Compass

A compass is an item that points in the horizontal direction of the Overworld's spawn point.

Compass

Rarity tier	Common
Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Compass: Yes (64) Lodestone Compass: Yes (64)

{
    "title": "Compass",
    "rows": [
        {
            "field": "Common",
            "label": "(link to Rarity article, displayed as Rarity tier)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Yes",
            "label": "(link to Renewable resource article, displayed as Renewable)"
        },
        {
            "field": "'''Compass:''' Yes (64)<br>'''Lodestone Compass:''' Yes (64)",
            "label": "Stackable"
        }
    ],
    "invimages": [
        "Compass"
    ],
    "images": [
        "Compass.gif",
        "Lodestone Compass.gif"
    ]
}

A lodestone compass is obtained by using a compass or lodestone compass on a lodestone, and instead points towards that lodestone's horizontal position.

If the target position of either type of compass is in a different dimension, or is a lodestone that has been broken, it will spin in random directions.

Obtaining

Crafting

Ingredients	[hide]Crafting recipe
Iron Ingot + Redstone Dust

Generated loot

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	[hide]Chance
Java Edition
Compass	Ancient City	Chest	1	16.1% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.16110641166159667, "structure": "Ancient City", "container": "Chest" }
	Shipwreck	Map chest	1	7.7% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.07688803032512026, "structure": "Shipwreck", "container": "Map chest" }
	Stronghold	Library chest	1	10.9% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.10885842114094657, "structure": "Stronghold", "container": "Library chest" }
	Trial Chambers	Intersection barrel	1	5.9% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.05939097123670134, "structure": "Trial Chambers", "container": "Intersection barrel" }
	Village	Cartographer's chest	1	26.3% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.26288199999999995, "structure": "Village", "container": "Cartographer's chest" }
Bedrock Edition
Compass	Ancient City	Chest	1	16.1% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.16110641166159667, "structure": "Ancient City", "container": "Chest" }
	Shipwreck	Map chest	1	7.7% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.07688803032512026, "structure": "Shipwreck", "container": "Map chest" }
	Stronghold	Library chest	1	10.5% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.10505089050634986, "structure": "Stronghold", "container": "Library chest" }
	Trial Chambers	Intersection barrel	1	5.9% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.05939097123670134, "structure": "Trial Chambers", "container": "Intersection barrel" }
	Village	Cartographer's chest	1	26.3% { "item": "Compass", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.26288199999999995, "structure": "Village", "container": "Cartographer's chest" }

Trading

Villager	Probability		Villager wants	Player receives
	JE	BE

Usage

Both types of compass normally point in the horizontal direction of a specific position in the world and will do so when viewed in most ways; including in the inventory, when held by any player or entity or displayed in an item frame. They will also point towards their target position when viewed in the crafting table preview menu, even without being crafted.‌ The direction of the needle is relative to the player viewing it.

Normal compasses point toward the world spawn point in the Overworld. Using the /setworldspawn command to change the world spawn can change where normal compasses point.

If a compass or lodestone compass is used on a lodestone, it becomes a lodestone compass that points towards that lodestone. Compasses and lodestone compasses do not stack together, and only lodestone compasses that point towards the same lodestone stack together. All lodestone compasses have an enchantment visual effect to distinguish them from normal compasses.

A compass or lodestone compass will spin and point in random directions if it cannot find its target position. There are two causes for this:

• If the compass is in a different dimension to its target position (e.g. a lodestone compass is in the Overworld but its target lodestone is in the Nether), its needle will spin randomly. Because of this, normal compasses only work in the Overworld (as their target position is the Overworld spawn point) and will always spin randomly in the Nether and End.
• If a lodestone compass's target lodestone is broken, it will spin randomly, even if the lodestone is replaced in the same position. The only way to 'fix' a 'broken' lodestone compass is to use it on any lodestone to make it point towards it. However, if a lodestone compass is placed in a storage block, the lodestone can be broken and replaced without causing the compass to spin randomly, as long as the compass remains in storage while the lodestone is missing.

