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The blocks palette

The blocks palette is the column on the left of the Code tab. It holds every block you can use, grouped into categories. Drag a block from the palette into the workspace to add it to a script.

Categories​

The palette is divided into categories, each with its own colour. The standard categories are:

A strip of coloured dots down the far left is a table of contents: click one to scroll the palette straight to that category. See the blocks overview for what each category does.

The Variables category also holds the Make a Variable and Make a List buttons (see variables and lists), and My Blocks holds Make a Block for custom blocks.

Searching​

Type in the search box at the top of the palette to filter blocks by name across every category. This is the fastest way to find a block when you know roughly what it is called. To jump to a specific block already in your project, or to a variable or custom block, use the find bar instead.

Extensions add categories​

The Add Extension button in the bottom-left corner opens the extension library. Adding an extension (such as Pen, Music, or Text to Speech) appends a new category to the bottom of the palette with that extension's blocks. Some extensions also add a status button for connecting to hardware.

Bilup also ships extra built-in blocks beyond vanilla Scratch; see Bilup extras.

Resizing and layout​

You can drag the border between the palette and the workspace to make the palette wider or narrower. Several settings change the palette:

  • Hide Extension Button removes the add-extension button.
  • Vanilla Compatible Blocks Only hides blocks that vanilla Scratch cannot run (such as the return block, switch/case blocks, and the Assets category), which is useful when you want your project to stay compatible with scratch.mit.edu.
  • Hide Extendable Operator Arrows hides the plus/minus arrows on blocks like + and join.

See also​