WHAT ARE COMMANDS?
Commands are text instructions you type into Minecraft that make things happen instantly — teleporting, spawning items, changing the weather, and much more.
▸ THE BASICS
In Minecraft Bedrock Edition, a command is a line of text that starts with a forward slash / and tells the game to do something. Think of it like talking directly to the game engine.
Instead of manually walking somewhere, you can type /tp @s 100 64 200 and instantly teleport. Instead of waiting for sunrise, type /time set day and the sun rises immediately.
▸ ANATOMY OF A COMMAND
Every command follows the same basic structure:
- Slash — Every command starts with
/ - Command name — The action you want (
give,tp,time, etc.) - Arguments — The details: who, what, where, how much
▸ WHAT CAN COMMANDS DO?
Commands in Bedrock let you control almost every aspect of the game:
- Teleport yourself or others anywhere in the world
- Give or remove items from any player's inventory
- Change the world — time, weather, difficulty, game rules
- Spawn entities — mobs, items, even lightning
- Build instantly — fill areas with blocks, clone structures
- Create game logic — scoreboards, tags, automated systems
You can press ↑ Up Arrow in the chat to cycle through previously typed commands. Great for re-running commands with small tweaks.
▸ BEDROCK vs JAVA
Bedrock and Java editions share most commands, but there are important differences. This entire course is Bedrock-only. Every syntax example, every argument, every quirk is specific to Bedrock Edition running on console, mobile, or Windows 10/11.
Key Bedrock differences you'll learn about:
- No
/datacommand — you can't read or modify NBT data - Different
/executesyntax than Java - Bedrock uses
/replaceiteminstead of Java's/item - Block/item IDs don't require the
minecraft:prefix - Bedrock has exclusive commands like
/tickingarea,/camerashake,/dialogue
If you see a tutorial online that uses /data, /attribute, or /worldborder, that's Java-only. It won't work on Bedrock. This course will never lead you astray.
ENABLING COMMANDS
Before you can use any command, you need to turn on cheats in your world. Here's exactly how — and what it costs you.
▸ TURNING ON CHEATS
In Bedrock Edition, commands are called "cheats" in the settings. To enable them:
- Open your world settings (pencil icon on the world)
- Scroll to Game section
- Toggle "Activate Cheats" to ON
- Confirm the popup warning
Enabling cheats permanently disables achievements for that world — even if you turn cheats off later. Create a separate world for learning commands so your survival achievements stay safe.
▸ CREATING A PRACTICE WORLD
We recommend creating a dedicated world for this course:
- Create New World → name it "Command Practice"
- Set to Creative Mode (gives you flight + unlimited blocks)
- Set World Type to Flat (clean workspace)
- Turn on Activate Cheats
- Turn on Always Day (optional, but nice)
▸ OPENING THE CHAT
Commands are typed in the chat window. How you open it depends on your platform:
| PLATFORM | HOW TO OPEN CHAT |
|---|---|
| Windows 10/11 | Press T or / (slash auto-fills the prefix) |
| Xbox | Press D-Pad Right, then tap the chat icon |
| PlayStation | Press D-Pad Right, then tap the chat icon |
| Switch | Press D-Pad Right, then tap the chat icon |
| Mobile | Tap the chat bubble icon at the top of the screen |
On keyboard, pressing / instead of T opens chat with the slash already typed — saves a keystroke every time.
▸ YOUR FIRST COMMAND
Let's run your very first command. Open chat and type:
If the time changed to daytime, congratulations — you just ran your first Bedrock command.
CHAT VS COMMAND BLOCKS
There are two ways to run commands: typing them in chat, or placing them in Command Blocks. Each has different strengths.
▸ CHAT COMMANDS
Typing / in the chat is the simplest way to run a command. It runs once, immediately, and the results appear in your chat log. This is great for quick one-off actions like teleporting or changing the time.
- Runs once when you press Enter
- Requires you to type it each time
- Shows output feedback in chat
- You are always the "executor" of chat commands
▸ COMMAND BLOCKS
Command Blocks are physical blocks you place in the world that store and execute commands automatically. They're the foundation of all Bedrock map-making and automation.
To get a command block, type:
Command blocks cannot be obtained from the creative inventory — you must use the /give command.
