How do you break down items for parts?

[Sivarg]

I dont see any option in the workshop to break down items you can find around the wastelands.

[Lil Puppy]

You don't have to, just put all your junk in the workshop and be done with it, the game automatically breaks things down for you when you need parts.

You can manually break things down if you truly want to waste your time (there's a rumor going around that this is the only way to not 'lose' parts) by dropping it on the ground, using the workshop (V or whatever your controller uses) and scrapping it from there.

You can also manually do weapons and armor at their respective workbenches. The exception being anything with a star next to its name (from legendary enemies and shops).

[MJY]

DON`T need to break them down, just need to have them in your settlement to use, outside of the settlement its just junk u find, only settlement u can break them down, but yes would be nice if u could do it everywhere

[Pinhead Larry]

throw them on the flor, hold V and enter build morde, target an item and press R... this breaks them down and sends them to the workshop

[Pinhead Larry]

if you dont break them down, the item which may has 3 diffrent componets will be used only for 1 component, if used for something without breaking it down before

[Sivarg]

Thanks guys!
And Dovah, exactly what I wanted to avoid, made me question if I was getting the parts back, as I was using the workshop in Diamond city, but not getting stuff afterwards under junk. So thanks again guys, you helped a ton!