Instance overrides allow you to create variations between PrefabAn asset type that allows you to store a GameObject complete with components and properties. The prefab acts as a template from which you can create new object instances in the scene. More info
See in Glossary instances, while still linking those instances to the same Prefab Asset.
When you modify a Prefab Asset, the changes are reflected in all of its instances. However, you can also make modifications directly to an individual instance. Doing this creates an instance override on that particular instance.
An example would be if you had a Prefab Asset “Robot”, which you placed in multiple levels in your game. However, each instance of the “Robot” has a different speed value, and a different audio clipA container for audio data in Unity. Unity supports mono, stereo and multichannel audio assets (up to eight channels). Unity can import .aif, .wav, .mp3, and .ogg audio file format, and .xm, .mod, .it, and .s3m tracker module formats. More info
See in Glossary assigned.
There are four different types of instance override:
Overriding the value of a property
Adding a component
Removing a component
Adding a child GameObject
There are some limitations with Prefab instances: you cannot reparent a GameObjectThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
See in Glossary that is part of a Prefab, and you cannot remove a GameObject that is part of the Prefab. You can, however, deactivate a GameObject, which is a good substitute for removing a GameObject (this counts as a property override).
In the InspectorA Unity window that displays information about the currently selected GameObject, asset or project settings, allowing you to inspect and edit the values. More info
See in Glossary window, instance overrides are shown with their name label in bold, and with a blue line in the left margin. When you add a new component to a Prefab instance, the blue line in the margin spans the entire component.
Added and removed components also have plus and minus badges on their icons in the Inspector, and added GameObjects have a plus badge on their icon in the Hierarchy.
In the Hierarchy window, Prefab instances with overridden or non-default values have an override indicator to show that they have been edited, which Unity displays with a blue line in the left margin with the same appearance as the lines for instance overrides in the Inspector window. For more information, see Hierarchy.
An overridden property value on a Prefab instance always takes precedence over the value from the Prefab Asset. This means that if you change a property on a Prefab Asset, it doesn’t have any effect on instances where that property is overridden.
If you make a change to a Prefab Asset, and it does not update all instances as expected, you should check whether that property is overridden on the instance. It is best to only use instance overrides when strictly necessary, because if you have a large number of instance overrides throughout your Project, it can be difficult to tell whether your changes to the Prefab Asset will or won’t have an effect on all of the instances.
The alignment of a Prefab instance is a special case, and is handled differently to other properties. The alignment values are never carried across from the Prefab Asset to the Prefab instances. This means they can always differ from the Prefab Asset’s alignment without it being an explicit instance override. Specifically, the alignment means the Position and Rotation properties on the root TransformThe Transform at the top of a hierarchy of Transforms. In a Prefab, the Root Transform is the topmost Transform in the Prefab. In an animated humanoid character, the Root Transform is a projection on the Y plane of the Body Transform and is computed at run time. At every frame, a change in the Root Transform is computed, and then this is applied to the GameObject to make it move. More info
See in Glossary of the Prefab instance, and for a Rect Transform this also includes the Width, Height, Margins, AnchorsA UI layout tool that fixes a UI element to a parent element. Anchors are shown as four small triangular handles in the Scene view and anchor information is also shown in the Inspector. More info
See in Glossary and Pivot properties.
This is because it is extremely rare to require multiple instances of a Prefab to take on the same position and rotation. More commonly, you will want your prefab instances to be at different positions and rotations, so Unity does not count these as Prefab overrides.
The data representing the values of your instance overrides can become unused if the script which declares them is modified or deleted. If this occurs, you can remove the unused override data.
Did you find this page useful? Please give it a rating:
Thanks for rating this page!
What kind of problem would you like to report?
Thanks for letting us know! This page has been marked for review based on your feedback.
If you have time, you can provide more information to help us fix the problem faster.
Provide more information
You've told us this page needs code samples. If you'd like to help us further, you could provide a code sample, or tell us about what kind of code sample you'd like to see:
You've told us there are code samples on this page which don't work. If you know how to fix it, or have something better we could use instead, please let us know:
You've told us there is information missing from this page. Please tell us more about what's missing:
You've told us there is incorrect information on this page. If you know what we should change to make it correct, please tell us:
You've told us this page has unclear or confusing information. Please tell us more about what you found unclear or confusing, or let us know how we could make it clearer:
You've told us there is a spelling or grammar error on this page. Please tell us what's wrong:
You've told us this page has a problem. Please tell us more about what's wrong:
Thank you for helping to make the Unity documentation better!
Your feedback has been submitted as a ticket for our documentation team to review.
We are not able to reply to every ticket submitted.
When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.
More information
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. Some 3rd party video providers do not allow video views without targeting cookies. If you are experiencing difficulty viewing a video, you will need to set your cookie preferences for targeting to yes if you wish to view videos from these providers. Unity does not control this.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.