The world of Minecraft can be overwhelming, so let us help you find your place in the world with our Minecraft maps guide. We’re going to break down exactly what you need to make one and what it does, so you can start exploring with confidence that you won’t lose your chest full of diamonds after a creeper blows you to hell. We’ll cover exactly what resources you’ll need, where to find them, how to create a map, and then how to use it.
If you just can’t get enough of Minecraft and want to discover more ways to interact with the world, be sure to check out our litany of beautiful guides. We’ve covered Minecraft mobs, Minecraft ender dragon, Minecraft end portal, Minecraft skins and even the best Minecraft games to make the most of your time.
Here’s ours Minecraft maps guide.
Table of Contents
How do I make Minecraft maps?
Making Minecraft maps is pretty easy, and luckily you need resources readily available in the game without too much digging. To make a map you need nine pieces of paper and a compass. The compass should be in the center of the crafting table with paper wrapped around it in every other available slot. Grabbing paper and a compass is also relatively easy, so you’ll have a map at hand in no time.
You can make paper using sugar cane, which is often found near water. Simply place three pieces of sugar cane on the craft table in a horizontal line to make paper. Remember you need at least nine to make the map, but you’ll also want more if you want to expand the map later. So grab a lot of sugar cane and start making paper.
To make a compass you will need iron bars (made by putting iron ore in a furnace) and redstone dust. You can find redstone while mining, in the blocks with a slight red tint. To mine both you’ll need an Iron Pickaxe or higher, although hopefully you already have a lot of Iron. From here, making the compass is easy, as described earlier. Compass in the center, paper in every other crafting table slot and bingo!
How do I find Minecraft maps?
While making a map is a surefire way to get a map, you can also find them while exploring the world. Maps sometimes appear in treasure chests in shrunken shipwrecks and strongholds, and if you find a village there’s a 50 percent chance a map will appear in a cartographer’s chest. You can also buy maps from cartographers.
How do I use Minecraft maps?
When you first start your map, you’ll find it pretty blank, ready to be filled in as you adventure. Equip the map, then use it by pressing the action button and the game will map your surroundings. Just walk around with the map equipped and active, and more of the world will be mapped for you to find your way around. If you want to expand the range of your card, you can expand it by combining it with other scraps of paper on the crafting table.
That’s all we have for this guide to Minecraft maps, but hopefully this will help you and you won’t get lost in the wilderness so often. If you know your way around the world, now is the perfect time to also search for Minecraft diamonds and craft some terrifying tools.
