You're stuck in a hole. A deep, dark, Creeper-infested hole. Or maybe you just spent four hours looking for a Fortress in the Nether and realized you're hopelessly lost. We've all been there. You just want to fly for a second, or maybe grab a stack of wood without punching another tree. You need to know how to turn cheats on in Minecraft, but the game doesn't always make it obvious, especially if you already started your world.
It's kinda funny how Minecraft treats "cheating." In a game where the only real limit is your imagination, calling a slash command a "cheat" feels a bit dramatic. Most of us just call them "admin commands." Whether you're on a PC, a console, or your phone, the process changes based on which version of the game you're running. Java Edition players have it easy. Bedrock players? You've got some trade-offs to consider, specifically regarding those shiny achievements you've been collecting.
The Big Red Button: Enabling Cheats During World Creation
The easiest way to do this is right at the start. When you're sitting at that "Create New World" screen, you're basically the god of your own universe.
In Java Edition, you'll see a button that says "Allow Cheats." It’s off by default because Mojang wants you to suffer—I mean, "experience the challenge." Toggle that to ON. Done. You can now use /gamemode creative or /teleport to your heart's content.
Bedrock Edition (the version on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Windows 10/11) is a little more persistent. You'll find the "Activate Cheats" toggle under the Game settings tab. But here’s the kicker: the moment you flip that switch, a warning pops up. It tells you that achievements are permanently disabled for this world. Even if you turn the cheats back off later, that world is "tainted" in the eyes of Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. No more trophies. If you're a completionist, this is where you stop and think.
How to Turn Cheats on in Minecraft After You've Already Started
So, you forgot to enable them. Or you decided halfway through a survival run that walking is for suckers. Don't delete the world yet. There are ways around the initial "lock."
The Java Edition "LAN" Trick
This is a classic. It’s been around for years, and honestly, it’s a lifesaver. If you're in a Java world where cheats are locked, hit the Esc key. Click on "Open to LAN." You'll see an option there that says "Allow Cheats: OFF." Click it until it says "ON." Then, click "Start LAN World."
Boom. You have temporary admin powers. You can now type commands into the chat.
There is a catch, though. This only lasts as long as your current session. If you quit the game and come back, the LAN session ends, and your cheats are locked again. You'll have to repeat the process every time you log in. It’s a bit of a hassle, but it keeps you from having to mess with your save files or use third-party editors like NBTExplorer to permanently change the "allowCommands" value from 0 to 1 in your level.dat file.
The Bedrock Edition Dilemma
On Bedrock, you can actually toggle cheats on at any time through the Settings menu. You don't need a fancy trick like the LAN method. Just pause, go to Settings, scroll down to the "Cheats" section, and flip the switch.
But remember what I said about achievements? This is the point of no return. The game will remind you. If you click "Continue," you can never earn achievements in that specific save file again. Some people try to get around this by using external programs to "flag" the world as a survival world again, but it's buggy and often breaks the save. If you're playing on a console, you're pretty much stuck with the choice: commands or trophies. Pick one.
Using Your New Powers: Command Basics
Once you've figured out how to turn cheats on in Minecraft, you actually have to use them. This is where the fun starts. Pressing "/" (forward slash) opens the chat box and pre-fills it with the command prefix.
If you're tired of dying, /gamemode creative is the nuclear option. You're invincible, you can fly, and you have every block in the game. If you just want to get home, /tp @s <coordinates> is your best friend. Pro tip: always write down your base coordinates (X, Y, Z) before you go exploring. You can find these by hitting F3 on Java or enabling "Show Coordinates" in Bedrock settings.
Common Commands You'll Actually Use
/time set day– Because fighting Phantoms at 3 AM is nobody's idea of a good time./weather clear– For when the rain won't stop ruining your build's vibe./keepinventory true– This is the most "balanced" cheat. You still play survival, but you don't lose all your Netherite gear when you fall into lava. It makes the game significantly less stressful./locate structure <name>– Use this to find a Mansion or a Village if you're tired of wandering in circles.
Why Some Players Refuse to Turn Them On
There’s a segment of the Minecraft community—the purists—who think turning on cheats ruins the game. And they kinda have a point. Minecraft is a game about progression. If you can just "spawn" a Diamond Pickaxe, why bother mining? The struggle is what makes the reward feel good.
However, the "right" way to play is whatever makes you happy. If you're a parent trying to help your kid get out of a hole, or a builder who just wants to see how a roof looks from above, cheats are just a tool. Even technical experts like those on the SciCraft server use "carpet mod" or creative copies of worlds to test mechanics. Using cheats doesn't make you a bad player; it just makes you a player with different priorities.
Important Note on Multiplayer and Servers
If you're playing on a server you didn't create, you can't just "turn on cheats." That would be a disaster. You need to be an "Operator" (OP). If you're hosting a small server for friends, you can type op <yourname> into the server console window.
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If you're playing on a massive public server like Hypixel, forget about it. Unless you're a developer or a moderator, you aren't getting those permissions. Most servers have their own custom command systems anyway, so the standard Minecraft cheats might not even work the way you expect.
Taking Action: Your Next Steps
Now that you know the score, here is what you should actually do.
First, determine if achievements matter to you. If they do, and you're on Bedrock, do not flip that switch. Instead, try to find a "glitchless" way out of your situation, like switching the difficulty to Peaceful to despawn enemies.
If achievements don't matter, or if you're on Java Edition, go ahead and use the LAN trick or the settings toggle. Once cheats are active, immediately run the command /gamerule keepInventory true. It is the single best quality-of-life improvement you can make. It allows you to take risks and explore the deep dark without the crushing fear of losing dozens of hours of progress to a single mistake.
Lastly, if you find yourself using creative mode too much and getting bored, try "Survival with Cheats Lite." Only use commands for transportation or fixing bugs, and do the rest the old-fashioned way. It keeps the game's stakes high while removing the most frustrating parts of the grind.