Updated 24 October 2026. Every answer lists its source.
Minecraft controls and settings, answered
The keys, buttons and settings people ask about: what each video option does, how to get more FPS, and how shaders and packs fit in.
What are the basic Minecraft controls on PC?
W A S D to move, Space to jump, Shift to sneak, Ctrl to sprint, left click to break or attack, right click to use or place, E for inventory.
Q drops an item, F swaps to your off hand, 1 to 9 pick a hotbar slot, T opens chat and Esc opens the menu.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Controls
How do you sprint in Minecraft?
Hold Ctrl while walking, or double-tap W. You cannot sprint when your hunger bar is at 3 drumsticks or less.
On a controller, click the left stick. Sprinting uses hunger faster.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Sprinting
How do you crouch in Minecraft?
Hold Shift on PC, or click the right stick on a controller. Sneaking stops you falling off edges.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Sneaking
How do you crawl in Minecraft?
Get into a gap one block tall, for example under a trapdoor, and you start crawling. Bedrock has the same crawling since 1.20.30.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Crawling
How do you change keybinds in Minecraft?
Open Options, Controls, Key Binds on Java, or Settings, Keyboard and Mouse on Bedrock, then click an action and press the new key.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Controls
How do you swim in Minecraft?
Hold jump to float up in water. Sprint in water to swim fast and dive. Hold sneak to sink.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Swimming
How do you drop a whole stack in Minecraft?
On Java, hover over the stack and press Ctrl + Q, or pick it up and click outside the inventory window.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Inventory, Minecraft Wiki - Controls
How do you split a stack in Minecraft?
Right-click a stack to pick up half. While holding a stack, right-click a slot to put one item there.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Inventory
How do you take a screenshot in Minecraft?
Press F2 on Java. The picture saves to the screenshots folder. On Bedrock use your device's own screenshot button.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Screenshot
How do you hide the HUD in Minecraft?
Press F1 on Java to hide the hotbar, hand and crosshair. Bedrock has a Hide HUD option in Video settings.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Controls
How do you change camera view in Minecraft?
Press F5 on Java to cycle first person, behind and front views. Bedrock has a camera perspective setting and key.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Controls
How do you go fullscreen in Minecraft?
Press F11 on Java, or turn on Fullscreen in Video Settings.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you turn off auto-jump in Minecraft?
On Java turn it off in Options, Controls. On Bedrock turn off Auto Jump in the touch or keyboard settings.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you play Minecraft with a controller on PC?
Bedrock on Windows supports controllers directly. Java needs a mod, because it only has keyboard and mouse controls.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Controls
What does the narrator do in Minecraft?
The narrator reads chat and menus aloud. On Java press Ctrl + B to turn it on or off.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What is render distance in Minecraft?
Render distance is how many chunks around you are drawn. Higher values show more world but cost FPS.
On a server, the server's view distance also limits what you can see.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What is a good render distance in Minecraft?
Around 8 to 12 chunks suits most computers. Lower it if your FPS drops, raise it if you have a strong PC.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What is the max render distance in Minecraft Bedrock?
It depends on your device. Strong devices allow higher values, phones and older consoles less.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What is the best FOV for Minecraft?
The default is 70. Many players pick 80 to 100 to see more around them. The Quake Pro setting is 110.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What does GUI scale do?
GUI scale changes the size of the hotbar, inventory and menus. Pick a smaller number for a bigger view of the world.
On Java, hold Ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel in Video Settings to change it.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you make Minecraft brighter?
Turn up Brightness in Video Settings. The highest Java setting is Bright. A night vision potion lights everything.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What does V-Sync do in Minecraft?
V-Sync caps FPS to your monitor's refresh rate to stop screen tearing. It can add input delay, so many PvP players turn it off.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What does smooth lighting do?
Smooth lighting blends light between blocks for soft shadows. Turning it off makes lighting blocky but can help FPS on weak PCs.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What does biome blend do?
Biome blend smooths grass, leaf and water colors where biomes meet. A lower value is faster.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What does Mipmap Levels do?
Mipmaps make far-away textures smoother and less grainy. Turning it down can raise FPS slightly.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you turn off clouds in Minecraft?
Set Clouds to Off in Video Settings. Fast makes them flat, Fancy makes them 3D.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you reduce particles in Minecraft?
Set Particles to Decreased or Minimal in Video Settings. This helps FPS during explosions and big fights.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What is Entity Distance in Minecraft?
On Java, Entity Distance changes how far away mobs, items and other entities are drawn. Lowering it can help FPS.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
What is a good FPS for Minecraft?
60 FPS feels smooth for most players. PvP players often want 144 or more to match a fast monitor.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you show FPS in Minecraft?
On Java press F3; the FPS is on the first line of the debug screen.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Debug screen
Why is my Minecraft FPS so low?
Usually a high render distance, Fancy graphics, shaders, or the game running on built-in graphics instead of your graphics card.
Lower render distance first. Close other programs and update your graphics driver.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
Does more RAM give more FPS in Minecraft?
Not by itself. FPS depends mostly on CPU and graphics card. Too little RAM causes stutters, but extra RAM beyond what is needed does nothing.
Is OptiFine still worth it?
OptiFine still adds shaders and zoom, but Sodium with Iris is often faster on new versions. Both are third-party mods.
Source: optifine.net, modrinth.com - Sodium
What are shaders in Minecraft?
Shaders are add-ons that change lighting, shadows, water and sky to make Minecraft look realistic. They need a strong graphics card.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Shaders
How do you install shaders on Minecraft Java?
Install Iris (with Fabric) or OptiFine, then put the shader pack .zip into the shaderpacks folder and pick it in Video Settings, Shader Packs.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Shaders, irisshaders.dev
Do shaders lower FPS?
Yes. Shaders add heavy lighting work, so FPS can drop a lot. Lighter shader packs and a lower render distance help.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Shaders
What is Vibrant Visuals on Bedrock?
Vibrant Visuals is Mojang's built-in graphics mode for Bedrock that adds shadows, light shafts, reflections and fog without mods.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Vibrant Visuals
What is RTX in Minecraft?
RTX is ray tracing on Bedrock for Windows with a supported graphics card. It needs RTX-ready resource packs.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Ray tracing
How do you change the language in Minecraft?
Open Options, Language on Java (the globe button), or Settings, Language on Bedrock, and pick from the list.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you turn on subtitles in Minecraft?
On Java turn on Closed Captions (called Show Subtitles before 1.21.9) in the accessibility settings. Bedrock has captions in its Accessibility settings.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you change music volume in Minecraft?
Open Options, Music and Sounds, and move the Music slider. Each sound type (blocks, mobs, weather) has its own slider.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
How do you customize the F3 screen?
Press F3 + F6 to open the debug options menu, where each line of the debug screen can be shown, hidden or always on. It has Default and Performance profiles.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Debug screen
How do you see what biome you are in?
Press F3 on Java: the debug screen has a line that names the biome you are standing in.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Debug screen
How do you check the light level in Minecraft?
On Java, the F3 screen shows the light level where you stand (at your feet), split into sky and block light.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Debug screen, Minecraft Wiki - Light
How do you see how many days you have played?
The F3 screen on Java shows the in-game day count of the world. The Statistics screen also shows play time.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Debug screen, Minecraft Wiki - Statistics
Why can't I see my coordinates on F3?
The server or world has reduced debug info turned on (the reduced_debug_info game rule), which hides coordinates and other lines.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Debug screen, Minecraft Wiki - Game rule
More questions
Every topic is on the FAQ hub. Questions about the ArtemisPvP server itself (commands, ranks, events) are on the server FAQ. Server IP: play.artemispvp.com.