Rezing Inworld
Your Second Life "birth" can be a lot to take in — let's break it down
Navigating Second Life
Now that you're in-world with your first avatar, it's time to learn how to actually move around. Second Life's navigation system has a few layers to it — walking and running are just the beginning. This chapter covers everything you need to get from point A to point B, whether that's across a room or to the other side of the virtual world.
Understanding the Grid
Second Life's world is made up of individual regions usually called —although erroneously— sims (short for simulators), each one a 256×256 meter square. These regions are arranged side by side to form the Second Life Grid — a vast, continuous virtual landmass you can travel across seamlessly on foot, by vehicle, or by teleport.
Some regions are connected to their neighbors; others are isolated islands. You don't need to worry too much about this early on — just know that the world is enormous and mostly built by other residents.
Basic Movement
Keyboard Controls
The most straightforward way to move is with your keyboard:
Walk forward
W or ↑
Walk backward
S or ↓
Turn left
A or ←
Turn right
D or →
Run (toggle)
R or double-tap ↑
Jump
Page Up or E
Crouch
Page Down or C
Tip: Tapping R toggles running on and off. Running is the fastest ground movement without using vehicles or flying.
Click-to-Move
If you prefer using your mouse, you can right-click on the ground anywhere in front of you and select Walk To from the context menu. Your avatar will walk to that spot automatically. This is handy when you want to navigate to a specific object or location without fiddling with the keyboard.
Flying
One of Second Life's most distinctive features is that almost anyone can fly, right from the start. There's no skill to unlock or item to equip — just press a key and lift off.
Start flying / fly higher
Page Up or E (hold)
Fly lower / land
Page Down or C (hold)
Stop flying
Home or double-tap Page Down
While flying, your directional keys (W, A, S, D) still control forward, back, and turning. Flying is significantly faster than walking and is the most common way to explore large open areas.
Note: Some regions restrict flying for roleplay or realism reasons. If you find you can't fly in a particular sim, that's an intentional setting by the land owner — it's not a bug.
The Camera
Moving your avatar and moving your camera are two different things in Second Life, and learning to control both independently is one of the most important early skills.
Default Camera Behavior
By default, the camera follows behind and slightly above your avatar in a third-person view. As you turn, the camera turns with you.
Orbiting and Panning
You can freely reposition the camera without moving your avatar at all:
Orbit around a point
Alt + Left-click + drag
Pan the camera
Alt + Ctrl + Left-click + drag
Zoom in/out
Scroll wheel, or Alt + Left-click + drag forward/back
Reset camera to avatar
Escape
Tip: Holding Alt and clicking on any object locks the camera's focus on that object, letting you orbit around it freely. This is incredibly useful for examining things up close or getting a better angle on your surroundings.
Mouselook
Pressing M (or scrolling the mouse wheel all the way in) switches you to Mouselook — a first-person view where your mouse directly controls where you look. This is useful for immersive experiences and some in-world games. Press Escape to exit Mouselook.
Teleporting
Walking and flying are great for local exploration, but Second Life's grid is massive. For long-distance travel, you'll use teleporting — instant travel to any location on the grid in just a few seconds.
Teleporting from the World Map
Open the World Map with
Ctrl + Shift + M(or via the top menu: World > World Map).The map shows the entire Second Life grid. You can search for a region by name in the search bar.
Click anywhere on the map to set a destination.
Click Teleport to travel there instantly.
Teleporting from the Mini-Map
The Mini-Map (Ctrl + Shift + M toggle, or the small radar-style panel in your interface) shows your immediate surroundings. You can use it to see nearby avatars (shown as dots) and get your bearings within a sim.
Teleporting via Landmarks
A Landmark is Second Life's equivalent of a bookmark. When you visit a place you want to return to:
Go to World > Create Landmark Here (or press
Ctrl + L).The landmark is saved to your Inventory under the Landmarks folder.
To return, open your Inventory, find the landmark, and double-click it.
Teleporting from Search
Open Search with
Ctrl + F.Search for a place, event, or region by name.
Click a result and hit Teleport.
Accepting Teleport Offers
Other residents can send you a teleport offer — a direct invitation to join them at their location. A notification will pop up; click Teleport to accept or Decline to refuse. This is a common way friends meet up in-world.
The Minimap at a Glance
Green
Nearby avatars
Yellow
Friends on your Friends List
Red
Avatars that have you muted
Movement Tips for Beginners
Get comfortable with the camera early. Many new residents struggle because they try to navigate purely through avatar movement. Learning to orbit and zoom the camera independently makes everything easier.
Use fly mode to explore. When you arrive somewhere new, flying up to get a bird's-eye view is a great way to orient yourself.
Don't worry about getting lost. You can always teleport Home (go to World > Teleport Home, or set a home location via World > Set Home to Here) to return to a familiar starting point.
Save landmarks generously. If you visit somewhere you even remotely like, save a landmark. They're free, unlimited, and easy to organize.
Quick Reference
Walk / Run
W A S D or arrow keys; R to toggle run
Fly
Page Up to rise, Page Down to descend
Camera orbit
Alt + Left-click + drag
Zoom
Scroll wheel
World Map
Ctrl + Shift + M
Teleport Home
World menu > Teleport Home
Save a Landmark
Ctrl + L
First-person view
M or scroll all the way in
What's Next? You can move, fly, and teleport; now's the time to travel and meet people. The next chapter covers communication: local chat, instant messaging, group chats, voice, and the rules of social etiquette that make interactions smoother and more enjoyable.
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