Compass is one of the Minecraft items that never loses its purpose. Players can use it from the moment they spawn in the Overworld, as a way to find “home”. Then, near the end, when they’re ready to slay Zombified Piglins or Ender Dragons, it can point to a Minecraft coordinate within those dimensions. We’ll explain how that works at the bottom. For now, just stay aware of its importance. We’ll also mention multiple ways of obtaining Compass, thus allowing you to pick a method that fits your level of urgency and playstyle the best. So, without further ado, let’s get into how to make a compass in Minecraft.
Steps to make a Compass in Minecraft
We’ll begin with a quick Compass crafting guide. Follow these instructions to make a Compass in Minecraft:
- Collect materials needed for making a Compass in Minecraft. Those are:
- 4x Iron Ingot
- 1x Redstone Dust
- Create and/or place and use a Crafting Table.
- Now that you see the 3×3 crafting grid, follow the crafting recipe for Minecraft Compass:
- First row: Leave the first block empty. Place an Iron Ingot in the middle (second) block. Leave the third block empty too.
- Second row: Place an Iron Ingot in the first block. Put Redstone Dust into the second (middle) block. Place an iron Ingot in the third slot.
- Third row: Do the same as in the first row.
- If you did everything correctly, you’ll spot the icon of a Compass in the single previously empty block on the right side.
- Drag the Compass to an empty block in your personal inventory or Hotbar.
Other ways to get a Compass in Minecraft
For those who dislike crafting, here are other methods of acquiring a Compass in Minecraft:
1. Minecraft cheats and commands
This technique requires you to turn the Minecraft cheats on. Afterward, use the /give command to make a Minecraft Compass:
- Using Minecraft Java Edition 1.13 to 1.17? Type this:
/give @p compass 1 - Playing on Minecraft Java Edition 1.8 and after, or any other version of Minecraft? Enter this:
/give @p compass 1 0
2. Creative Mode
Another quick and easy way to get a Compass is to switch from Survival Mode to Creative Mode. Then, either use the search bar to search for “compass” or find its icon inside the Tools (Java Edition) or Equipment (Pocket Edition, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Windows 10 Edition, Education Edition) inventory menus.
3. Looting
Not a fan of cheats or changing Game Mode? No problem. You can find 1x Compass inside the following containers and structures:
- Map chest inside a Shipwreck; 7.7% chance in both Java and Bedrock Editions.
- Library chest inside a Stronghold; 10.9% (Java Edition) or 10.5% (Bedrock Edition) chance.
- Cartographer’s chest inside a Village; 26.3% chance in both Bedrock and Java Editions.
4. Trading
After finding a Minecraft Village or breeding Villagers on your own, you can trade for Compass under these conditions:
- Bedrock Edition: An expert-level Librarian Villager has a 50% chance to trade you 1x Compass for 4x Emerald.
- Java Edition: Villager who is an expert-level Librarian has a 33.333% probability of trading 1x Compass for 4x Emerald.
Facts about a Compass in Minecraft
Here are a few notable things about a Compass:
- Compass was added in Minecraft Alpha v. 1.1.0, released on September 10, 2010.
- The needle of the Compass point in the direction of the Minecraft coordinates you spawned on after creating your Minecraft world.
- The above is not limited to a player holding a Compass. The needle continues to spin even when the item is dropped, in the inventory, inside a Crafting Table, within an item frame, even when the player is, for example, flying, or lying on their ground.
- Compass needle points in the direction of the northwest corner of the block you spawned on, not the middle of the block.
- If the player makes and uses a Bed in Minecraft, it changes their personal spawn point. The Compass needle remains unaffected, as it still shows the direction of the world spawn point.
- Using a /setworldspawn command changes the coordinates the Compass needle points at.
- If a player travels to the Nether or the End dimensions, the Compass needle starts to spin and point randomly.
- You can enchant a Compass, but only with a Curse of Vanishing enchantment. It makes the Compass disappear upon your death.