You can edit a Pokémon you already caught by opening its data file and changing stats, moves, or appearance

Cobblemon stores each caught Pokémon as a separate file on your computer. To edit one, you locate that file, open it in a text editor, change the values you want, and save it back. The process takes about five minutes once you know where the files live and what each line means. You do not need special tools — a basic text editor like Notepad works fine.

This guide assumes you have already installed Cobblemon and caught at least one Pokémon. If you have not, start a world, catch something, and come back here.

Key Takeaways

  • Pokémon data files are stored in a folder inside your Minecraft world directory, and you can edit them with any text editor.
  • Each Pokémon's file contains its species, level, stats, moves, and appearance data in a readable format.
  • Common edits include changing level, swapping moves, adjusting individual values (IVs), and altering nature or ability.
  • You must save the file after editing and restart your Minecraft world for changes to take effect.
  • Editing a file incorrectly can make that Pokémon unreadable; keep a backup copy before you start.

Find your Pokémon data files in the world folder

Minecraft stores each world in a separate folder on your computer. Inside that folder, Cobblemon creates a directory called cobblemon where it saves all your caught Pokémon. The exact path depends on your operating system.

On Windows, open File Explorer and navigate to %appdata%\.minecraft\saves. You will see a folder for each world you have created. Open the world where you caught the Pokémon you want to edit. Inside, look for a folder named cobblemon. If you do not see it, you may not have caught any Pokémon yet in that world.

On Mac, open Finder, press Command+Shift+G, and type ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves. Find your world folder, then look for the cobblemon folder inside it. On Linux, the path is ~/.minecraft/saves — the same as Windows but with a dot at the start.

Inside the cobblemon folder, you will see files named with numbers and the word "pokemon" — for example, pokemon_1.json or pokemon_12.json. Each file represents one Pokémon you have caught. The number does not correspond to the Pokédex number; it is just the order you caught them in.

Open the file in a text editor and locate the data you want to change

Right-click on the Pokémon file you want to edit. Choose Open with, then select Notepad (Windows), TextEdit (Mac), or any text editor you have. The file will open as plain text showing the Pokémon's data in JSON format — a structured way of storing information that uses curly braces and colons.

At the top of the file, you will see the Pokémon's species name after "species":. Below that, look for "level": to find its current level. Other common fields include "nature": (which affects stat growth), "ability":, and "ivs": (individual values, which range from 0 to 31 and affect how high stats can go).

The moves are listed under a section that usually says "moves": followed by a list in square brackets. Each move has a name and sometimes a "pp" value (power points, how many times you can use it). Scroll through the entire file to see what you can change — the structure is usually clear enough to follow even if you have never edited JSON before.

If the file looks like a jumbled wall of text with no line breaks, your text editor is not displaying it properly. Close it and try a different editor. On Windows, try Notepad++. On Mac, try Visual Studio Code. These editors format JSON so you can actually read it.

Edit the values you want to change

The most common edits are level, moves, and stats. To change the level, find the line that says "level": 25 (or whatever number it currently is) and replace the number with what you want. If you want the Pokémon to be level 50, change it to "level": 50. Do not add or remove any quotes or colons — only change the number itself.

To change a move, find the moves section and replace the move name. For example, if you see "move": "Tackle", you can change it to "move": "Thunderbolt". The move name must be spelled exactly as Cobblemon recognizes it — usually in title case with no spaces or underscores. If you are unsure of the exact spelling, check the Cobblemon wiki or a Pokémon database.

To change nature, find "nature": and replace the current nature with a different one. Nature names in Cobblemon are usually lowercase — for example, "nature": "timid" or "nature": "adamant". To change ability, find "ability": and replace it with the ability you want. Again, check the spelling against a reference.

To change individual values (IVs), look for "ivs": followed by a section with fields like "hp":, "attack":, "defense":, and so on. Each can be a number from 0 to 31. Change any of these numbers to adjust how high that stat can grow. A value of 31 is perfect; 0 is the lowest.

Save the file and restart your world to see the changes

After you finish editing, save the file. In most text editors, press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac). Make sure you save it as a plain text file — do not let the editor convert it to a different format. If prompted about file type, choose "All Files" or "Plain Text".

Close the text editor and go back to Minecraft. If the world is currently open, close it completely — use the Escape key to go back to the main menu, then close Minecraft entirely. Wait a few seconds, then reopen Minecraft and load the world again. When you load in, your Pokémon should have the new values you entered.

Open your Pokédex or check your party to confirm the changes took effect. If the Pokémon still shows the old data, close Minecraft again and wait a bit longer before reopening. Sometimes Minecraft needs a moment to reload the files.

Fix common mistakes that break the file

If you edited the file and now the Pokémon does not appear or causes an error, you likely made a syntax mistake. The most common errors are forgetting a comma between fields, adding an extra quote mark, or misspelling a field name. JSON is strict about formatting — one wrong character can break the whole file.

The easiest fix is to restore from a backup. Before you edit any file, make a copy of it. Right-click the Pokémon file, choose Copy, then Paste in the same folder. Rename the copy to something like pokemon_1_backup.json. If your edit breaks the file, delete the broken version and rename the backup back to the original name.

If you want to fix the broken file instead of restoring the backup, open it again and look for mismatched quotes or missing commas. A text editor with JSON support (like Visual Studio Code) will highlight errors in red. Compare your edited version line-by-line with the backup to spot what changed incorrectly.

Edit appearance, gender, and other Pokémon properties

Beyond stats and moves, you can change a Pokémon's appearance and other properties. Look for fields like "shiny": (set to true or false to make it shiny or not), "gender": (usually "male", "female", or "genderless"), and "nickname": (the custom name you gave it, in quotes).

Some Pokémon have form variations — for example, Alolan Pikachu or Gigantamax forms. These are controlled by a field that might say "form": or "variant":. Check the Cobblemon documentation to see what forms are available for your Pokémon and what the correct field name is.

Experience points are stored under "exp": as a single number. You can change this to make the Pokémon closer to or further from leveling up, but the level itself is what matters most — changing exp without changing level may cause confusion.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know which file is which Pokémon if they are all numbered?

Open each file in your text editor and look at the top — the "species": field tells you what Pokémon it is. Once you find the right one, you can edit it. If you have many Pokémon, this can take a while, so consider renaming the backup copy to include the species name for future reference.

What happens if I change a move to one that Pokémon cannot normally learn?

Cobblemon will usually let you keep the move, even if it is not in the normal move pool. The game does not validate moves against what is possible — it just stores what you put in the file. The move will work in battle.

Can I add a second ability or change a hidden ability?

You can change the ability field to any ability name, but Cobblemon may not recognize hidden abilities the same way the official games do. Check the Cobblemon wiki for the exact ability names it supports and whether hidden abilities are implemented in your version.

Will editing Pokémon break my world or cause crashes?

A single edited Pokémon file will not break your world. If the file itself is corrupted (syntax error), that Pokémon may not load, but the rest of your world and other Pokémon will be fine. This is why keeping a backup is important.

Do I need to edit the file every time I want to change something?

Yes — there is no in-game menu to edit Pokémon stats or moves directly in Cobblemon. File editing is the only way to make these changes. Some mods add in-game editing features, but the base Cobblemon mod requires you to edit the JSON files.