Minecraft:Map
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For the {{{Description}}} of the same name, see [[{{{Destination}}}]]. |
Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox item A map is an Minecraft:item used to view explored surface terrain and Minecraft:players. Maps can be cloned, zoomed out and locked using a Minecraft:cartography table.
Obtaining
Crafting
Cartography table
Template:IN, a map can also be created using a single Minecraft:paper in a Minecraft:cartography table to create an empty map, or a paper and a Minecraft:compass for an empty locator map.
Template:Cartography Template:Cartography
Starting map
Template:Exclusive When creating a new world Template:In, the player can enable the "Starting Map" option to spawn with an empty locator map in the hotbar. This option is not available in Minecraft:Hardcore mode. The map's zoom scale is 1:8.
Generated loot
Trading
Villager gifts
Template:IN, cartographer villagers may give players with the Minecraft:Hero of the Village effect an empty map.
Usage
Mapping
Crafting a map creates an empty map. The map is drawn for the first time when it is held and used (by pressing the Template:Control control). After conversion to a drawn map item, it starts to draw a top-down view of the player's surroundings, with North pointing to the top of the map. A pointed oval pointer indicates the player's position on the map, and moves in real-time as the player moves across the terrain shown on the map. Template:IN, this pointer is displayed exclusively on locator maps.
The map does not center on the player when created; rather, the world is broken up into large invisible grid squares, and the map displays the area of whichever grid square it was in when it was first used. For example, if a player uses a new map in a certain grid square, then moves a distance away and uses another fresh map within the same grid square, both maps still have the exact same boundary. To make a map with different bounds than the first one, the player would have to move outside of the edges of the first map to enter a new grid square. This way, no two maps of the same size can ever partially overlap. However, by externally editing a map's NBT file, the center coordinate of a map can be changed to aribitrary X and Z integer coordinates, and it will work correctly. So, technically, this restriction on possible center positions only applies to map creation.
To record the world on a map, that specific map must be held in either of the player's hands while the player moves around the world. The map records terrain within a 64 block radius (4 chunks) from a player in the Minecraft:Overworld or Minecraft:the End, or 32 blocks in Minecraft:the Nether. The map only records the surface even if the player is underground. The world is recorded as-is during exploration, meaning that if the world is modified, a player must revisit the area while holding the map to update the map.
Maps display as a mini-map when held in the Minecraft:off-hand, or if the off-hand slot is occupied; the map is full-sized only when held in the dominant hand with both hands free.
Maps can be cloned to synchronize them or framed for display.
To create a custom picture, a player can make a large piece of pixel art (128×128) facing upward, center a map on it, and place that map in an Minecraft:item frame. Locking is recommended. See Minecraft:Map item format#Map Pixel Art for details on the techniques.
Map content
Maps consist of square pixels arranged in a 128×128 square grid, with each pixel representing a square portion of land. A standard map represents 128×128 blocks (1 block per pixel, 8×8 Minecraft:chunks), but it can be zoomed out to represent up to 2048×2048 blocks (16 square blocks per pixel, 128×128 chunks).
Template:IN, the color of a map pixel generally matches the color of the most common Minecraft:opaque block in the corresponding area, as seen from a bird's-eye view. 'Minority blocks' in the target area have no effect on the color of the pixel, thus small features tend to be undetectable on zoomed-out maps.
Template:IN, the color of a map pixel instead matches the single top-most opaque block in a grid sized by the map's scale factor. For example, a map with zoom level 3/4 has a pixel size of 8×8 blocks; this means the map reads only the top-most opaque blocks at the 0,0 coordinate, the 8,0 coordinate, the 0,8 coordinate, etcetera, ignoring all other blocks in the area. This means that Template:In, map pixel art requires only one block per pixel regardless of map magnification.
Template:IN, grass, foliage and water colors that are biome-dependent are represented accurately on a map.
| Template:El | Template:El |
|---|---|
| File:Map Zoom 4.png | File:Map item BE.png |
| Biome colors in Java Edition. | Biome colors in Bedrock Edition. |
On land above water, a block's color is darker if placed at a lower elevation than the block north of it, or brighter if placed at a higher elevation than the block north of it. Maps also show ground up to about 15 blocks below the surface of the water as slightly lighter blue, to show where the ground rises.
