What the Minecraft Locator Bar Is and How to Turn It On
The Locator Bar is the multiplayer strip that replaces the XP bar and points at other players. Here is how to enable it on Java and how to read the icons.
Current for Java Edition 1.21.6 and later.
It is a HUD strip. In multiplayer it takes the experience bar’s place and shows other players as colored markers. Turn it on with /gamerule locator_bar true on 1.21.11+, or /gamerule locatorBar true on 1.21.6–1.21.10.
What you are looking at
Each marker sits on the strip in the direction of that player. If they are above or below your view, a pointer appears on the icon. Collecting XP hides the strip for five seconds, then it comes back.
The color is not a skin tint. Java picks it from the player’s UUID. You can see yours on the Locator Bar Color Checker.
How to enable it
- Turn cheats or operator on.
- Run the gamerule that matches your version (see the first paragraph).
- Stand in a world with at least one other player in range.
If nothing appears, you are alone, they are sneaking or invisible, or the receive range is zero. Range numbers live on How Far the Locator Bar Reaches.
Reading the icon
| Distance | Icon | Why it shrinks |
|---|---|---|
| 0–179 blocks | Square | Close enough to treat as a nearby player |
| 179–230 | Circle | Mid range |
| 230–281 | Small square | Far |
| 281+ | Small circle | Edge of what you can still track |
A resource pack can swap those sprites. That is optional. Vanilla already works.
Turning it off
Disabling is a different page because the search is huge and the version names bite people: Turn Off the Locator Bar in Minecraft Java.