Controls in Minecraft

Some, but not all, of the controls can be reconfigured in the options screen.

Movement
Mouse
The mouse controls turning and aiming.

Keyboard
W

Forward

Backward

Left

Right

Space

Jump

Shift

Sneak

Double-tap the Forward key to sprint.

Flying
In Creative Mode, double-tap the Jump key to fly. When flying, press Jump to move
upwards and SHIFT to move downwards.

Mouse Buttons
Left Button
The left button is used hit things - i.e. to break blocks or attack an enemy. It will use the

item you are using in your Main Hand.

Right Button
The right button is used for a lot of things:
placing blocks
using certain tools (hoeing farmland; shearing sheep)
firing bows (hold to build power, then release)
throwing missiles (eggs, snowballs, splash potions)
eating and drinking
using the item in your off hand
operating buttons and levers
opening doors
accessing containers (chests, furnaces, brewing stands, etc)
When you click the Right Button, it can be a little bit difficult to predict what will
happen.
1. If your crosshairs are pointing at something that can be used or opened, such as
a switch, lever, door or chest, then that will be used or opened.
2. If you are holding an item in your Main Hand that can be used with a right click,
that will happen. Examples:
firing a Bow or throwing a Snowball;
using a Hoe to create Farmland or a Shovel to create a Grass Path;
placing a block
3. If you are holding an item in your Off Hand that can be used or placed, than that
will happen.
TIP: To place a block against a container, you can hold down SHIFT whilst right
clicking, otherwise the container will be opened.

Inventory and Toolbar

Keyboard
E

Open the Inventory

Drop the item in your hand on the floor.

Ctrl Q

Drop a whole stack of items on the floor

19
F

Select an item from the Toolbar

Swap the items in your Main Hand and Off Hand

Main Hand and Off Hand

Your Main Hand is the one contolled by the Left Mouse Button - this will usually be your
right hand, but if you prefer to be left-handed you can change this in the Options
screen. You can place an item in your Main Hand using keys 19 to select it from the
toolbar.
Your Off Hand is your other hand. You can put an item in your Off Hand using the
Shield Slot in the Inventory screen, or you can press F to swap items between your
main hand.

Mouse controls
The middle button (if you have one) will Pick the target block (ie the block that your
crosshairs are aimed at).
In Survival Mode this will select that block type if you have it in your inventory.
In Creative mode, it will select that block if you have it, and add it to your Toolbar
if you dont.
The mouse wheel (if you have one) can be used to select items in your Toolbar.
If your inventory window is open, pressing 19 will add whatever item your mouse is
over to that slot on your Toolbar.

Other Controls
Esc

Show the menu (this pauses a single-player game).

F1

Hide the interface.

F2

Take a screenshot.

F3

Open the debug screen.

F5

Change the view to one from behind or in front of you.

F8

Toggle mouse smoothing.

F11

Full screen mode.

Open the chat window.

Open the chat window and type / to begin a command.

TAB

See list of players (Multiplayer only) or suggest commands in chat window.

Taking Screenshots
Press F1 to remove the toolbar etc from the screen to take a cleaner screen shot.
Press F5 a couple of times if you want to be in the picture yourself.
Press F2 to take a screenshot.

TIP: On some laptops, the F keys are set up to do other things such as control volume
and brightness. In this case there will be a key marked fn or function that you have to
hold down to get your F key to work.