Maps are crucial if you have long-term plans to play in any Minecraft world. As the name suggests, maps allow you to chart specific areas in the world so that you always know how to get to certain locations. Luckily, making them is fairly straightforward, but they won’t operate as intended if you make them wrong. Don’t worry; this guide details everything you need about crafting and using a map.
How to craft a map
To craft a map, you need the following items first: one compass and eight papers. As soon as you get your hands on those items, go to a Crafting Table, and you should see an option that’ll allow you to make one. But if it doesn’t appear, you’ll want to place all the items, as shown in the picture below.
Here’s how you make a map in Minecraft
It’s also worth mentioning there’s another way of crafting a map. To do this, all you’ll need is nine papers. Once you have all nine, place them on a craft table and make the map as usual. What’s unique about this map is that it won’t have a player tracker. This type of map is known as an Empty Map. Instead, it’ll just be a map of the general area, as shown in the picture below.
Here is how you make an Empty Map.
If you accidentally make a map like this, don’t worry; it can easily be fixed. You only need to craft a compass and go to a crafting table with both items. Now that you’re there, all you need to do is place both items in the crafting menu with a player tracker.
Easy fix.
How to upgrade a map
One of the first things you’ll notice as soon as you make a map is how small it is. Don’t worry, though, because it can be increased in size up to four times with the right supplies. To do this, you’ll need to use a Cartography Table.
Now that you’re there, you’ll need to place the map you have in the top left slot and a piece of paper in the bottom left slot. Once you do that, you’ll pick the new map appearing in the middle right slot.
Here’s how you upgrade your map.
The moment you grab it, the map will be increased, and more ground will be covered. To upgrade to level four, all you need to do is repeat the cycle.
You can also name your map from the Cartography Table, but note that doing so will not give you any gameplay advantage.
How to copy a map
It’s also worth noting that you can copy any map. To do this, you’ll need to use a Cartography Table again.
When you get there, place your map on the top left slot and place an Empty Map on the bottom left. After you do that, you’ll see a map icon appear on the middle right slot with the number two next to it.
Here is how you copy a map.
You can grab both maps and give one to a friend or store the other for safekeeping. For more on Minecraft, don’t miss how to get a few hard-to-find items, such as Honeycomb and a Saddle.
