How to use cheats in Minecraft: What Most People Get Wrong

Let’s be real. Playing Minecraft "legit" is a grind. You spend hours digging for three diamonds just to lose them in a lava pool because a skeleton sniped you from across the cavern. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. And honestly? Sometimes you just want to fly.

If you’ve ever wondered how to use cheats in Minecraft, you aren't "bad" at the game. You're just bored of the limitations. Minecraft is a sandbox, and cheats are basically the keys to the kingdom. But here's the thing: most people mess this up by thinking it’s just about typing "/give" and calling it a day. There are permissions to handle, version differences that will break your game, and the very real risk of locking yourself out of achievements forever.

The "Allow Cheats" Button is Your Gatekeeper

You can’t just start typing commands. It doesn’t work like that.

When you first create a world, there’s a toggle. On the Java Edition, it’s literally a button that says Allow Cheats: OFF. You have to click that until it says ON. If you miss this step during world creation, you’re kinda stuck—at least, that’s what the menu wants you to think.

There is a workaround.

If you’re already in a world where cheats are disabled, hit the Escape key. Open to LAN. There’s a secret toggle right there to enable cheats for that session. Once you start the LAN world, you have total power. The catch? Once you quit the game and come back, those powers vanish unless you do the LAN trick again. It’s a bit of a hassle, but it beats starting a new world from scratch.

Bedrock vs. Java: The Great Divide

Microsoft has made this a little complicated. On Bedrock Edition—that’s the version on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and the Windows Store—enabling cheats is a heavy decision.

Why? Because it kills your achievements.

The moment you toggle that switch in the settings, a warning pops up. It tells you that you will never be able to earn trophies or achievements in this world again. Even if you turn the cheats back off later, the world is "tainted" in the eyes of the Xbox Network. Java players don't have this problem. They can cheat all day and still get their "Advancements" because those are saved per-world, not per-account.

Commands You Actually Need to Know

Once you've got the permissions sorted, you need the syntax. Most players think they know the /gamemode command, but since the 1.13 update (the "Update Aquatic"), the shorthand is gone. You can't just type /gamemode 1 anymore.

You have to type the whole word: /gamemode creative.

It feels tedious. It is. But that’s the modern Minecraft engine for you. If you’re looking to get out of a sticky situation, here are the heavy hitters:

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The Inventory Saver
This is the big one. If you hate losing your stuff when you die, type /gamerule keepInventory true. Make sure that "I" in inventory is lowercase and the "I" in keep is... wait, no. It's actually camelCase. It has to be exactly keepInventory. If you get the capitalization wrong, the game will just stare at you.

The Teleportation Hack
Lost your house? If you were smart enough to write down your coordinates (hit F3 on Java to see them), you can just use /tp @s X Y Z. The @s part tells the game "teleport me." If you leave that out, the game gets confused about who is supposed to be moving.

The Time Bender
Tired of phantoms biting your head off? /time set day is your best friend. Or, if you want to stop the sun in its tracks so it stays high noon forever, use /gamerule doDaylightCycle false.

The Syntax Secret: The Tab Key

If you take one thing away from this, let it be the Tab key.

Nobody actually remembers the exact spelling of every Minecraft command. There are hundreds. When you start typing in the chat box, hit Tab. The game will try to finish the word for you. It’s like predictive text but actually useful. If you type /gi and hit Tab, it completes to /give. Hit it again, and it suggests your username. It’s the only way to use cheats without getting a "Unknown Command" error every five seconds.

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Changing the World on a Cellular Level

Sometimes you don't just want an item; you want to change how Minecraft functions. This is where /gamerule comes in. It's deeper than just giving yourself a diamond sword.

For instance, did you know you can stop fire from spreading? If you're building a massive wooden mansion and you want a fireplace that doesn't burn the whole neighborhood down, /gamerule doFireTick false is the move.

You can also stop mobs from destroying blocks. If you’re sick of Creepers blowing holes in your front porch, set /gamerule mobGriefing false. Now, they’ll still explode and hurt you, but your beautiful dirt path stays intact. It changes the vibe of the game from survival horror to something a bit more relaxed.

Why Commands Sometimes Fail

You’ll see it eventually. You type a command, hit enter, and... nothing. Just red text.

Usually, this happens because of "Operator" levels. On a single-player world, you are the boss. You have Level 4 OP status. But on a server? Even a small one with friends? You might only have Level 1 or 2. If the server owner hasn't "OP'd" you in the console, you’re just a regular player.

Another common pitfall: the "Target Selector."

• @p targets the nearest player.
• @a targets everyone.
• @e targets every single entity (be careful with this one; /kill @e will kill you, your dog, your cows, and every item frame in the world).
• @r is just a random person.

Use these wrong, and you might accidentally teleport your entire friend group into a pit of lava. It’s funny once. It’s not funny the second time.

The Morality of the "Cheat"

There’s a weird stigma in the Minecraft community. People act like using /locate structure village is some kind of sin. It isn’t.

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Minecraft is a massive game. The worlds are literally millions of blocks wide. If you have a job, or school, or a life, you might not have six hours to wander through a desert looking for a temple. Using cheats is just a way to respect your own time.

Practical Next Steps for Your World

If you’re ready to stop playing by the rules and start playing by your rules, start small. Don't go straight to /kill.

1. Check your version. If you're on a console, go to world settings and toggle "Activate Cheats" but remember those achievements will be gone for good.
2. Memorize the "Give" command. It’s /give @s [item_name] [amount]. If you need wood, it’s /give @s oak_log 64.
3. Set your Spawn. Find a spot you love and type /setworldspawn. No matter where you die, you’ll always come back to your favorite base instead of some random beach ten miles away.
4. Learn the F3+N shortcut. If you’re on Java, holding F3 and pressing N instantly swaps you between Creative and Spectator mode. It’s the fastest way to scout underground caves without having to type a single letter.

Go ahead. Break the game a little. It was built to be broken.