Navigation

In Minecraft, finding your way around can sometimes be a little confusing. Often, you may find yourself a little bit lost while exploring. But don't worry; there are plenty of ways to orient yourself. Here, for your convenience, are the most common.

Underground

When underground there is one especially neat navigation technique. Just press F3 (Fn + F3 on mac) and the direction should be in the upper corner. Another great way to keep from getting lost while underground is to put torches on the left side as you dig. That way, you will be able to tell whether you are going into or out of a tunnel.

Surface

Same as underground just press F3.

COMPASS

If you have crafted a Compass, the red line will point in the direction of your spawn point, whether you are underground or on the surface. If you are in the Nether or the end, compasses will not work and will instead spin randomly.

MAP

If you have a Map available, you can see your location represented as a white arrow, as well as the area immediately around you. Maps do have limits, though. If you go past one map's edge, you'll need to craft a new map in order to continue charting, to make bigger maps just encase the map in paper in a crafting bench and make it apply to a bigger area.

Beacon

Build a high tower so from a distance you can see your way back. You can also use the beacon block and get a shiny beam of light going up from your shelter and even give you a nice buff (not interesting without a lot of resources like iron or gold).

Now that we're not getting lost anymore, it's time to look forward to the next day in our Minecraft adventure.

Up Next: The Next Day

In This Guide