In the last few years Minecraft has grown in popularity. More and more users are seen to join this community and spend more time on the Minecraft gameplay. The game has gone through several updates and numerous tweaks here and there. In all of this, knowing the geography of the world that you’re playing in is extremely crucial, especially when you’re playing survival mode and need to get back home before sunset. How to Read and Check Coordinates in Minecraft

This is where coordinates come in. 

Understanding how the coordinates system works in Minecraft is crucial if you want to be a successful builder and survivor. In this article we will discuss how to read and check coordinates in Minecraft, but first let’s understand the importance of these coordinates in the game. 

How to Read and Check Coordinates in Minecraft?

Why is the Coordinates System in Minecraft so Important? 

The world of Minecraft is vast, especially because it keeps expanding and generating as the player explores and travels through it. There is a lot of ground to be covered on foot but you also have the option to dig beneath the ground if you want. Therefore, it is easy for players to get lost from their homes if they don’t know how to enable coordinates and retrace their steps. 

The minecraft gameplay is also packed with numerous points of interest that always come handy to players. Some of these points include villages, mansions, ruined portals, desert temples, etc. In short, there is a lot to be discovered and remembered so that the player can relocate a point of interest if they need to. For that purpose understanding and learning coordinates is very crucial because if you know the coordinates to a specific location then you can easily navigate your way to it rather than hope to stumble upon it by sheer luck. 

Moreover, Minecraft is all about building and surviving, with building being a crucial aspect of the gameplay. Building realistic things has always been a more attractive point of Minecraft and you can see several players trying to achieve that. However, if you wish to build something as big as a ship then you are going to need to understand and use coordinates or else you won’t be able to do it. 

Coordinates are already available in the Minecraft gameplay but you need to switch them on to see them on your screen and to be able to use them.  

Coordinates in Minecraft

Coordinates in Minecraft are based on the coordinates in real life. There are three different axis codes in Minecraft namely X,Y,Z. The function of these coordinates is as follow: 

• The ‘X’ axis measures East and West: If the value of ‘x’ is positive then that means that you are on the East side of the map. If the value of ‘x’ is negative then that means that you are on the West side of the map.  
• The ‘Z’ axis measures South and North: If the value of ‘z’ is positive then you are on the South side of the Minecraft world, however, if it is negative then that means that you are on the North side of the Minecraft gameplay.   
• The ‘Y’ axis measures high and low coordinates: The more you move upwards you will notice the positive value increase. On the other hand, if you move downwards then you will notice the negative value increase. 

Furthermore, in Minecraft there are two types of coordinate positions, one is the absolute position and the second is the relative position. Details of these two positions are as follows: 

• Absolute position: this represents a specific location in the Minecraft gameplay. If the number 119, 76, 237 is displayed on your screen then these coordinates refer to a specific location that is 119 blocks to the East, 76 blocks above the sea level and 237 blocks to the South from the centre of the world map. 
• Relative position: these represent the distance from a particular location in Minecraft. The format for this is the tilde symbol “~”. If you see numbers such as ‘~4, ~1, ~2’ displayed on your screen then that refers to a position that is 4 blocks East, 1 block upwards and 2 blocks South from your current position. 

How to Check your Coordinates in Minecraft? 

You can access the coordinates in your game easily. However, the process and method of accessing them differs from console to console. Therefore, it depends on what console you’re playing the game and how you will be able to access the coordinates from that console. 

If you’re playing on the original console then accessing these coordinates is very easy because they are already built within the gameplay. You can locate these coordinates from the map that you have constructed. The coordinates will be present on the top left corner of the map. This makes finding your way through the Minecraft world a lot easier than usual. 

On PC/Mac the process of accessing the coordinates is a little different. In order to do that you need to go to the options menu and enable the full debug screen. This will make the coordinates visible to you on the top left side of the corner. Once this is done, whenever you press the F3 key the coordinates will appear for you in the same place. If you’re a Mac user then you may have to press Fn+F3 or Alt+Fn+F3 to access your coordinates in the gameplay. It depends on the model that you are currently running. 

For pocket edition it is again a different process. You will need to go into your world’s menu settings and enable the cheat switch. Once you have done that, you will have to enter your desired world and go to your chat icon and type this in the command: /tp ~ ~ ~. This command will allow you to view your current location and as a result your current coordinates. 

You can also hide these coordinates after viewing them by either pressing the F3 button or disabling the coordinates or cheats from your world’s menu. 

Uses of Minecraft Coordinates

Minecraft coordinates come in handy a lot, as discussed above. You can use the coordinates to easily teleport from one location to the other. Similarly, you can record numerous points of interest in the gameplay so that you can teleport to them directly if you have to. You can also build portals from one location to the other. Moreover, you can copy certain blocks and easily place them elsewhere using the coordinates which makes building a lot more easier. 

Conclusion

As discussed, coordinates are an important aspect of the Minecraft gameplay because they are an important element in building and surviving the vast terrain of the Minecraft world. Having proper knowledge about these coordinates and knowing how to use them can help you out through your Minecraft journey. So why not give it a try and see for yourself!