Hierarchy window reference

Explore the settings and functions in the Hierarchy window to view and organize items in your scene.

For more information about managing GameObjects in the Hierarchy window, refer to Manage GameObjects in the Hierarchy window.

To review Editor preferences that can affect the Hierarchy window, refer to the General tab of the Preferences window.

Icons in the Hierarchy window

The Hierarchy window uses a variety of icons to indicate the type, attached components, visibility, and pickability of items in your scene.

GameObject icon priority

By default, the Unity Editor displays an icon next to the name of each GameObject in the Hierarchy window based on the components attached to that GameObject. You can quickly review which components are in your scene by glancing at the icons next to each GameObject.

You can control which types of icons display in the Hierarchy window with the GameObject Icons setting in the General tab of the Preferences window. For example, you can choose to always show the default GameObject icon, show only custom icons, or show icons based on the components attached to the GameObject.

Which icon the Editor displays next to the GameObject name in the Hierarchy window follows this order of priority:

1. Custom icon: Any icon you assign to the GameObject in the Inspector window. For more information, refer to Assign icons to inspected items.
2. Prefab icon: A prefab icon if the GameObject is a prefab instance. If the prefab is a prefab variant, the Editor displays the prefab variant icon. If the prefab is a prefab model, the Editor displays the prefab model icon.
3. Component icon: The icon of the first component listed after the Transform or Rect Transform component in the Inspector window. For example, if you have a GameObject with a Transform component and then a Mesh Renderer component, the Hierarchy window displays the Mesh Renderer icon next to the GameObject name.
4. Transform icon: If the GameObject has no other components attached to it, it displays the Transform or Rect Transform icon. Every GameObject has a Transform or Rect Transform component, so this icon is always available.

GameObject and prefab icons

You can identify the following types of items using these icons in the Hierarchy window.

This list isn’t exhaustive. In many contexts, the icon displayed in the Hierarchy window is that of the first component listed after the Transform or Rect Transform component in the Inspector window.

Item	Icon	Description
GameObject		The foundational building blocks of all items in a scene. GameObjects are containers for components, which provide functionality. In the Hierarchy window, the default GameObject icon only displays if you have set the GameObject Icons setting in the General tab of the Preferences window to Do not change GameObject icons. Otherwise, the icon displayed is determined by the components attached to the GameObject, whether you have selected a custom icon for the GameObject, or whether the GameObject is a prefab. For more information, refer to Introduction to GameObjects.
Prefab		Prefabs are assets that act as a template for specific items in your scene. When you edit a prefab asset, updates are applied to all instances of that asset that appear in your scene. For more information, refer to Introduction to prefabs.
Prefab variant		A prefab variant inherits properties from a base prefab asset but overrides some of those properties with different values. Essentially, it’s a new prefab that’s based on an original. Editing the base prefab also updates the variant, except for properties that are already changed in the variant. For more information, refer to Create variations of prefabs.
Prefab model		Prefab models are prefabs that are imported from other 3D modeling software. Prefab models can contain skeletons, materials, meshes, animations, and more.

Scene visibility icons

The scene visibility status controls whether the GameObject is hidden or displayed in the Scene view. You can toggle visibility on and off using the status indicator at the edge of the Hierarchy window. For more information, refer to Scene visibility.

The following visibility states are available.

State	Icon	Description
Visible		The GameObject and all its child GameObjects are visible in the scene. This is the default status for a new GameObject. This status icon is visible only when you hover over the GameObject.
Hidden		The GameObject and all its child GameObjects are hidden in the scene.
Visible parent		The GameObject is visible in the scene, but one or more of its child GameObjects are hidden.
Hidden parent		The GameObject is hidden in the scene, but one or more of its child GameObjects are visible.

Scene pickability icons

The scene pickability status controls whether you can select the GameObject in the Scene view. You can toggle pickability on and off using the status indicator at the edge of the Hierarchy window. For more information, refer to Scene picking controls.

The following pickability states are available.

State	Icon	Description
Pickable		You can select the GameObject, and any of its child GameObjects, in the Scene view. This is the default status for a new GameObject. This status icon is visible only when you hover over the GameObject.
Not pickable		You can’t select the GameObject, or any of its child GameObjects, in the Scene view.
Pickable parent		You can select the GameObject in the Scene view, but you can’t select one or more of its child GameObjects.
Not pickable parent		You can’t select the GameObject in the Scene view, but you can select one or more of its child GameObjects.

Override indicators

When you edit a prefab instance in a scene, Unity displays an indicator next to the parent GameObject in the Hierarchy window. This indicator highlights any prefab that has non-default override values in any of its child GameObjects. The override indicator appears as a blue line on the left side of the margin and is identical to the instance override in the Inspector window.

To open the Overrides dropdown directly from the Hierarchy window, select the override indicator. For more information, refer to Override prefab instances.

GameObjects you add to the prefab instance have a plus badge on their icons.

Additional resources

• Manage GameObjects in the Hierarchy window
• Scene visibility
• Scene picking controls
• Override prefab instances