8 GB VRAM |
NVIDIA: GeForce 400 and newer, Quadro Tesla GPU architecture and newer, including RTX-based cards, with NVIDIA drivers.
AMD: GCN 1st gen and newer.
Intel: Broadwell architecture and newer. Always make sure to install the latest drivers from the graphics card manufacturer website.
macOS
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | macOS 11.2 (Big Sur) | macOS 14 (Sonoma) |
| CPU | Apple Silicon or Intel | Apple Silicon |
| RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB |
| GPU | GPU with Metal 2.2 (see below) |
AMD, Apple Silicon, or Intel (Skylake and newer).
Linux
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Distribution with glibc 2.28 or newer (64-bit) | |
| CPU | 4 cores with SSE4.2 support | 8 cores |
| RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB |
| GPU | 2 GB VRAM with OpenGL 4.3 (see below) | 8 GB VRAM |
NVIDIA: GeForce 400 and newer, Quadro Tesla GPU architecture and newer, including RTX-based cards, with NVIDIA drivers.
AMD: GCN 1st gen and newer.
Intel: Broadwell architecture and newer. Always make sure to install the latest drivers from the graphics card manufacturer website.
Other Requirements
Cycles
Rendering in Cycles using the GPU has specific requirements described in the manual.
Always make sure to install the latest drivers from the graphics card manufacturer website.
Displays
While it is technically possible to use Blender in all screen sizes, a minimum resolution of 1920×1080 is recommended for optimal use. Multiple-display setups are supported.
Peripherals
It is possible to use Blender with a 2-button mouse or trackpad, but a three-button mouse is recommended for optimal use.
Pen tablets/displays are also supported and recommended for specific tasks such as sculpting, painting, and drawing Grease Pencil.
Requirements for Older Versions
Even though Blender requirements get updated over time to run on the latest hardware and drivers, all previous Blender versions will always be available. Your old computer can run Blender forever.
Windows
- Blender 3.6 supports OpenGL 3.3
- Blender 2.92 supports Windows 7
- Blender 2.90 supports AMD Terascale 2 graphics cards
- Blender 2.79 supports OpenGL 2.1
- Blender 2.76 supports Windows XP and OpenGL 1.4
macOS
- Blender 3.6 supports macOS 10.15 and Intel Broadwell graphics cards
- Blender 3.4 supports macOS 10.13
- Blender 2.83 supports macOS 10.12
- Blender 2.79 supports macOS 10.9
Linux
- Blender 3.6 supports OpenGL 3.3
- Blender 3.4 supports glibc 2.17 (RHEL 7)
- Blender 2.90 supports AMD Terascale 2 graphics cards
- Blender 2.79 supports OpenGL 2.1
- Blender 2.76 supports OpenGL 1.4