In Java Edition, uncrafted compasses viewed in the crafting table preview will always point straight forward and never at any particular position in the world.

Crafting ingredient

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe	[hide]Description
Empty Locator Map‌ Empty Map‌	Paper + Compass		This map records terrain and displays a marker showing the player's location.
Map (with marker)	Map or Empty Map + Compass		‌ Maps crafted from only paper do not show the location marker; to add it, a compass must be added to the map. The map keeps its current zoom level, and remembers all of the terrain it has mapped out.
Recovery Compass	Echo Shard + Compass

Anvil usage

Name	Ingredients	Anvil usage	Description
Locator Map	Map + Compass	Map	‌ Maps crafted with only paper do not show the location marker; to add it, a compass must be added to the map.

Trading

Villager	Probability		Villager wants	Player receives
	JE	BE

Enchantments

A compass can receive the following enchantments:

Name	Max Level	Method
Curse of Vanishing	I

Sounds

Java Edition

[hide]Sounds
Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	​Lodestone Compass locks onto Lodestone	Players	When a compass is used on a lodestone	item.lodestone_compass.lock	subtitles.item.lodestone_compass.lock​	1.0	varies	16

Bedrock Edition:

[hide]Sounds
Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	When a compass is used on a lodestone	lodestone_compass.link_compass_to_lodestone	1.0	0.85-0.95

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	[hide]Translation key
Compass	compass	Item	item.minecraft.compass item.minecraft.lodestone_compass

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Alias ID	Numeric ID	Form	[hide]Translation key
Compass	compass	None	391	Item	item.compass.name
Lodestone Compass	lodestone_compass	lodestonecompass	602	Item	item.lodestonecompass.name

Item data

Java Edition:

• [NBT Compound / JSON Object] components: the item's components tag.
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] minecraft:lodestone_tracker: If specified, stores information about the lodestone this compass should point toward.
    • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] target: Information about the lodestone. Optional. If not set, this compass spins randomly.
      • [Int Array] pos: The integer coordinates of the lodestone.
      • [String] dimension: The ID of the dimension of the lodestone.
    • [Boolean] tracked: If true, the component is removed when the lodestone is broken. If false, the component is kept. Defaults to true.

Bedrock Edition:

Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Country Lode, Take Me Home	Use a Compass on a Lodestone	—

