WorldEdit gives you the ability to select and modify large areas of your Minecraft world at once, instead of placing or breaking blocks one at a time

WorldEdit is a mod that lets you select rectangular, cylindrical, or spherical regions of your world and then fill, hollow, rotate, or paste them. It works on both single-player worlds and multiplayer servers. The mod runs on Minecraft Java Edition and requires Forge, a mod loader that handles the technical setup for you.

To use WorldEdit, you install Forge first, then the WorldEdit mod file into your mods folder. After that, you load your world and use in-game commands or a wooden axe to select areas and make changes. The learning curve is gentle — most people use five or six commands repeatedly and rarely need the advanced ones.

Key Takeaways

  • WorldEdit requires Minecraft Java Edition and Forge; it does not work with Bedrock Edition or the Windows 10/11 launcher version.
  • You install Forge once, then drop the WorldEdit mod file into your mods folder, and restart Minecraft.
  • The wooden axe is your selection tool — left-click to set one corner of your region, right-click to set the opposite corner.
  • The most common commands are //set (fill a region), //copy (save a selection), //paste (place it elsewhere), and //undo (reverse your last action).

Check your Minecraft version and edition before you start

WorldEdit only works with Minecraft Java Edition. If you own the Windows 10, Windows 11, or Bedrock Edition (the version sold through the Microsoft Store), WorldEdit will not run on it. You can tell which version you have by looking at the launcher: Java Edition shows "Minecraft: Java Edition" at the top of the window, while Bedrock shows "Minecraft Launcher" or just "Minecraft".

You also need to know your Minecraft version number. Open the launcher, click on the Java Edition tab, and look at the version listed under the play button — it will be something like 1.20.1 or 1.19.2. Write this down. You will need it when you download Forge, because Forge versions are tied to specific Minecraft versions.

Download and install Forge for your Minecraft version

Go to forge.minecraftforge.net in your web browser. On the left side, you will see a list of Minecraft versions. Click on the version that matches your game — if you are running 1.20.1, click 1.20.1. Then click the green "Download Latest" button on the right side of the page.

A file named something like "forge-1.20.1-47.2.0-installer.jar" will download to your computer. Double-click it to run the installer. A window will open with two radio button options: "Install client" and "Install server". Leave "Install client" selected and click "Install". The installer will create a new Forge profile in your Minecraft launcher automatically.

After installation finishes, close the installer window and open the Minecraft launcher. At the top left, you will see a dropdown menu that currently shows your regular Minecraft version. Click it and select the Forge profile — it will be listed as something like "forge" or "1.20.1-forge". Click Play. Minecraft will load with Forge active. You only need to do this once.

Download WorldEdit and place it in your mods folder

Go to www.curseforge.com and search for "WorldEdit". Click on the WorldEdit result (the one with the most downloads, made by sk89q). On the right side of the page, click "Files". Find the version that matches your Minecraft version number — if you are running 1.20.1, look for a file labeled for 1.20.1. Click the download button next to it.

A file named something like "worldedit-bukkit-7.2.15.jar" will download. Now you need to find your mods folder. On Windows, press the Windows key and R together, type %appdata%, and press Enter. Navigate to .minecraft, then mods. On Mac, open Finder, press Command and Shift and G together, type ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft, and press Enter, then open the mods folder. On Linux, open your file manager and navigate to ~/.minecraft/mods.

Drag the WorldEdit file you downloaded into the mods folder. Do not unzip it or rename it. Close the folder and restart Minecraft using the Forge profile. When the world loads, WorldEdit is active.

Select areas using the wooden axe

When you spawn into your world, open your inventory and find a wooden axe. This is your selection tool — it does not come in your inventory by default, so you may need to craft one (three wooden planks in a T shape on a crafting table) or use the command //wand to get one instantly.

Hold the wooden axe. Left-click any block to set the first corner of your selection region. You will see a message in chat that says something like "First position set to (100, 64, 200)". Right-click any other block to set the opposite corner. You will see a message that says "Region selected" and the number of blocks in your selection. The region is now active and ready to modify.

You can select any shape you want by using commands instead of the axe. Type //sel cuboid for a rectangular box, //sel cylinder for a cylinder, or //sel sphere for a sphere. Then left-click and right-click to set the corners or center and radius. The shape will change based on which selection mode you are in.

Use the most common commands to modify your selection

Once you have a region selected, you can change it with commands. Type these into the chat box (they all start with //):

  • //set [block type] — fills your entire selection with one type of block. For example, //set stone fills the region with stone, or //set air clears it completely.
  • //copy — saves your selection to memory so you can paste it elsewhere.
  • //paste — places your copied selection at your current position. You will be standing at the corner where it pastes.
  • //undo — reverses your last action. You can type it multiple times to undo several actions in a row.
  • //walls [block type] — fills only the outer edges of your selection, leaving the inside empty.

If you want to see what block types are available, type //help to open the command list. Most common blocks are called by their simple names: stone, dirt, grass_block, oak_wood, oak_leaves, water, lava, and so on. If you are not sure of a block's name, hold it in your hand and type //material to set it as your current material, then use that in commands.

Rotate and flip copied selections before pasting

After you copy a region with //copy, you can rotate or flip it before you paste it. Type //rotate [degrees] to spin it — use 90, 180, or 270 for quarter, half, or three-quarter turns. Type //flip [direction] to mirror it — use north, south, east, or west depending on which way you want to flip.

These commands only affect the copied selection in memory, not your world. You can rotate and flip as many times as you want, and then paste the result with //paste. If you paste and do not like how it looks, use //undo to remove it and try again with different rotation or flip settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use WorldEdit on a multiplayer server?

WorldEdit works on servers, but the server owner has to install it on the server side, not just on your client. If the server does not have WorldEdit installed, you will not be able to use it even if you have it installed locally. Ask your server owner if they have WorldEdit available.

What do I do if WorldEdit commands are not working?

Make sure you are using the Forge profile when you launch Minecraft — if you launch the regular Java Edition profile, Forge and WorldEdit will not load. Also check that the WorldEdit file is actually in your mods folder and that you restarted Minecraft after putting it there. If commands still do not work, try typing //help to see if WorldEdit responds at all.

Can I undo multiple actions at once?

Type //undo [number] to undo several actions in one command — for example, //undo 5 reverses the last five changes you made. You can also type //redo to reverse an undo if you change your mind.

How do I fill a selection with a pattern instead of a single block?

Use //set with multiple blocks separated by commas, like //set stone,dirt,grass_block to randomly mix those three blocks throughout your selection. You can also use //pattern to create more complex patterns, though most people use the random mix version for terrain.

What if I accidentally select a huge area and WorldEdit lags my game?

Press Escape to close the chat and then press F3 to open the debug screen. Look for the FPS counter — if it drops below 20, your selection is too large for your computer to handle. Use //sel cuboid and make a smaller selection, or break your large project into several smaller edits instead of one giant one.