How to Change Game Modes in Minecraft

To change game modes in Minecraft, open chat and run /gamemode creative or /gamemode survival with commands enabled and the required permissions. You can also choose Personal Game Mode in world settings, and Java offers a keyboard switcher using F3 + F4. The menu steps below cover Java Edition 26.3 and current Bedrock Edition.

Choose whether you want to change your character’s active mode or the world’s default before adjusting a setting. In Bedrock, enabling cheats permanently disables achievements for that world, even if you turn cheats off afterward.

Enable commands and change your Java mode

In a locally hosted, non-Hardcore Java Edition 26.3 world, press Esc and select World Options > General. Enable Allow Commands, then use Personal Game Mode to select the mode you want. This changes your own mode while you are playing.

Change your mode in Bedrock settings

In Bedrock Edition, an operator can pause the game and open Settings > Game, then turn on Activate Cheats. Cheats must be enabled before you select a personal mode override, and enabling them permanently disables achievements for that world.

With appropriate world permissions, open Personal Game Mode and choose Survival, Creative, Adventure, or Spectator. Choose Default when you want your character to follow the world’s default mode. These controls apply to Bedrock on Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android, iPhone, iPad, and supported Fire devices.

If you own the world, you can also change its mode before entering it. Select Play, select Edit for the world, then under Game settings adjust Default Game Mode. Redesigned settings screens can use different capitalization for that label.

Switch modes with a chat command

In Java, enable commands in your local world or use sufficient server permissions, then press T to open chat. Enter the command for the mode you want and press Enter. For Creative, enter this command.

/gamemode creative

Use /gamemode survival to return to Survival, /gamemode adventure for Adventure, or /gamemode spectator for Spectator. These full mode names work in both current Java and Bedrock.

In Bedrock, an operator must enable Activate Cheats under Settings > Game, and you need command permission. Open chat, enter the desired command, then send it using your keyboard, controller with an on-screen keyboard, or touch chat.

Use a shortcut for frequent switching

Java’s game-mode switcher works on Windows, macOS, and Linux when commands are enabled or you have sufficient operator permission. Hold F3 and tap F4, keeping F3 held down. Tap F4 again to cycle through modes, or point at a mode with the mouse, then release F3 to apply your selection.

A quick press of F3 + F4 switches back to the previously selected mode. To change the controls in Java Edition 1.21.11 and later, open Options... > Controls... > Key Binds... and find Debug. Reassign the relevant debug controls, then use your assigned controls instead of the defaults. You can assign the debug modifier independently of the debug-overlay key.

For keyboard input in Bedrock 26.0 and later, open Settings > Creator and enable Enable Command Macros. Open the Keyboard & Mouse controls settings, then assign a key to one of the Command Macro entries. Enter this command in its command field.

/gamemode creative

Create additional entries for other modes if you want more shortcuts. While playing, press Alt plus your assigned key to run the command. Normal command permissions still apply.

Set the world’s default mode

For a Java Edition 26.3 local world you host, press Esc and open World Options > General > Default Game Mode. Choose the desired mode, then open Multiplayer and enable Force Game Mode if joining players should use that default. Use Command Access to control guests’ command permissions.

With command permission in Java, you can also change the default through chat. Enter the following command, substituting survival, adventure, or spectator as needed, then press Enter. Use /gamemode separately to change a player’s active mode.

/defaultgamemode creative

In an editable, non-Hardcore Bedrock world, an operator can pause and open Settings > Game > Default Game Mode. Choose the desired mode, then choose Default under Personal Game Mode if you want your character to follow it.

With cheats and command permission in Bedrock, you can instead apply the world’s default to your player through chat. Enter this command to make that change.

/gamemode default

Change modes in multiplayer and Realms

On a Java or Bedrock Realm, join as the owner or an appropriately authorized operator, then use your edition’s supported /gamemode command in chat. Bedrock also requires cheats for this command. On someone else’s Realm, ask the owner to change your mode or grant the necessary permissions.

For locally hosted Bedrock multiplayer, the host can open the pause menu and select the permissions icon beside a player’s name. Enable the operator-commands permission so that player can run mode-changing commands when cheats are enabled. Granting permission does not itself change the player’s mode.

In Bedrock multiplayer worlds, Realms, and dedicated servers where the administrator permits it, you can target another player with operator command permission and cheats enabled. Enter the following command, replacing PlayerName with the player’s name.

/gamemode creative PlayerName

To switch everyone to Survival, use the following command instead. Substitute another supported mode when you want everyone to use that mode.

/gamemode survival @a

Fix commands or settings that do not change your mode

If Java rejects an abbreviated or numeric command, use the full mode name, such as /gamemode creative. Current Java no longer accepts the old shorthand and numeric arguments, although Bedrock still supports its own shortcuts.

If an older Java tutorial sends you to Open to LAN, use World Options instead in Java 26.3. Mojang replaced that pause-menu entry, so enable Allow Commands under World Options > General before choosing a mode or running a command.

If a Bedrock command is blocked, check both Activate Cheats and your command permissions. If changing Default Game Mode leaves your character unchanged, check Personal Game Mode for an override and choose Default to follow the world setting.

For Spectator in current Bedrock, enable cheats and choose Spectator under Personal Game Mode, or run /gamemode spectator with command permission. You do not need the experimental Spectator toggle shown in older tutorials.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you choose a game mode when creating a Java world?

Yes, select Singleplayer > Create New World, then use Game Mode on the Game tab to choose the starting mode. Enable Allow Commands if you want command-based switching afterward, then select Create New World. This creates a new world.

Which numeric and abbreviated game mode commands work in Bedrock?

With cheats and command permission, use /gamemode 0 or /gamemode s for Survival, /gamemode 1 or /gamemode c for Creative, and /gamemode 2 or /gamemode a for Adventure. Use the full word spectator for Spectator. You can also use /gamemode d to apply the world’s default to your player.

How do you change the mode in an editable Bedrock template world?

For an editable template world that exposes the unlock control, open Settings > Game and select the control that unlocks the template’s world options, then confirm with Unlock All Settings. You can then use the game-mode controls. This can alter the map creator’s intended experience and is not a universal bypass for every Marketplace map.

Can you keep exploring after dying in Hardcore?

Yes, Java and Bedrock Hardcore worlds let you continue as a spectator after death. Use the death-screen spectating option to enter Spectator. This does not restore ordinary play or turn Hardcore off.