Tutorial:X-ray glitches

What the world looks like when using an x-ray glitch. The dark strips are caves.

The same screenshot but with Night Vision. A drowned can be seen.

X-ray glitches allow the player to see certain features that are normally hidden behind blocks.

Use

X-ray glitches are useful for locating underground structures such as dungeons, mineshafts, and trial chambers. They can also help you find end portal rooms once you are near a stronghold. If you are in the Nether, you can use x-ray glitches to locate nether fortresses and bastions.

Before performing this glitch, ensure that you have permission from the server owners. For most servers, this can count as cheating because you can see the surroundings for mobs, loot chests or precious ores. If others catch you cheating, you might lose various permissions or even get banned from the server.

General approach

To increase the game's performance and expedite loading times, the game only renders block surfaces if there is a transparent block between the surface and the player. For this purpose, transparent generally means that the player can see through the block, although lava and any slabs are also transparent for this purpose.

A similar visual effect can also be achieved using X-ray resource packs, which make selected blocks transparent while keeping ores and other valuable blocks visible.

Normally, the camera is inside a transparent block, unless the player is suffocating, in which case the game renders blocks differently, with the block the head is in showing all six sides. However, it is possible for the camera to be inside a block, but the game does not register that the player is inside. In this case, the player "x-rays" through blocks immediately in the front.

Java Edition

Piston and stair method

This method works by pushing a stair into the player's head whilst they’re in the crawl animation. Since stairs are partial blocks, the game does not consider the player to be inside a block. This trick has two main variants: One for looking upward and one for looking downward.

Composter and gravity block method

Video by Lewis:

This method works by putting the player into the crawl animation using a falling block while inside of a composter.

The method requires the following:

• 1 composter
• 1 of any solid falling block (sand, gravel, and concrete powder all work)

To execute the glitch, simply position yourself inside of a composter and place the falling block above your head so it falls on top of the composter and puts you into the crawl position. It might be easier to see underground spaces if you dig a 1×1 hole downwards a few blocks before placing a composter down at the bottom and executing the glitch there.

Another method of having a similar effect is to have a sticky piston facing upwards with a slab. Crouch on the slab while under a block on the edge to fall through the slab onto the piston. Afterwards, deactivate the piston while staying on the piston (not on the edge). The X-Ray effect only works below the player, but is helpful for finding caves/structures below the player.

Bedrock Edition

Piston and slab method

This method works by pushing a slab into the player's head to x-ray blocks underneath them. Since slabs are partial blocks, the game does not consider the player to be inside a block. You need the following materials:

• 1 lever
• 2 redstone
• 1 piston
• 1 sand or other gravity-affected block
• Several slabs
• Several full blocks

It is recommended to have multiple slabs, so you can see more. The main setup is as follows, where everything is at head height:

Surround yourself with additional blocks, with slabs on top, to maximize visibility. Before pulling the lever, sand has to be placed directly above yourself so that it falls and fills in the bottom half of the space you occupy. After you pull the lever, the x-ray glitch does not happen yet. Therefore, you can destroy the redstone, including the pistons, and surround yourself further. For the location that was the piston head, placing the full block may be tricky, as you might not be able to look at a suitable surface. Instead, place sand above where you want it to land, then place the slab as normal. When you are ready to trigger the glitch, enter sneak mode, and your view will lie below the top of the slab.

When you do this, you will see the outside of a downward cone-shaped area, but not this inside of this cone. Attempting to use a similar setup to x-ray upwards does not work since the player automatically starts sneaking when a top slab is pushed into their head.

Falling snow method

This method does not require any redstone, so it is arguably more early-game than the slab method. It works by gravity-affected blocks landing at the player's feet and piling up to the player's view level, but it can only be used to x-ray downward. You need the following materials:

• 1 sand (or other cubic, gravity-affected block)
• Lots of snow

To begin, dig a 1 block deep hole, and surround it with 3 layer high snow. Place a solid block above the hole, high enough that you can walk underneath. Next, place the sand on top, then stack 3 layers of snow on top of that. Finally, stand in the hole, break the block, and enter sneaking. Your view will be directly at the top of 3-layer-deep snow, allowing you to x-ray. Like the slab method, you will only see the outside of a cone-shaped area.

Trident method

You need the following materials:

• 1 trident, enchanted with Riptide

If you use a Riptide enchanted trident during rainy weather to launch yourself diagonally into the ground, you will briefly clip into the floor, allowing you to see caves and mineshafts.

Minecart method

You need the following materials:

• 1 minecart
• 1 rail
• Any opaque block

To perform the glitch, place a rail directly below an opaque block. Then, place a minecart on the rail. You can then enter the minecart. Your head will go through the opaque block above the minecart, allowing the camera to reveal hidden caves, mineshafts, and other spaces like in spectator mode if the opaque block is connected to the walls of a cave.

X-ray without glitches

These are not glitches, but have a similar effect of allowing you to see (or at least remotely identify) underground structures.

• Going into spectator mode and flying into a solid mass of blocks is basically identical to using an X-ray glitch, but with the additional bonus of letting you move around freely and re-enter survival/creative mode wherever you want.
• Using a locate command can help you find underground structures in a manner similar to X-ray vision; it is not terribly useful for general purposes like finding ores.
• Buried ancient city maps, buried mineshaft maps, buried trial chambers maps, and buried treasure maps are specifically designed to locate their respective underground structures; however the latter can sometimes be vague to the point of uselessness, requiring an X-ray glitch or cheat anyway.
• Eyes of Ender are intended be used to locate strongholds underground, albeit in a very labor-intensive manner.

Trivia

• In Bedrock Edition the Stripe Lands and unloaded chunks may be considered an x-ray bug, in that they follow the same rules for what blocks are visible. This is why the sides of blocks do not always render.