Other dimensions
While maps in Minecraft:the Nether work, they show only a red-and-gray pattern, regardless of the blocks placed. The only useful function is finding where the player is in relation to framed copies, which show as green pointers. Additionally, the player pointer rapidly spins and is not a good indicator of direction. Template:IN, Minecraft:banner markers placed in the Nether still show on the map as usual. Despite its unreliability, having a mapped trail can still be useful in some cases, such as while riding a Minecraft:strider over Minecraft:lava. Maps in Minecraft:the End work as usual, mapping the terrain and showing the accurate location and direction of the player.
Template:IN, holding a map from the Minecraft:Overworld in a different dimension shows the player's last position and direction in the Overworld. This effect is temporary, and the marker disappears after quitting and joining the world/server again.
Template:IN, an Overworld locator map in the Nether shows the player's relative location and direction in the Overworld. Similarly, a Nether locator map in the Overworld shows the player's relative location in the Nether, but the place marker spins. An Overworld locator map in the End shows the world spawn. A Nether locator map cannot be used in the End — the map appears, but the place marker is not shown anywhere — and similarly, an End locator map cannot be used in the Overworld or the Nether. The place marker changes color depending on the dimension that the player is currently in (white for the Overworld, red for the Nether, and magenta for the End).
Zooming out
A map can be zoomed out up to 4 times, increasing the covered area from 128×128 blocks up to a maximum of 2048×2048 blocks. An empty map cannot be zoomed out; it needs to be activated for the zooming to be possible. Changing the zoom level of a map resets its contents, and terrain needs to be explored again to be drawn on the zoomed out map.
Locked maps cannot be zoomed out.
| Name | Ingredients | Minecraft:Anvil usage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map or Locator Map (zoomed out) | Minecraft:Map or Locator Map + Minecraft:Paper |
Template:Anvil | Template:Only
Supplying 8 sheets of paper results in a zoomed-out version of the input map.
|
Zoom details
The zooming function starts from when the map is created (zoom level 0/4) up to its fourth zoom step (zoom level 4/4).
| Zoom step 0 | Zoom step 1 | Zoom step 2 | Zoom step 3 | Zoom step 4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom step 0, 1:1 | Zoom step 1, 1:2 | Zoom step 2, 1:4 | Zoom step 3, 1:8 | Zoom step 4, 1:16 | ||
| Zoom level | 0/4 | 1/4 | 2/4 | 3/4 | 4/4 | |
| 1 map pixel represents | 1 block | 4 blocks
2×2 blocks |
16 blocks
4×4 blocks |
64 blocks
8×8 blocks |
256 blocks (1 chunk)
16×16 blocks | |
| Scaling ratio | 1:1 | 1:2 | 1:4 | 1:8 | 1:16 | |
| Map covers an area of | 128×128 blocks | 256×256 blocks | 512×512 blocks | 1024×1024 blocks | 2048×2048 blocks | |
| 8×8 chunks | 16×16 chunks | 32×32 chunks | 64×64 chunks | 128×128 chunks | ||
| Total paper needed to zoom out from Level 0 | in anvilTemplate:Only or crafting table | - | Template:ItemSprite 8 | Template:ItemSprite 16 | Template:ItemSprite 24 | Template:ItemSprite 32 |
| in cartography table | - | Template:ItemSprite 1 | Template:ItemSprite 2 | Template:ItemSprite 3 | Template:ItemSprite 4 | |
Maps are always aligned to a grid at all zoom levels. That means zooming out any different map in a specific area covered by that map always has the same center. As such, maps are aligned by map width (1024 blocks for a level 3 map) minus 64. A level 3 map generated at X=0 Z=0 covers X and Z coordinates from -64 to 959. All maps generated in this area zoom out to the same coordinates, guaranteeing that they are always 'aligned' on a map wall. For a zoomed-out map to cover a new area, it must start with a base (level 0) map that is in that new area.
