Blender Edge Loops: How to Add & Remove Them

Introduction

Edge loops are essential for adding precision and detail to your 3D models in Blender. In this guide, you’ll learn how to add edge loops to create precise geometry for details like facial creases or mechanical edges—and just as importantly, how to remove them cleanly when optimizing your mesh. Whether you’re preparing a model for subdivision surfaces, rigging, or game engines, these techniques will help you maintain clean, efficient topology.

For a visual breakdown of this subject, you may find my video discussion helpful:

DISCOVER MORE BLENDER TRICKS IN THIS YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

Adding edge loops to a model in Blender

Let’s begin with the base 3D model shown in Figure 1 – a simple cylinder. Our goal is to add evenly distributed edge loops along its length, creating additional geometry that will allow for more detailed shaping while maintaining clean topology.

*Fig. 1: We start from the 3D model of a cylinder in Blender edit mode.*

To add edge loops, press Ctrl+R and hover your cursor over the target object. A preview of the new loop will appear (Figure 2). Left-click to confirm placement, or scroll your mouse wheel to add multiple evenly spaced loops simultaneously – as demonstrated in Figure 3. This creates uniform subdivisions along the model’s surface while maintaining its curvature.

3D model of a cylinder in Blender edit mode with an edge loop added to it — *Fig. 2: With CTRL+R you can add edge loops.*

3D model of a cylinder in Blender edit mode with several edge loops added to it — *Fig. 3: With the mouse wheel the number of loop cuts can be increased.*

After confirming the edge loops, Blender displays the operator panel (Figure 4) in the bottom-left corner of the viewport. This interactive menu allows for precise adjustments, including the number of cuts, their smoothness, and other loop-specific parameters – all editable even after creation.

blender section and loop cut parameters window — *Fig. 4: When applying the cuts, a window appears in the lower left corner to modify the parameters.*

How to remove an edge loop in Blender

To strategically remove edge loops while preserving the object’s shape, begin by selecting your target loop. The most efficient method is to Alt+Click any edge within the loop (see Figure 5 for selection demonstration).

3d model of a cylinder with subdivisions in blender with one of its edge loops selected — *Fig. 5: To remove an edge loop we start by selecting the edge loop with ALT+Click.*

To cleanly remove the selected edge loop while maintaining surface continuity, use the Dissolve Edges function. With your edge loop selected:

Press X to open the deletion menu
Select “Dissolve Edges”

This preserves the mesh structure by merging adjacent faces rather than creating holes, as shown in Figure 7’s optimized topology.

vertex, edge and face removal window in blender — *Fig. 6: Pressing X displays a window with delete options.*

3d model of a cylinder with subdivisions in blender, with one of its edge loops removed. — *Fig. 7: Selected edges were dissolved.*

How to remove multiple edge loops in Blender at once

When dissolving multiple adjacent edge loops simultaneously, special consideration is required. As demonstrated in Figure 8, attempting to dissolve contiguous edge loops can produce unexpected topology (Figure 9). This occurs because the dissolve operation merges all selected edges and their connected vertices, potentially creating non-manifold geometry when applied to neighboring loops.