▸ THREE TYPES OF COMMAND BLOCKS
| TYPE | COLOR | BEHAVIOR |
|---|---|---|
| Impulse | Orange | Runs once when activated by redstone or "Always Active" |
| Chain | Green | Runs when the command block behind it finishes — used for sequences |
| Repeat | Purple | Runs every game tick (20 times per second) while active |
We'll use chat commands for the rest of this Iron tier. You'll dive deep into command blocks in the Emerald Knowledge course when you're ready to build automated systems.
/GAMEMODE
Switch between Survival, Creative, Adventure, and Spectator modes on the fly. One of the most-used commands in all of Minecraft.
▸ SYNTAX
▸ GAME MODES
| MODE | ALIAS | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| survival | s or 0 | Normal gameplay — health, hunger, resource gathering |
| creative | c or 1 | Unlimited blocks, flight, invincible, instant break |
| adventure | a or 2 | Can't break or place blocks (for custom maps) |
| spectator | 6 | Invisible, can fly through blocks, view only |
▸ EXAMPLES
Adventure mode is essential for map makers. Players can interact with buttons, levers, and doors, but can't break or place blocks — perfect for controlled experiences.
Spectator mode (number 6, not 3) was added to Bedrock in version 1.19.50. Older devices may not support it. The numeric alias skips 3, 4, and 5.
/TP & /SPAWNPOINT
Instantly move yourself or others anywhere in the world, and set where players respawn after dying.
▸ /TP SYNTAX
▸ EXAMPLES
Y is height. Sea level is Y=62. Y=0 is the bottom of the world. Y=320 is the build limit. If you teleport to a Y value inside solid blocks, you'll suffocate — use creative mode for safety.
▸ /SPAWNPOINT
/GIVE & /CLEAR
Add any item to a player's inventory or remove specific items. Essential for testing, rewards, and map-making.
▸ /GIVE SYNTAX
▸ EXAMPLES
Unlike Java, Bedrock's /give cannot attach NBT data to items. You can't give pre-enchanted or renamed items. To enchant, use /give first, then /enchant separately.
▸ /CLEAR SYNTAX
Using /clear @s diamond 0 0 with maxCount=0 doesn't remove anything — it just tests whether the player has that item. This is hugely useful for command block logic later.
/TIME & /WEATHER
Control the sun, moon, and sky. Set exact times, freeze the day-night cycle, and toggle rain and thunderstorms.
▸ /TIME
| TIME VALUE | TICKS | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| sunrise | 23000 | Dawn breaking |
| day | 1000 | Full daylight |
| noon | 6000 | Sun at peak |
| sunset | 12000 | Sun going down |
| night | 13000 | Stars appear, hostile mobs spawn |
| midnight | 18000 | Darkest point |
One full Minecraft day is 24,000 ticks, which equals about 20 real-world minutes. Each tick is 1/20th of a second.
▸ /ALWAYSDAY (DAYLOCK)
▸ /WEATHER
TARGET SELECTORS
Target selectors are how commands know WHO to affect. Master these five symbols and you control everything.
▸ THE FIVE SELECTORS
| SELECTOR | TARGETS | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| @s | Self | The entity running the command (you, or the command block) |
| @p | Nearest player | The closest player to the command's execution point |
| @a | All players | Every player in the world, including dead players |
| @e | All entities | Every entity — players, mobs, items, arrows, everything |
| @r | Random player | One randomly chosen player |
▸ SELECTOR ARGUMENTS
You can filter selectors by adding arguments inside square brackets []:
▸ COMMON SELECTOR ARGUMENTS
| ARGUMENT | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| type | Entity type | @e[type=zombie] |
| r | Max radius (blocks) | @a[r=20] |
| rm | Min radius | @a[rm=5] |
| c | Count (limit results) | @e[c=1] |
| name | Entity name | @e[name=Bob] |
| m | Game mode | @a[m=creative] |
| tag | Has scoreboard tag | @e[tag=enemy] |
| scores | Scoreboard scores | @a[scores={kills=5..}] |
Use ! to negate: @e[type=!player] targets every entity that is NOT a player. @a[name=!Steve] targets everyone except Steve.
COORDINATE SYSTEMS
Absolute, relative, and local coordinates — three ways to specify positions in the world.
▸ ABSOLUTE COORDINATES
Exact positions in the world using X, Y, Z numbers. Press F1 or check Settings → Show Coordinates to see your current position.
- X — East (+) / West (−)
- Y — Up (+) / Down (−) — this is height
- Z — South (+) / North (−)
▸ RELATIVE COORDINATES (~)
The tilde ~ means "relative to current position." ~5 means "5 blocks from where I am." ~ alone means "exactly where I am" (offset of 0).