At zoom level 0, a map created on the point (0,0) has (0,0) at the center of the map. At higher zoom levels of the same map, the coordinate (0,0) is in the top left square of the map.
Template:IN, the zoom level and the scaling factor are displayed in the tooltip of a map by turning on advanced tooltips (a debug option that can be toggled by using the key combination Template:Key). Template:IN, the zoom level of a map is always displayed in its tooltip.
Cloning
A map can be cloned to create multiple synchronized copies linked to the same map data. Multiple players can hold clones of the same map to record different parts of the world simultaneously.
Upon cloning a map, the parts of the world that have already been explored and mapped are copied; thereafter, newly explored areas appear on all cloned instances automatically. The resulting copies have the same zoom level as the starting map. If one of the maps is later zoomed out, then that map loses its connection to the original and functions as a completely separate map that has to be individually filled by exploring.
All cloned maps stack with each other, unless renamed. Even if renamed, the mapped areas continue to remain in sync.
Template:IN, both empty maps and empty locator maps may be used to clone a map. Whether the cloned maps show position markers is dependent only on the input map. For this reason, using an empty locator map instead of an empty map for cloning is a waste of a compass.
Template:Cartography Template:Crafting
| Name | Ingredients | Minecraft:Anvil usage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map or Locator Map (cloned) | Minecraft:Map or Locator Map + Minecraft:Empty Map |
Template:Anvil | Template:Only
Only one copy can be made at a time. The non-empty input map must be a locator map for the output to be a locator map. An empty locator map is the same as an empty map for this recipe. |
In Minecraft:Creative mode, a map in an item frame may be cloned by using Template:Control on it, as long as that map is not also in the player's inventory.
Player markers
Holding any map Template:In, or a locator map Template:In, displays a white pointer that marks the position of the player and points in the same direction as the player. When a player moves out of a map, the pointer turns into a white dot which moves along the edge relative to the player's position. The marker disappears if the player is too far from the mapped area; in Minecraft:explorer maps, the dot becomes smaller instead of fully disappearing. The distance on the X or Z axis from the map's edge required for the dot to vanish (regular maps) or to turn smaller (explorer maps) depends on the zoom level of the map:
- Level 0/4 : more than 256 blocks away
- Level 1/4 : more than 512 blocks away
- Level 2/4 : more than 1024 blocks away
- Level 3/4 : more than 2048 blocks away
- Level 4/4 : more than 4096 blocks away
Java Edition
In multiplayer, other players are displayed on the map only if they have a map in their inventory cloned from the one being looked at. Other players are marked using white pointers. Players wearing a Minecraft:carved pumpkin are not marked on other players' maps.
Bedrock Edition
Template:IN, position markers are displayed exclusively on locator maps. A map without position markers can be turned into a locator map at a later time by combining it with a Minecraft:compass on the Minecraft:crafting grid, on an Minecraft:anvil, or at a Minecraft:cartography table.
Template:Cartography Template:Crafting
| Name | Ingredients | Minecraft:Anvil usage | Description
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Locator Map | Minecraft:Map + Minecraft:Compass |
Template:Anvil | Template:Only
Maps crafted with only paper do not show the location marker; to add it, a compass must be added to the map. |
In multiplayer, a locator map contains markers for all players who are not in Minecraft:Spectator mode and are not wearing a Minecraft:head or a Minecraft:carved pumpkin, even if they don't have any maps in their inventory. In the Overworld, players see themselves as a white pointer, and other players are displayed in different colors depending on the order in which they joined: the first player who joined - or the host - is light gray (looking almost identical to the regular white pointer), the second player is cyan, the third player is orange, the fourth player is light green, and so on. All players in the Nether are displayed with a red pointer, and all players in the End use a magenta pointer.
If other players have a map in their inventory cloned from the one being looked at, they are displayed using white pointers. This also includes players wearing a head or a carved pumpkin, and players in Spectator mode.
