A new map starts blank in Minecraft, and Java and Bedrock use slightly different item names. The fastest fix is to craft the right map, place it in your hotbar, and use it once so it fills with the area around you.
Craft a map with paper and a compass
Use this method in current Minecraft Java Edition or Bedrock Edition when you have paper, a compass, and a crafting grid. It is the main Survival route for making a map without commands.
Open a Crafting Table. This recipe fills all nine slots, so the smaller crafting area in your personal Inventory cannot hold it.
Place 1 Compass in the center slot and surround it with 8 Paper.
Take the Map or Empty Locator Map from the output slot. Java maps show the player pointer automatically. In Bedrock, the compass recipe creates the locator map version.
Move the map to your hotbar and hold it.
Use the normal Use control to fill it: right-click with a mouse, press left trigger on a controller, or tap on touch controls.
Use the Recipe Book instead
The Recipe Book is the quickest route when you already have the supplies and do not want to place the recipe by hand.
Open a Crafting Table, then open the Recipe Book. Search for or select the map recipe. The Recipe Book also opens from your Inventory, but the map recipe needs the crafting table's 3x3 grid to finish.
When the required supplies are available, choose Craft to move the recipe into the crafting grid. Take the finished map from the output slot.
The Recipe Book handles placement only. It still uses the required supplies for the map recipe.
Fix a Bedrock map with no marker
The most common cause is using a basic Empty Map instead of an Empty Locator Map.
In Bedrock Edition, use the compass version when you want the player-position marker.
Open a Crafting Table, place 1 Compass in the center slot, and surround it with 8 Paper.
Take the Empty Locator Map from the output slot.
You can also open a Cartography Table, put Paper and a Compass in the two left slots, and take the Empty Locator Map output.
Hold the locator map in your hotbar and use it once to fill it.
Make a Bedrock map at a Cartography Table
This fixes Bedrock map crafting when you want to use the dedicated cartography block instead of the full crafting grid.
Open a Cartography Table.
Put Paper in the cartography-table input.
Take the Empty Map output.
For the locator version, put Paper and a Compass in the two left slots.
Take the Empty Locator Map output.
Hold the map in your hotbar and use it to fill it.
Turn a Bedrock map into a locator map
Use this when you already have an empty or explored Bedrock map and only need the player-position marker. The existing map still works for the upgrade.
Open a Cartography Table.
Put the existing Map in one slot.
Put a Compass in the other slot.
Take the locator-map output. This works before or after the map has been explored.
Skip the old nine paper Java recipe
The most common cause is following an older or Bedrock-focused tip that treats a paper-only map as a current Java recipe.
For current Java Edition, craft a map with 8 Paper plus 1 Compass.
Use commands or Creative access when crafting is not the goal.
Bedrock has paper-only basic-map paths through its crafting and cartography surfaces. Java does not use that as the current standard recipe.
Get a map with commands
Commands are the fastest route when cheats are enabled or you have the right world permissions.
- 1.Enable commands first. In Bedrock single-player, open Settings, choose Game, and turn on Allow Cheats. In Java, choose Allow Commands during world creation or open Game Menu, choose Open to LAN, open Settings for Other Players, and enable Allow Commands.
- 2.Open Chat and start a slash command.
- 3.Run /give <player> <item> [amount] with a map item.
- 4.In Bedrock, use one of the verified item IDs: map, emptymap, minecraft:filled_map, or filled_map.
- 5.In Java, type /give @s minecraft:, use autocomplete, and select map or filled_map.
Start a Bedrock world with a map
Bedrock worlds that show the Starting Map option give the player an empty locator map at world start. Enable Starting Map before creating the world, then create the world normally.
The map appears in your hotbar. Hold it and use the normal Use control to fill it.
Older console guides describe old free-map behavior from Legacy Console Edition. On current supported editions, use Bedrock's Starting Map toggle when it appears; if this method fails, craft the map with a Crafting Table or use the Cartography Table method above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What materials do I need to make a map in Minecraft?
For the standard Java and Bedrock crafting-table method, you need 8 Paper and 1 Compass. Put the Compass in the center slot and surround it with Paper.
How do I fill an empty map after crafting it?
Place the map in your hotbar, hold it, then use the normal Use control: right-click with a mouse, left trigger on a controller, or tap on touch controls.
What is the difference between a map and a locator map in Bedrock?
In Bedrock, the locator map is the compass-based map that shows the player pointer. A basic Empty Map does not serve that same locator role.
Can I make a map without crafting?
Yes. When commands or cheats are allowed, use /give with a map item. In Bedrock, a new world can also start with a map when the Starting Map option is enabled before creation.