Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Highlight Objects

Having containers and items just sitting out on the ground highlighted or indicated in some way makes Baldur’s Gate 3 far less of a guessing game, at least in terms of exploration. It’s possible to indicate objects as you walk around and go about your business, whether you’re using mouse and keyboard or a controller. Here’s how to highlight objects in BG3 under either circumstance.

How to Highlight Objects in Baldur’s Gate 3

There are two ways to highlight objects in Baldur’s Gate 3: using mouse and keyboard and using controller. I’ll go over both below.

How to Highlight Objects Using Mouse and Keyboard

While you’re clicking around to move, you can hold the left Alt key to highlight most objects you can interact with. This includes containers and items out on shelves and on the ground, but that doesn’t include bookshelves and some other objects. There are mods to customize what is highlighted that you might want to consider if you want more control over what’s shown when holding Alt.

It’s worth noting you can change this keybind in the Baldur’s Gate 3 settings if the Alt key isn’t in a great spot for you. It may seem like an odd key to use if you’re new to the CRPG genre, but it’s perfectly comfortable to hold it with your left thumb while maneuvering with the mouse.

Related: How to Multiclass in Baldur’s Gate 3

How to Highlight Objects Using a Controller

If you’re playing BG3 with a controller, you can instead hold the R3 button (known as RS on Xbox controllers) to highlight objects. The R3/RS button being a press and hold of the right analog stick.

Highlighting objects with a controller functions identically to doing it with a keyboard, though it’s decidedly less comfortable to do so. Luckily, you have a similarly useful function on controller that the keyboard and mouse crowd don’t have: active search.

• When holding the X button (PlayStation controller) or A button (Xbox controller), you’ll initiate an active search for interactive or lootable objects within your direct vicinity. You’ll then be able to select them via a list, rather than having to manually seek them out.

With that, you know all you need to know about how to highlight objects in Baldur’s Gate 3. You’re going to be doing it a lot, if not all the time, so choose a method or key that works best for you. Be sure to check out some of our other BG3 guides while you’re here.