Players who are between 10 to 80 blocks away are displayed using the face of their skin instead of the pointer, with a border colored as described above.
Framing
When a map is placed into an Minecraft:item frame, the map displays a green pointer at the location of the item frame (it must be a locator map Template:In). If the player leaves a map in an item frame and then views a clone of it, the green pointer is displayed on both copies. This can be used to track waypoints. If a player holds a map whose clone is on display in an item frame, then the map in the item frame updates along with the held map.
These markers work only on clones of the same map. Other maps of the same area do not show the existing markers that the player(s) had placed.
The size of the item frame expands when displaying a map. This allows for combining multiple maps side-by-side to create a much larger map display that visually appears to be one continuous map. For example, a player could display four maps in a 2x2 grid on a wall; if each map is zoom level 2, the total area displayed would be 1024×1024 blocks (the same as a zoom level 3 map) but with a scaling ratio of 1:4 (the same as a zoom level 2 map), depicting much more detail than a zoom level 3 map.
Unexplored areas of a framed map are transparent, making the item frame visible.
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An item frame with a partially filled map
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Item frame markers on a held map
Banner markers
Template:IN, the player can also mark spots on a map by Template:Control a map on a placed-down Minecraft:banner. The mark takes the color of whatever the base color is for the banner, and if the banner was given a name using an Minecraft:anvil, the mark shows that name. Banner marks on a map are always oriented with their top facing north, regardless of the banner's actual orientation. If the banner is destroyed, the mark of the banner remains at first, but if the player gets closer to where the banner previously was, it disappears as the area is updated on the map. However the banner marker doesn't work on map of level 3 and above.
Locking
Maps can be locked when using a Minecraft:glass pane in a Minecraft:cartography table. This creates a new map containing the same data and locks it. All new copies of this new map are also locked. A locked map never changes, even when the depicted terrain changes. Template:IN, locked maps have a unique texture.
Minecraft:Stained glass panes cannot be used to lock maps.
| Condition | Newly created map | Map after terrain alteration |
|---|---|---|
| Unlocked map | File:Map Zoom 0.png | File:Unlocked Map.png |
| Locked map | File:Map Zoom 0.png | File:Map Zoom 0.png |
Renaming
Template:IN, a map or an empty map can be renamed at a Minecraft:cartography table. A renamed empty map keeps its name when activated. Unlike renaming items at an Minecraft:anvil, this does not cost any Minecraft:experience.
Sounds
Data values
ID
Template:Edition: Template:ID table Template:ID table
Template:Edition: Template:ID table Template:ID table
Metadata
Template:See also Template:IN, maps use the following data values: <section begin="metadata"/> Empty map: Template:Dvt Template:Dvt
Filled map: Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt Template:Dvt<section end="metadata"/>
Item data
Template:JE: Template:See also
- Template:Nbt: the item's components tag.
Data component format/map color Data component format/map decorations Data component format/map id
Template:BE: Template:See also
Map icons
Template:See also Map icons are 8×8 in Java Edition, but 16×16 in Bedrock Edition. As such, there are minor misalignment issues in Java Edition.<ref>Template:Bug</ref>
It should be noted that even if the player used a NBT editor to add an additional icon on the map, Minecraft shows only the first one listed when the player loads up their world.
Achievements
History
Development
Java Edition
Bedrock Edition
Legacy Console Edition
Data history
Java Edition
Bedrock Edition
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A map edited to the scale of 1.
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A map mapping the Minecraft:Sky Dimension.
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A map of a Minecraft:Large Biomes world.
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Maps in Template:El, showing coordinates at the top left corner.
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A map displayed on an item frame, as it looked before Minecraft:Java Edition 1.7.2.
Issues
Trivia
- Template:IN, a map created using Template:Cmd can be any map by using the Map parameter to specify the map number desired. E.g. Template:Cmd gives the specified player map_5. If no data value is supplied it defaults to map_0. If map_0 has not ever been crafted, it is centered on x=0, z=0.