▸ LOCAL COORDINATES (^)
The caret ^ is relative to where you're looking, not compass direction. This is extremely useful for "in front of me" logic.
^X— Left (−) / Right (+)^Y— Down (−) / Up (+)^Z— Behind (−) / Forward (+)
You cannot mix ~ and ^ in the same coordinate set. It's all tildes or all carets — never ~5 ^2 ~3.
/SAY, /TELL & /MSG
Send messages to chat — publicly or privately. The building blocks for dialogue, announcements, and debugging.
▸ /SAY
Broadcasts a message to all players, prefixed with the sender's name (or [Command Block]).
▸ /TELL and /MSG
/tell and /msg are identical — they send a private message to a specific player. Only the sender and recipient see it.
▸ /ME
Sends a message styled as an action or emote.
For styled messages with colors and click events, use /tellraw (Diamond tier). For now, /say is perfect for announcements and debug messages in command blocks.
/DIFFICULTY & /GAMERULE
Control how hard the world is and change the fundamental rules of the game — mob spawning, fire spread, keep inventory, and more.
▸ /DIFFICULTY
▸ /GAMERULE
Game rules are switches that change fundamental behaviors. There are dozens — here are the most important ones:
| GAMERULE | DEFAULT | WHAT IT DOES |
|---|---|---|
| keepInventory | false | Keep items when you die |
| mobGriefing | true | Mobs can destroy blocks (creepers, endermen) |
| doDaylightCycle | true | Time passes naturally |
| doWeatherCycle | true | Weather changes naturally |
| doMobSpawning | true | Mobs spawn naturally |
| pvp | true | Players can damage each other |
| doFireTick | true | Fire spreads and burns |
| commandBlockOutput | true | Command blocks show output in chat |
| showCoordinates | false | Show XYZ on screen |
| doImmediateRespawn | false | Skip death screen |
For custom maps, almost always set: commandBlockOutput false, sendCommandFeedback false, mobGriefing false, and doImmediateRespawn true. This hides the "machinery" from players.
/KILL & /EFFECT
Remove entities from the world and apply potion effects to players and mobs — speed, strength, invisibility, and more.
▸ /KILL
▸ /EFFECT
Amplifier 0 = level I, amplifier 1 = level II, etc. Speed II (amplifier 1) is noticeably faster than Speed I (amplifier 0). Max useful amplifier is usually 255.
/XP & /ENCHANT
Control experience points and apply enchantments directly to held items via commands.
▸ /XP
▸ /ENCHANT
Applies an enchantment to the item the player is currently holding.
/enchant only applies enchantments that are valid for the held item (no Sharpness on a helmet). It also respects max levels — you can't do Sharpness 10. For impossible combinations, you'd need behavior packs.
IRON REVIEW & NEXT STEPS
You've completed the Iron tier. Here's everything you've learned and where to go next.
▸ WHAT YOU NOW KNOW
You've mastered the foundations of Bedrock commands:
- How commands work and their basic structure
- Enabling cheats and the achievement tradeoff
- Chat commands vs Command Blocks (Impulse, Chain, Repeat)
/gamemode— switching between all four modes/tpand/spawnpoint— movement and respawn control/giveand/clear— full inventory control/timeand/weather— world atmosphere- Target selectors — @s, @p, @a, @e, @r and filtering with [arguments]
- Coordinates — absolute, relative (~), and local (^)
/say,/tell,/msg— communication commands/difficultyand/gamerule— world rules/killand/effect— entity control and potion effects/xpand/enchant— experience and item enhancement
You now have the vocabulary and fundamentals to use commands effectively in any Bedrock world. Everything from here builds on what you've learned in these 14 lessons.
▸ PRACTICE CHALLENGES
Before moving on, try these in your practice world:
- Teleport to Y=200 and switch to survival — can you survive the fall with
/effect? - Give yourself a full diamond kit and enchant every piece
- Use
/kill @e[type=!player]and then repopulate with/difficultychanges - Find your coordinates, teleport away, and then teleport back to the exact same spot
- Set up the perfect map-maker gamerules: no mob griefing, keep inventory, always day
▸ NEXT: EMERALD KNOWLEDGE
The Emerald tier takes you from using commands to building systems. You'll learn:
/fill,/clone,/setblock— mass block manipulation- Command Block chains and automated sequences
/execute— the most powerful command in the game/scoreboard— variables, tracking, and game logic/functionfiles — organize commands into reusable scripts