History

[hide]Java Edition Alpha
v1.1.0							Added compasses.
							They have 102 visually distinct frames due to how the texture is generated.
[hide]Java Edition Beta
1.8			Pre-release				Compasses can now be found in library chests in the new strongholds.
[hide]Java Edition
1.3.1			12w21a				Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–11 emeralds, making them renewable.
1.4.2			12w34a				Since the mapping system has been changed, a compass can now be used to craft an empty map.
1.5			13w02a				Compasses now use the new animation feature included in texture packs instead of a dynamically generated sprite. As a result, they are considerably less precise, having only 29 visually distinct frames.
1.8			14w02a				Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–12 emeralds.
1.9			15w31a				Compasses are now broken up into individual textures, instead of having every individual frame on one vertical strip like with animated textures.
			15w43a				The average yield of compasses in stronghold library chests has been increased.
1.11			16w39a				Cartographer villagers have been added, who buy compasses as their tier 2 trade. Additionally they buy them as their tier 4 trade for explorer maps.
1.13			18w11a				Compasses can now generate in shipwreck chests.
1.14			18w48a				Compasses can now generate in chests in village cartographer houses.
			19w11a				Cartographer villagers now buy compasses for 1 emerald.
							Librarian villagers now sell compasses for 4 emeralds.
1.16			20w13a				Added lodestone compasses alongside lodestones.
							Compasses now point to the center of the spawn point block, instead of its north-west corner.
			20w14a				Compasses can now have the Curse of Vanishing enchantment on them.
			20w19a				Compasses no longer work in the recipe book.
			20w22a				Compasses no longer work in the villager trading GUI.
1.17			20w48a				The textures of compasses and lodestone compasses have been changed.
1.19			22w13a				Compasses may now be found in ancient city chests.
			22w14a				Compasses can now used to craft recovery compasses.
1.20.3 Experiment Update 1.21			23w45a				Compasses can now be found in trial chambers intersection barrels.
[hide]Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.2.0							Added compasses.
							Compasses currently have no function or legitimate method of obtaining them.
v0.8.0			build 1				Added actual functionality to compasses.
							Compasses are now functional and craftable. They have been added into the Creative Inventory.
v0.14.0			build 1				Compasses must now be added to a map using an anvil to add the location marker.
[hide]Pocket Edition
1.0.0			release				Windows 10 Edition can now use the anvil, as well as the crafting table, to apply position markers, with compasses just as Pocket Edition can in general.
1.0.4			alpha 1.0.4.0				Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–12 emeralds.
1.1.0			alpha 1.1.0.3				Cartographer villagers have been added, who buy compasses as part of their tier 2 trade.
							Compasses used with emeralds can be used to buy explorer maps as part of cartographer villagers' fourth tiers trade.
[hide]Bedrock Edition
1.4.0			beta 1.2.14.2				Compasses can now be found inside map room chests in shipwrecks.
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				Compasses can now be found in village cartographer house chests.
1.11.0			beta 1.11.0.4				Trading has been changed, cartographer villagers now buy compassess as part of their fourth tier trades.
							Compasses used with emeralds can now be used to buy explorer maps as part of cartographer and fletcher villagers' third tier trades.
							Librarian villagers now have a 1⁄3 chance to sell compasses for 4 emeralds as part of their fourth tier trades.
1.16.0			beta 1.16.0.57				Added lodestone compasses alongside lodestones.
							Compasses now have the LodestonePos, LodestoneDimension, and LodestoneTracked data fields. If LodestoneTracked is zero, the game skips checking for a lodestone in the specified position.
							Compasses can now have the Curse of Vanishing enchantment on them.
1.16.100			beta 1.16.100.56				Changed the ID lodestonecompass to lodestone_compass.
1.17.0			beta 1.17.0.54				The textures of compasses have been changed.
1.18.10			beta 1.18.10.20				The textures of lodestone compasses have been changed.
1.20.60 Experiment Update 1.21			Preview 1.20.60.20				Compasses can now be found in trial chambers intersection barrels.
[hide]Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU1	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added compasses.
							Like in old versions of Java Edition, they use a dynamically generated texture with 102 visually distinct frames.
TU12							Alongside the addition of texture packs, compasses have been changed to use pre-rendered sprites. As a result, they are considerably less precise, having only 29 visually distinct frames.
TU14		1.04					Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–11 emeralds, making them renewable.
TU21	CU9	1.14	1.14	1.14			Since the mapping system has been changed, a compass can now be used to craft an empty map.
TU31	CU19	1.22	1.22	1.22	Patch 3		Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–12 emeralds.
TU54	CU44	1.52	1.52	1.52	Patch 24	1.0.4	Cartographer villagers have been added, who buy compasses as their tier 2 trade. Additionally they buy them as their tier 4 trade for explorer maps.
TU69		1.76	1.76	1.76	Patch 38		Compasses can now be found inside map room chests in shipwrecks.
			1.91				Librarian villagers now have a chance to sell compasses for 4 emeralds as part of their fourth tier trades.
[hide]New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added compasses.
1.9.19							Cartographer villagers have been added, who buy compasses as their tier 2 trade. Additionally they buy them as their tier 4 trade for explorer maps.

Data history

[hide]Java Edition
1.13			17w47a				Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 345.
1.16			20w14a				Compasses can now have the Curse of Vanishing enchantment on them.

Issues

Issues relating to "Compass" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Gallery

Screenshots

• 

  Purchasing a compass from a librarian villager.

Mojang screenshots

• 
• 

In other media

• 

  A 3D render of a Compass from Minecraft: Story Mode.

See also

• Clock
• Navigation

External links

• "Taking Inventory: Compass" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, August 15, 2019.