Minecraft Crawl guide for Bedrock and Java Edition 

A Minecraft character emerges from an opening by crawling through it.
Minecraft players can crawl under some surfaces when certain requirements are met (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft's crawling mechanic has been a part of the vanilla game for quite some time in Java Edition. It has also been introduced as a full feature as of Bedrock Edition 1.20.30. When the right conditions are met, player characters in Mojang's sandbox title will lie on their stomachs and crawl through small spaces without risking the danger of suffocation from blocks overhead.

Crawling in Minecraft is effectively controlled by how much space you have over your head. You'll be able to crawl in some spaces, but you will return to your standing position once you have enough room to stand up without taking suffocation damage.

Making your character crawl in Minecraft can be a little tricky, but it isn't too tough to do once you know how it works.


How to crawl in Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition

Activating trapdoors on a Minecraft player can place them in a crawling position (Image via Mojang)
Activating trapdoors on a Minecraft player can place them in a crawling position (Image via Mojang)

Crawling only occurs under certain circumstances in either edition of Minecraft. Specifically, the crawling animation will trigger when you are in a situation where your head collides with a block, and there is a 1.5-block area underneath.

At its essence, you will begin crawling whenever there is a 1.5-block space nearby, and standing up would cause suffocation damage. Crawling was only permitted in Java Edition for some time. However, the 1.20.30 update for Bedrock Edition has removed crawling as an Experimental Feature, and you can now crawl just like you would in Java.

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Although there are several ways to initiate crawling in the game, one of the easiest ways to do so on-demand is through the use of a trapdoor. By placing and activating a trapdoor, you can immediately start crawling and make it through other nearby small spaces without automatically reverting to your standing state.

Here's how you can crawl in Minecraft:

  1. Find or create a space in your game world that is at least 1x1 in size and has blocks directly above it.
  2. Place a trapdoor on a nearby block and activate it so that it's pointed vertically.
  3. Stand in the space that the trapdoor was occupying. Activate the trapdoor again so that it rests horizontally. You should automatically go into the crawling state and will stand back up once the space above your character's head is clear.
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That's all there is to it! Keep in mind that crawling reduces your movement speed in Minecraft to the equivalent of sneaking, but otherwise, it is a great way to move through tight spaces when needed.

In addition to using trapdoors, it's also possible to activate the crawling feature by performing actions such as:

  • Closing a fence gate that is at the same height level as your head.
  • Pushing a block onto your head via the use of a piston.
  • Exiting swimming mode in a one-block-high area.
  • Exiting Elytra flight in a one-block-high area.
  • Throwing an ender pearl into a one-block-high area.
  • Dropping a boat on your head.
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It should be noted that while crawling has been part of Java Edition for quite some time, you will need to update Bedrock Edition to version 1.20.30 to access it as a vanilla feature. Moreover, you can use beta 1.20.10.20 or higher and activate the Experimental Feature "short sneaking and crawling" in your world settings.

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