- The maps are stored separately as their own data (
.dat) file asmap_x.datwith (x) being the map number, see Minecraft:map item format for more info. By manipulating this number, players can organize their maps to suit them, or if they accidentally create a map in the same location, they can delete their extra map so as to save the number they make. - Certain programs can be used to make customized maps with images or text on them instead of actual maps.
- Since all copies of a map are links to the same file, copying an unfinished map keeps it synchronized with the copy as the player fills it in. Thus, a copy stored in a chest can act as a remote backup.
- A map that is in an item frame does not update itself until a player picks it up, lets it reload, and places it back again. However, if a player holds a clone of the map, both maps update.
- Filled maps are the only items that make 90 degree rotations in item frames, and also the only items that can expand the item frame into full block wide.
- Template:IN, the player always spawns with a map in their inventory after creating a world. This was later added to Template:El as an optional feature in the world creation menu.
- Maps Template:In always show the player's current coordinates at the player's eye level, as a substitute for the optional coordinate display in other editions.
- A map cannot be created Template:In. Instead, the map is always displayed on the bottom screen along with the coordinates. Biome colors do not appear on maps.
- Template:IN, player pointer rotation in Minecraft:the Nether is determined by in-game daytime. You could set Template:Cmd to freeze it and adjust the angle by changing time, e.g. Template:Cmd
Gallery
Renders
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A completely explored map.
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Partly filled treasure map with an odd area at the bottom left.
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Partly filled ocean explorer map.
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A collection of 9 connected full maps.
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A combination of 25 maps pasted together as one map.
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A map wall, showing large areas of biome colors for each biome.
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A map in the End.
Screenshots
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Two 2x2 item frames displaying maps, each showing the same center point (-64, -64) at two different zoom levels: 2 and 4.
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Having a map in hand does not stop the ability to see ahead.
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Nearly fully explored map.
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A village and how it is represented on a map.
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A map containing a custom image made by placing a large number of blocks.
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A map view of a mushroom biome, showing that mycelium appears purple on a map.
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Maps held in the off-hand or in either hand while Minecraft:dual wielding appear as mini-maps.
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A map in Minecraft:the Nether.
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A map in the Nether; the arrow turns around itself, like in Minecraft:compass.
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Multiple maps in item frames. Notice a Minecraft:village, two Minecraft:desert pyramids and a lava lake.
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Maps can be placed into Minecraft:item frames so they can be viewed together.
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The comparison between 3 zooms of maps.
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A map in a Minecraft:Superflat world, with some Minecraft:villages.
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A 3×3 map wall with banner markers.
Mojang images
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A fully zoomed map.
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Demonstration of maps not obstructing the player's view when looking forward.
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A world being recorded onto a map.
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Screenshot of a map in early development.
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Stained glasses' appearances on maps before and after 1.13.
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Ditto.
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Various blocks' appearances on maps before and after 1.13.
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Ditto.
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Holding a map in the offhand in Bedrock Edition.
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Holding a map in both hands in Bedrock Edition.
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The first image of a map in Minecraft:the End.
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He-Man map art.
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First image of player icons on maps.
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Second image of player icons on maps.
In other media
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A diagram showing how maps zoomed out before Minecraft:Java Edition 1.8. Notice how the larger maps have borders made of half and quarter small maps.
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From 1.8, zoomed maps are aligned to this grid exactly.
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Minecraft:Efe placing a map of a Minecraft:pale garden.
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Minecraft:Kai holding a trial chamber map.
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A stylized map of different physical geography, based off a meme.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
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A Minecraft:cow holding a map.
See also
References
Minecraft:cs:Mapa Minecraft:de:Karte Minecraft:es:Mapa Minecraft:fr:Carte (objet) Minecraft:hu:Térkép (tárgy) Minecraft:it:Mappa Minecraft:ja:地図 Minecraft:ko:지도 Minecraft:nl:Kaart Minecraft:pl:Mapa Minecraft:pt:Mapa Minecraft:ru:Карта Minecraft:th:แผนที่ Minecraft:uk:Мапа Minecraft:zh:地图