Where are the retraction settings in Cura?

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Where are the retraction settings in Cura?

In UltiMaker Cura 5.x, click the print settings panel at the top right, then Show Custom and open the Travel category. Cura’s default Basic visibility shows only Enable Retraction and Z Hop When Retracted there. Type “retract” into Search settings to reveal Retraction Distance (6.5 mm in Cura’s base profile) and the rest.

The number

Setting, as Cura labels it Base default Lowest visibility preset that shows it
Enable Retraction On Basic
Retract at Layer Change Off Advanced
Retraction Distance 6.5 mm Advanced
Retraction Speed 25 mm/s Advanced
Retraction Retract Speed, Retraction Prime Speed Both follow Retraction Speed Expert
Retraction Extra Prime Amount 0 mm³ Expert
Retraction Minimum Travel Twice the line width: 0.8 mm with a 0.4 mm nozzle Expert
Maximum Retraction Count 90 Expert
Minimum Extrusion Distance Window Equal to Retraction Distance Expert
Z Hop When Retracted Off Basic
Z Hop Only Over Printed Parts Off Advanced
Z Hop Height 1 mm Advanced
Z Hop Speed (Speed category) 10 mm/s None: search for it or pick All

Labels, defaults and formulas are from fdmprinter.def.json in UltiMaker Cura 5.13.0; the visibility column is from that release’s Basic, Advanced and Expert preset files.

Why does my printer show different values?

Because the table is only Cura’s base profile. Retraction pulls filament back before a travel move (what retraction is), and how far it must pull depends on the extruder. So each printer’s definition, material files and quality profiles can replace the base values. Anything you type replaces them all.

Printer profile in Cura 5.13.0 Retraction Distance Retraction Speed Z Hop Height Set by
Creality Ender-3 / Ender-3 v2, Generic PLA or PETG 1.75 mm 5 mm 45 mm/s 0.2 mm, Z hop off Material files; Creality base definition (hop)
Creality Ender-3 S1 (direct drive) 0.8 mm 40 mm/s 0.2 mm, Z hop off Printer definition
UltiMaker S5 (Bowden), AA 0.4, Generic PLA 6.5 mm 45 mm/s, prime 45 mm/s 2 mm, only over printed parts; on only with two extruders enabled Printer definition, quality profile
UltiMaker S5, AA 0.4, Generic PETG 8 mm 45 mm/s, prime 15 mm/s As for PLA Material file, printer definition

The values come from Cura 5.13.0’s printer definitions and quality profiles and the 5.13 material files; Creality and UltiMaker state the extruder types.

What retraction settings does Cura use for a direct drive?

0.8 mm at 40 mm/s, on Cura’s profile for the direct-drive Creality Ender-3 S1, which also cuts Minimum Extrusion Distance Window to 1.5 mm. Cura takes values from the printer profile, not the extruder type, so a Bowden printer converted to direct drive keeps its Bowden distance until you lower Retraction Distance yourself (direct drive vs Bowden).

What are the best retraction settings in Cura?

The ones your printer profile loads, as the start of a test, not the end of one. Profiles change by printer and material, so copy no other machine’s number: calibrate retraction distance on your own spool.

Where is Z hop in Cura, and what height does it use?

In the same Travel category. Z Hop Only Over Printed Parts and Z Hop Height appear only after you tick Z Hop When Retracted, and under Basic visibility only when you search “z hop”. Z Hop Height is 1 mm in the base profile, 0.2 mm on Creality profiles and 2 mm on the UltiMaker S5 (choosing a height). Z Hop Speed sits in the Speed category.

Z Hop Only Over Printed Parts lifts the nozzle only when a travel cannot steer around a printed part. A travel across empty bed still retracts but stays at layer height. The option appears only while Avoid Printed Parts When Traveling is on, and it needs combing: with Combing Mode set to Off, every retracted travel lifts. Creality profiles switch Combing Mode to Off as soon as Z Hop When Retracted is ticked, so set it back to Not in Skin to get the selective lift.

Two travel moves with Z Hop Only Over Printed Parts on, across empty bed the nozzle stays at layer height, over a printed wall it lifts and drops againWith Z Hop Only Over Printed Parts ticked, Cura lifts the nozzle only when a travel cannot avoid a printed part; a travel across empty bed still retracts but stays at layer height.1Across empty bed: no lift, the travel stays at layer height2Over a part it cannot avoid: lifts by Z Hop Height3Printed wall that blocks every way around
  1. Across empty bed: no lift, the travel stays at layer height
  2. Over a part it cannot avoid: lifts by Z Hop Height
  3. Printed wall that blocks every way around
With Z Hop Only Over Printed Parts ticked, Cura lifts the nozzle only when a travel cannot avoid a printed part; a travel across empty bed still retracts but stays at layer height.

How to check it on your own print

  1. Read what your profile loaded. Open Travel and note Retraction Distance and Retraction Speed. A reset arrow beside a field means it holds your value, not the profile’s; click it to restore the profile value.
  2. Keep the fields on screen. Open the menu to the right of Search settings and pick Expert, which shows every Travel field above; All adds Z Hop Speed.
  3. Test one change at a time. Under Extensions, Post Processing, Modify G-Code, click Add a script and choose ChangeAtZ. Tick Change Retraction and Change Retract Length, then set a Change Height and a new Retract Length; add one script per step. ChangeAtZ does not work with relative extrusion.
  4. Read the strings at each height and keep the shortest distance that clears them (full calibration method).
  5. If Z hop lifts on every travel, check Combing Mode: Off overrides Z Hop Only Over Printed Parts.
  6. If Retraction Distance never appears, even under All, open the printer’s Machine Settings and check G-code flavor. With Ultimaker 2 selected, Cura hides Retraction Distance and Retraction Speed and sends firmware retract commands (G10/G11) instead.

Sources

  1. resources/definitions/fdmprinter.def.json at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  2. resources/setting_visibility/basic.cfg at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  3. resources/setting_visibility/advanced.cfg at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  4. resources/setting_visibility/expert.cfg at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  5. cura/Machines/Models/SettingVisibilityPresetsModel.py at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  6. resources/qml/Settings/SettingView.qml at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  7. resources/qml/Settings/SettingItem.qml at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  8. resources/qml/PrintSetupSelector/Recommended/RecommendedPrintSetup.qml at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  9. resources/definitions/creality_base.def.json at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  10. resources/definitions/creality_ender3.def.json at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  11. resources/definitions/creality_ender3s1.def.json at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  12. resources/definitions/ultimaker_s5.def.json at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  13. resources/quality/ultimaker_s5/um_s5_aa0.4_pla_0.15mm.inst.cfg at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  14. resources/quality/ultimaker_s5/um_s5_aa0.4_petg_0.15mm.inst.cfg at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  15. generic_pla_175.xml.fdm_material, fdm_materials 5.13 branch (commit f188541), UltiMaker on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  16. generic_petg_175.xml.fdm_material, fdm_materials 5.13 branch (commit f188541), UltiMaker on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  17. generic_petg.xml.fdm_material, fdm_materials 5.13 branch (commit f188541), UltiMaker on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  18. src/LayerPlan.cpp at 5.13.0, CuraEngine on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  19. src/pathPlanning/Comb.cpp at 5.13.0, CuraEngine on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  20. plugins/PostProcessingPlugin/scripts/ChangeAtZ.py at 5.13.0, UltiMaker Cura on GitHub (accessed October 30, 2026)
  21. Ender-3 S1 3D Printer, Creality Official (accessed October 30, 2026)
  22. UltiMaker S5 - Installation, UltiMaker Support (accessed October 30, 2026)