Xaero's World Map

Xaero's World Map adds a fullscreen, self-writing map to Minecraft Java Edition. Press M for a top-down view of everywhere you have been, panned with the mouse and zoomed with the scroll wheel, the way an online map behaves. It runs on Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, current builds reach Minecraft 26.2, and the mod is client-side, so it works on multiplayer servers that do not run it.

What Xaero's World Map does in-game

The map writes itself from terrain your game has already processed, so there is no map item to craft and no paper grid to fill in. In singleplayer it reads the world save directly, which means chunks you pregenerated with an outside tool appear without you walking them. On a server it can only draw what your client actually receives, so the map grows at the speed you explore. Everything it renders is stored on your own machine.

• Works in singleplayer, on multiplayer servers, and on Realms, with every on-screen control listed in a tooltip on the map.
• Keeps several maps for one server address and switches between them by hand or automatically, so a lobby world and a survival world do not overwrite each other.
• Shows waypoints from Xaero's Minimap and lets you create, edit and teleport to them without leaving the map screen. Teleporting sends a /tp command, so it only works where you have permission to run one.
• Traces your most recent path with footsteps, and maps the Nether and other cave-style dimensions in cave mode.
• Renders chunk claims and allied players from the Open Parties and Claims mod, and lets you claim or force-load chunks straight from the map.
• Exports the map to a PNG image, and can switch to a vanilla paper-map look or custom terrain shading instead.
• Follows your resource pack for map colours, though changing packs forces the whole map to regenerate.

Supported Minecraft versions and loaders

All four loaders stay on the same schedule. Version 1.45.0 shipped on 21 August 2026 for Fabric, Quilt, Forge and NeoForge against Minecraft 26.2, with separate 1.45.0 builds for 26.1, 26.1.1 and 26.1.2. Older lines are still downloadable, including 1.21.11 and the rest of the 1.21 series, the 1.20 series, and builds as far back as 1.7.10. Minecraft moved to year-based version numbers in 2026, so 26.2 is newer than 1.21.11, not older. Pick the file that matches both your Minecraft version and your loader, because a Fabric build will not load on Forge.

Java Edition only, no Bedrock version

There is no Bedrock version of Xaero's World Map, and no way to force one. Java Edition and Bedrock Edition are separate builds of Minecraft, so a Java mod .jar never runs on Bedrock, whether that is Windows 10 and 11, a phone, or a console. Bedrock players are left with the vanilla map item. If you are not sure which edition you own, our Java and Bedrock comparison sorts it out.

How to install Xaero's World Map

1. 1.Install a mod loader first, either Fabric or Forge or NeoForge, for the Minecraft version you want to play.
2. 2.Download the .jar that matches that exact Minecraft version and loader from the source link on this page. The files are named by loader and version, and they are not interchangeable.
3. 3.On Fabric and Quilt, add Fabric API too. It is a required dependency and the mod will not load without it.
4. 4.Drop the .jar into the mods folder in your Minecraft game directory. Our Java mod install guide covers where that folder sits on Windows, macOS and Linux.
5. 5.In singleplayer, run Optimize World on your save first (Edit, then Optimize World). Generating a map from an unoptimized save takes far longer.
6. 6.Launch Minecraft and press M to open the world map.

Client and server setup

The mod is required on the client and optional on the server, and it runs fine against a vanilla server that has nothing installed. Adding it server-side is what a server owner gets something out of. Server map selection lets the server tell each client which map to use from its own level IDs, so sub-worlds stop sharing one map. From version 1.40.0 onward, an Open Server Settings keybind enforces most options live, and permissions can hang off FTB Ranks, Odyssey Roles, LuckPerms or a general permission API. That is also the only reliable way to turn cave mode off for your players.

Compatibility with Xaero's Minimap

Xaero's World Map and Xaero's Minimap come from the same creator and are built to feed each other. The minimap draws the chunks the world map has already written, and the world map draws the minimap's waypoints, so a waypoint set in one shows up in the other. They ship as separate mods on purpose, to keep the minimap lightweight. Install the minimap alone for a corner HUD, the world map alone for the fullscreen view, or both for a complete navigation setup. If you would rather one mod did both jobs, JourneyMap is the usual alternative.

Configuration, keybinds, and map storage

Settings live in the map screen's own panels rather than a config file you edit by hand. M opens the map, the bottom-left icon opens map selection, and the bottom-right icon opens a searchable waypoint list. You can rebind M, change the teleport command the map sends, set cave mode per dimension, and switch on performance options if the mod costs you frames. Map data is written to the xaero/world-map folder inside your Minecraft game directory, one folder per server address and then one per dimension, so exploration history stays separate between worlds and servers. Back up that folder and you back up every map you have.