How to Create a Map in Minecraft: Know Full Guide and Details

What started as a small project in 2009 has today become one of the most addictive sandbox games, that is, Minecraft. Here you get to explore a world full of blocks, where you can build your own little world that has a house, cute little animals, and even a lake. The game allows you to unleash your creativity and bring your imagination to life. The two things that made Minecraft's popularity explode are YouTube videos and mods that brought a major rise in its fanbase. Mobile versions in 2011 drew millions more, and pandemic lockdowns spiked players 25% as everyone was looking for fun at home.

However, if you are new to the game and need to learn about how to create a map in Minecraft, this guide is for you. The whole process of creating a map in Minecraft is very fun and simple. Once created, you can keep track of your adventures in the game's huge world. With just basic materials and a crafting table, you can make a map that shows the terrain around you.

Minecraft Map Ingredients

Crafting a map in Minecraft is very useful for exploring the game's huge world, and this way, you will also not get lost. Whether you are setting objects on your base or tracking different biomes, all you need to do is follow simple steps. With these materials and a crafting table, you will have a map ready in no time. To create a map in Minecraft, you just need 8 pieces of paper and 1 compass.

How to Create a Map in Minecraft

Below, we have mentioned the easy steps for how to create a map in Minecraft:

Gather the Ingredients

To create a map in Minecraft, first you need to collect 8 pieces of paper and 1 compass. These are the two ingredients required for the process to start. First, find the sugarcane that grows near water in grassy and sandy areas. Break the sugarcane to collect at least 9 pieces. After this, go to a crafting table and place three sugar canes in a horizontal row, and craft three papers. You need to repeat this process three times to get eight papers.
After this, to make a compass, you need to collect 4 iron ingots and 1 redstone dust. To get the ingots, you need to mine ore underground at Y-levels between -59 and 63. Then smelt the ore in a furnace with fuel. Collect at least 4.
For Redstone dust, you need to mine redstone ore deep underground with an iron pickaxe or better. One ore block usually drops 4.5 redstone dust, so you need one block. To craft the compass at a crafting table, place 1 redstone dust in the center and surround it with 4 iron ingots.

Craft the Map

• Open your crafting table.
• Place the compass in the center slot of the grid.
• Surround the compass with 8 papers in all the other slots.
• Once all the items are placed correctly, the map will appear in the result slot. Then drag it to your inventory.

In case you want to learn about how to make a glowstone in Minecraft, check out the guide on our website.

Activate the Map

Hold the Empty Map in your hand and right-click or use the interact button to activate it. This will turn it into a map that starts filling in with the land around you. The map will show the area where you activated it. As you move, the map updates to show nearby blocks, like forests, mountains, or water. These ingredients are crucial for players wanting to learn how to create a map in Minecraft.

How to Get Map in Minecraft

Besides crafting, you can find maps in specific locations in the game. These are usually empty maps. Below, we have mentioned how to get map in Minecraft.

• Cartographer Villagers: Find a village in plains, desert, or snowy biomes. Look for a villager who wears a white robe and has a cartography table. Trade with him, and this way you can also level up the cartographer to unlock better maps.
• Shipwrecks: You can explore ocean biomes to find shipwrecks underwater or on beaches. Search for chests inside shipwrecks, as they have a high chance of containing a buried treasure map or sometimes an empty map.
• Strongholds: These are rare underground structures that can be found using Eyes of Ender. They are located very deep underground and contain portals to the end. Look for library rooms in strongholds, which have bookshelves and 1-2 chests. These chests usually have a 10-11% chance to contain an empty map. Although strongholds are hard to find, it is definitely a cool adventure.
• Woodland Mansions: These are unique structures in dark forest biomes. Woodland Mansions are huge but dangerous places filled with mobs. You just need to find a cartographer villager and trade for a woodland explorer map at the journeyman level. This map will lead you to a woodland mansion.
• Ocean Monuments: These are underwater temples in the deep ocean biomes that are guarded by guardians. Trade with a cartographer villager for an Ocean Explorer Map at the journeyman level. This map points to an Ocean Monument. While you won't find maps inside the monument, the Explorer map is valuable.

We have also covered a guide about how to make glass in Minecraft.

How to Use Maps in Minecraft

Using maps in Minecraft is a fun way to explore and keep track of your adventures in the game's vast world. Whether you have crafted a map or found one, maps will help you mark major spots and avoid getting lost. Below, we have mentioned how to use maps in Minecraft.

• Understand the map first: Your map displays the area where it was activated. It shows grass, water, sand or mountains. Your position is marked by a white dot, and other players are marked as different-colored dots.
• Activate the Map: If you have an empty map, hold it and right-click on PC or press the interact button. The map is centered on the spot where you activate it, so make sure you choose a good starting point and a visually pleasing landmark.
• View the Map: Hold the map in your main hand to see it while walking. It appears in front of you, showing a small view of the area. Open your inventory and hover over the map to see a larger and more detailed version. This is perfect for decorating your base and seeing the area at a glance.
• Exploring with the map: Walk around while holding the map to fill in details. It only records the areas you visit, and the unexplored parts stay gray.
• Expand the Map: If you feel that your map is small, you can zoom it out and cover a larger area. Each zoom will double the map's coverage but show less detail.
• Copying a Map: You can share your map with friends using a cartography table. Just place the map in the top slot and an empty map in the bottom slot.
• Marking Locations: Maps show special markers to highlight significant spots, but how you do this depends on the game edition. If you are playing in the Java Edition, place the banner in the world and name it using an anvil for clarity. The banner will appear on the map as a colored dot with the name. While in the Bedrock edition, use the cartography table to add markers. Place the map and a banner on the table to mark a spot with the banner's position and color.
• Locking Map: You can lock the map to stop it from updating as you explore new areas. This is good for keeping a snapshot of a specific place. You can lock a map using a cartography table and place the map and a glass pane.
• Explorer Maps: These are special maps that show the location for rare structures like Woodland Mansions or Ocean Monuments. To use it, you just need to hold the map to see an icon. These maps are amazing for finding rare loot, but make sure to take armor and weapons with you, as these places are filled with dangers.

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