You need a compass and eight sheets of paper to craft a map
A map in Minecraft PC is an item you craft at a crafting table that shows you a bird's-eye view of the land around you. To make one, you place a compass in the center square of a 3×3 crafting grid and surround it with eight sheets of paper — one in each of the outer squares, leaving the corners and center filled. The result is a blank map that you then hold and right-click (or use the secondary action button) to set up and begin filling in the terrain.
The map only records terrain you have actually explored while holding it. It does not show you areas you have already walked through before crafting it. This means the map is most useful when you craft it early and carry it as you travel, so it fills in gradually as you move through new chunks.
Key Takeaways
- A map requires one compass in the center and eight paper sheets around it in a crafting table.
- You must hold the map in your hand and right-click it to set up it and start recording terrain.
- The map only shows areas you explore after crafting it, not places you visited before.
- Paper comes from sugar cane, which grows on the edges of water blocks and can be turned into paper at a crafting table.
- A compass requires four iron ingots and one redstone dust arranged in a plus sign at the crafting table.
How to gather paper for your map
Paper is the material you will need most of. You get paper by harvesting sugar cane, which grows naturally along the edges of water — rivers, lakes, and ocean shores. Break the sugar cane by punching it or using any tool, then pick up the drops. Each sugar cane plant gives you one sugar cane block when you break it.
To turn sugar cane into paper, place three sugar cane blocks vertically in a row at your crafting table. This gives you three sheets of paper per craft. Since you need eight sheets for one map, you will need to do this recipe at least three times, which means gathering at least nine sugar cane blocks. It is worth gathering extra — you may want to make multiple maps or use paper for other recipes like books.
How to craft a compass for your map
The compass is the second ingredient you need. To craft one, you need four iron ingots and one redstone dust. Place the redstone dust in the center of your crafting grid, then place one iron ingot in each of the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) around it. This creates a plus or cross shape. The result is one compass.
Iron ingots come from smelting iron ore in a furnace. Iron ore appears underground in almost every biome and is one of the most common ores you will find while mining. Redstone dust drops from redstone ore, which is found deeper underground, usually below Y-level 16. If you have not mined much yet, you can also find both materials in loot chests in structures like dungeons, mineshafts, and villages.
The crafting table layout for a map
Once you have eight paper sheets and one compass, go to your crafting table and arrange them correctly. The compass goes in the exact center square of the 3×3 grid. The eight paper sheets fill all the remaining squares — top-left, top-center, top-right, middle-left, middle-right, bottom-left, bottom-center, and bottom-right. The four corner squares and the center square are the only ones that matter; the compass must be in the center, and paper must surround it on all sides.
When you have placed all nine items correctly, the map will appear in the result slot on the right side of the crafting window. Click it to take the map into your inventory.
How to set up and use your new map
After you craft the map, it starts blank. You must hold it in your hand (not in your off-hand slot) and right-click to set up it. On some servers or with certain controls, this might be a different button — check your keybinds under Options if right-click does not work. Once activated, the map opens and begins recording the terrain around you in real time as you move.
The map shows a square area of land from above. The center of the map is always where you are standing. As you walk, the map fills in with colors representing different blocks — grass is green, water is blue, sand is tan, and so on. The map records terrain in chunks, so you may notice it updating in square sections as you explore. The map will never show you terrain you have not personally walked through or flown over while holding it.
What happens when you reach the map's edge
Each map covers a fixed area of the world. When you walk far enough that you reach the edge of the map's coverage, the map stops expanding. If you want to explore beyond that boundary, you can craft a new map at that location. The new map will show a different area, and you can carry both maps at once — they will not interfere with each other.
You can also place maps in item frames on walls to create a larger wall map made of multiple map pieces. This is useful for marking your base location or important landmarks. Each map in the frame shows its own section of the world, and when placed side by side, they form a larger picture of your world.
Locating map ingredients in different biomes
Sugar cane grows fastest in swamps, jungles, and along river biomes, where water is plentiful. In deserts and mesas, sugar cane is rare or absent, so if you spawn in a dry biome, travel toward water to find it. Iron ore appears in almost every biome underground, but you will find it most reliably by mining at Y-levels between 0 and 64. Redstone ore is rarer and requires a pickaxe with at least an iron tip to mine — wooden, stone, or gold pickaxes will not drop the redstone dust.
If you are early in your world and do not have iron tools yet, look for loot chests in nearby structures. Villages often have chests with iron ingots, and dungeons frequently contain redstone dust and iron. This can save you time if you want to make a map before doing serious mining.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I craft a map without a compass?
No. The compass is required in the center of the crafting grid. Without it, the crafting table will not produce a map, even if you have all eight paper sheets placed correctly. You must gather iron and redstone to make the compass first.
What if I craft a map but do not use it right away?
The map will not record anything until you hold it in your main hand and right-click to set up it. If you craft it and put it in a chest without activating it, it remains blank. Once you set up it, it begins recording terrain from that moment forward, so the sooner you set up it after crafting, the more of your world it will capture.
Can I make a map of a place I have already explored?
No. Maps only show terrain you explore after crafting and activating them. If you want a map of an area you have already walked through, you will need to craft a new map at that location and carry it as you re-explore the same area, or craft it before you explore new territory.
Do I need a specific crafting table, or will any crafting table work?
Any crafting table works the same way. You can use a crafting table in your base, in the field, or anywhere else. The recipe and result are always identical.
What is the difference between a map and a locator map?
A locator map is a map that also shows your current position with a white dot. You craft a locator map by combining a regular map with a compass at a crafting table. This is useful if you want to see exactly where you are on the map while exploring.