Players have a notoriously bad history of getting lost in Minecraft. Players require a dependable means of transportation due to the game’s vast random environments. Nevertheless, the developers do not want to include a HUD-based mini map in the game because exploring is a significant aspect of it. Consequently, noting down coordinates is a standard habit throughout the community, yet it feels like too much of a nuisance. Even some players will turn to the best Minecraft mods for assistance. The situation doesn’t need to be this complicated, though, if you know how to create a map in Minecraft. It’s a really useful tool for casual players, speedrunners, and experts alike. And fortunately, creating a map in Minecraft is just as easy and dependable as playing the game online. With that said, let’s move on and discover how to create a map in Minecraft without wasting any more time.
Make and Upgrade a Map in Minecraft (2022)
The map we create in this tutorial is an in-game component, not a world that you can download and put into your game. You can also find it in a rare treasure or trade with a cartographer, one of the various jobs available to villager. But for the purpose of this lesson, let’s learn how to create a map by hand.
What Do You Need to Make a Map in Minecraft?
Maps are created using a combination of raw materials on a crate table, just like every other in-game item. One compass and eight sheets of paper are required to create a map. Both of these goods can be made using other raw materials if not acquired through a chest. Therefore, the following basic resources are required to first create paper and a compass:
- Nine Sugar Canes
- Four Iron Ingots
- A Piece of Redstone Dust
- A Crafting Table
Here is the easy recipe if you don’t know how to create a crafting table. Any tree’s wood can be gathered and shaped into planks. You must then set them up there to make a crafting table in your designated area. You can find a link to our in-depth article on how to create a crafting table in Minecraft right here. Let’s concentrate on the other ingredients now that the crafting table is prepared.
How to Make a Compass in Minecraft
Four iron ingots and a bit of Redstone dust are required to build a compass. You can also create a map without a compass if you are using the Bedrock edition, but we’ll get to that later. If you dig straight down in any Minecraft world, you can find iron. For more assistance, see our guide to distributing ore in Minecraft 1.18.
Once you’ve gathered enough iron, you can use a blast furnace or a standard furnace to smelt the iron ore to create ingots. This is also the time to create an iron pickaxe if you don’t already have one so you can mine redstone dust. Use the following formula to quickly create an iron pickaxe.
Redstone is less frequent than iron, but if you are cautious not to fall into the lava, you can discover it there. As soon as you have both of the necessary materials—iron ingots and Redstone dust—go to your crafting station and use the recipe below.
The Redstone dust fragment needs to be in the centre of the workspace. The corners must be left vacant while the iron ingots are positioned on the dust’s four sides. Players can pick up the compass and add it to their inventory when it has been created.
How to Make Paper in Minecraft
The compass is more complicated than making paper because sugarcane is the only component required. In marsh, desert, and occasionally even woodland biomes, sugarcane is rather simple to locate close to water. To make paper, you must first lay three sugar canes in a straight line in the crafting area. As seen in the screenshot below, this recipe comes with three pieces of paper:
To create a Minecraft map, we will need at least 8 pieces of paper. Therefore, you need to gather at least 9 sugar canes. You can even plant one and wait for it to grow tall enough if you can’t find that many at once. The procedure is comparable to how other crops in Minecraft are grown.
How to Make a Map in Minecraft
The crafting table should be opened and the compass should be positioned in the centre of the 3 x 3 crafting space now that we have all the materials necessary to create a map. After that, insert the pieces of paper into each open space that surrounds the compass. Your map will be prepared if everything is set properly. It takes no time at all to add it to your inventory and begin using it.
You can create a map in Minecraft without a compass if you are using the Bedrock edition of the game. The map will still be created even if the compass slot is left vacant while constructing. It will, however, be lacking a crucial component. There won’t be a way to show where you are right now on the map. I highly advise making the effort to acquire a compass because maps created without it are merely ornamental items.
How to Use the Map in Minecraft
A map is easy to use. Once you’ve equipped it, you must right-click or use the secondary action key to get it to capture some of the surroundings. You may notice a white indicator that will show you where you are on the map if you drew the map using a compass. Your character’s current position on the map is indicated by the white indication.
By pressing F, you can also equip the map in your empty hand for faster use. The map simply barely covers a fraction of the size of the Minecraft worlds, which are quite large. Therefore, if you want to explore the best Minecraft seeds to their edges, you must constantly create new maps. However, other gamers believe that expanding the map is a preferable approach.
How to Upgrade and Expand Map Size in Minecraft
You must first obtain more paper before you may update a map. Eight sheets of paper are required to enlarge the map once. 32 pieces of paper are required if you want to expand the allowed4 times all the way. It’s really easy to increase the size of a map in Minecraft. You must position your current map in the centre of the crafting space and encircle it with pieces of paper. There it is.
For the map to reach its maximum potential, repeat the process three more times. You can wander around and record a wider area of your Minecraft world by equipping this zoomed-out version of the map. The ability to mark locations on it and the usage of the in-game mapping tools can make it even more beneficial.
How to Mark Locations on a Minecraft Map
Your map is a fantastic resource for learning about the geography of the Minecraft universe. Major buildings and biomes are visible on it, but they are typically not as detailed. You can try adding your own location marks to the maps to better use them and keep track of certain locations.
You must post banners in your Minecraft world at each area you want to mark in order to mark it on the map. To make the banner, you only need a pole and six pieces of wool. Each piece of wool must be the same colour. In Minecraft, you can gather them by slaughtering or raising sheep.
2. To make a banner, place the wooden stick in the middle of the bottom-most row of the crafting area and the woollen pieces in the top two rows.
3. After it has been completed, hang the banner in the spot you want to mark on the map. When you’re ready, equip the map and use a right-click or use it on the banner to add it to your map. Using an anvil to name banners is a step farther. After that, the names will appear on your map as well.
Maps must appear to be much more useful now than they did as blank pages in the beginning, right? Now is the perfect moment to improve on existing Minecraft maps.
What Is a Cartography Table and How It Works in Minecraft?
A Cartography table in Minecraft enables you mix components with maps and related artefacts to make new products. It is a relatively new feature to the game and is comparable to a crafting table. It typically spawns in communities where there is a resident working as a cartographer.
As an alternative, you can make a cartography table using two sheets of paper, four pieces of wood, and the instructions below:
When ready, you can build, copy, extend, lock, and zoom out maps using the table. For the same goods, it typically requires many fewer ingredients than a standard crafting table. On a cartography table, you only need one piece of paper to expand your map; on a crafting table, you need eight pieces.
Using this item, you can rename an existing map or add map pointers. The recipes are simple to remember because the cartography table only has two slots. A couple of the recipes from the official Minecraft wiki are listed below:
Make Your Own Map in Minecraft
You now have all the necessary equipment in your inventory to leave and begin using maps to explore Minecraft. They let you explore every one of Minecraft’s biomes without ever having to be concerned about getting lost. However, if you become lost, you can utilise them to quickly locate your Minecraft house. After that, it’s time for you to begin drawing maps and cataloguing your loot, settlements, and other locations. Additionally, if your version of Minecraft has the greatest shaders or RTX, don’t forget to mention those astoundingly gorgeous landscapes as well.