How do you change the time in Minecraft?

Who this is for: Minecraft players who want to control day/night cycles for building, avoiding mobs, or creating specific atmospheric conditions.


Ready to jump in? Play minecraft games and start experimenting with these time commands in your own worlds!

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Using the /time Command

The fastest way to change time in Minecraft is through the /time command. You’ll need to enable cheats in your world first, or have operator permissions on a server. Open the chat window by pressing T (Java Edition) or the right directional pad (Bedrock Edition), then type your command.

Basic Time Commands

  • /time set day – Sets time to 1000 (morning)
  • /time set noon – Sets time to 6000 (midday)
  • /time set night – Sets time to 13000 (evening)
  • /time set midnight – Sets time to 18000 (midnight)

Precise Time Control

For exact timing, use tick values. Minecraft runs on a 24000-tick cycle where each tick represents a fraction of a Minecraft day:

Time Period Tick Range Real Time
Dawn 0-1000 6:00 AM
Day 1000-13000 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Dusk 13000-14000 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Night 14000-24000 7:00 PM – 6:00 AM

Use /time set [number] to jump to any specific tick. For example, /time set 12000 creates a perfect sunset moment.

Adding Time Instead of Setting

The /time add command lets you fast-forward without jumping to a specific moment. Try /time add 1000 to skip ahead gradually, which feels more natural than sudden time jumps.

Alternative Methods

Without cheats enabled, you can sleep in a bed to skip night time, though this only works when no other players are awake on multiplayer servers. Some players also use command blocks for automated time control in adventure maps.

These time manipulation techniques work great whether you’re building massive structures that need perfect lighting or just want to avoid those pesky nighttime mobs while exploring.

TL;DR

Use /time set day, noon, night, or midnight to quickly change Minecraft’s time, or /time set [number] for precise control using tick values from 0-24000.

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Joyst1ck

Gaming Writer & HTML5 Developer

Answering gaming questions—from Roblox and Minecraft to the latest indie hits. I write developer‑focused HTML5 articles and share practical tips on game design, monetisation, and scripting.

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