Table of Contents
Who this is for: Minecraft players wanting to create maps for navigation and world exploration.
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Crafting Your First Empty Map
Creating an empty map in Minecraft requires just two simple materials: 8 pieces of paper and 1 compass. Paper is crafted from 3 sugar cane arranged horizontally in your crafting table, while a compass needs 4 iron ingots surrounding 1 redstone dust in the center.
Step-by-Step Crafting Process
Open your 3×3 crafting table and place the compass in the center square. Then arrange the 8 pieces of paper around the compass, filling all remaining slots. This creates what’s called a “locator map” – an empty map that will show your current position when activated.
Alternative: Paper-Only Maps
If you don’t want position tracking, you can craft a basic empty map using only 9 pieces of paper arranged in a 3×3 grid. These maps won’t show your location marker but still function for mapping terrain.
Activating Your Empty Map
Hold the empty map in your hand and right-click (or use your device’s equivalent action). The map will instantly fill with the surrounding terrain within a 128×128 block radius. Your current location appears as a white dot if you used a compass in the recipe.
Map Expansion Tips
Start with zoom level 0 for detailed local exploration. You can later expand maps by combining them with paper in a cartography table, increasing coverage up to 2048×2048 blocks. Multiple maps can be combined to create massive world overviews.
Ready to start your mapping adventure? Explore more creative building techniques and survival strategies with our comprehensive collection of Minecraft-inspired experiences.
TL;DR
Craft an empty map using 8 paper + 1 compass in a 3×3 grid, then right-click to activate and map your surroundings.
