Workspaces

Workspaces are layouts of windows, panels, and other interface options. There are preset "factory" workspaces, including General (the default), as well as several others designed for different workflows. You can also create and share custom workspaces.

The Workspace drop-down menu is at the upper right of the Maya interface

You modify the current workspace by opening, closing, and moving windows, panels, and other UI elements, as well as by docking and undocking windows and panes.

You do not need to save changes to a workspace. Your changes are saved when you switch to a different workspace or close Maya. The changes are restored the next time you switch back to that workspace or restart Maya.

• Changes to a predefined workspace are saved as an override. At any time, you can restore the original configuration of the workspace by switching to it and selecting Windows > Workspaces > Reset "[Workspace]" to Factory Default (or selecting Reset Current Workspace from the Workspace drop-down).
• Changes to a custom workspace are simply saved. If you have made changes but have not yet switched to another workspace or closed Maya, you can revert the changes the same way you would revert an override change.

Workspaces provide a more flexible way to customize the interface than the older panel layout feature. In particular, workspaces let you move and dock panels anywhere, while panel layouts control only the arrangement within the View panel. Another difference is that workspaces are stored as separate files in your user directory and persist automatically, while panel layouts are stored in scene files.

To switch workspaces

Do either of the following:

• Select an item from the Workspace selector at the far right of the main menu bar.

  

• Select an item from the Windows > Workspaces menu.

To lock workspaces

Lock the current workspace to prevent closing or moving components around. This is useful to avoid accidentally moving the interface.

To lock the current workspace

1. Click the lock icon () next to the Workspaces drop-down menu. When locked, the icon is highlighted.

   Click the icon again to unlock the workspace.

Note: While locked, you can still resize or collapse tabs.