Updated 23 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Armor Stands in Minecraft: Uses and Poses
An armor stand holds a full set of armour, a mob head, a carved pumpkin or an elytra, so you can display or store gear. Use armour on it to swap sets in one click. On Bedrock it has arms and 13 poses you change by sneaking and using it; on Java, arms and poses need commands.
How do you use an armor stand?
Place it (in 8 orientations) and use armour, a mob head, a carved pumpkin or an elytra on it to put it in the right slot. If that slot is full, your piece and its piece swap, which makes armor stands a quick way to change a whole set. Use it with an empty hand to take armour back. Hit it twice quickly to break it; it drops itself and everything on it.
How do you give an armor stand arms?
On Bedrock, armor stands have arms by default and can hold items. On Java, arms only show if you set the ShowArms tag with a command, though commands can put items in its hands either way.
How do you pose an armor stand?
On Bedrock, sneak and use the stand (or tap Pose on mobile) to cycle through 13 poses; a redstone signal changes the pose too. On Java, poses are set with commands.
What else can armor stands do?
- Dispensers can put armour, heads, pumpkins and elytra on a stand; on Java they can even place the stand.
- Stands are pushed by pistons, water, fishing rods, knockback and slime blocks.
- A name tag renames a stand, but on Java the name only shows after an extra command step; see name tags.
- Taiga village armouries have two, one with an iron helmet and one with an iron chestplate; see villages.
Where do you store gear on ArtemisPvP?
/pv, with more vaults at higher ranks; see Vaults.Frequently asked questions
How do you pose an armor stand on Bedrock?
Sneak and use it to cycle through 13 poses.
How do you give an armor stand arms on Java?
With a command that sets ShowArms; Java stands have no arms by default.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.