Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Spawn Eggs in Minecraft: How They Work
A spawn egg places one mob of its type where you use it. There is an egg for almost every mob, available in Creative or with /give, and not obtainable in Survival. Using an egg on an adult of the same mob makes a baby, using one on a monster spawner or trial spawner changes what it spawns, and a renamed egg spawns a named mob.
How do you use a spawn egg?
- Use it on a block's top, bottom or side; the mob appears there. Eggs are not thrown.
- Use it on the same mob to get a baby (a sheep egg on a sheep gives a baby sheep of the same color).
- Use it on a monster spawner or trial spawner to change its mob; see monster spawners.
- Dispensers can fire spawn eggs to spawn mobs in front of them.
- In Peaceful, most monster eggs spawn a mob that vanishes at once.
How do you get spawn eggs?
Creative inventory (Java has its own spawn egg tab), pick block on a mob in Creative, or /give @s zombie_spawn_egg. Wither and ender dragon eggs only come from commands. Java eggs can carry entity data, such as /give @p villager_spawn_egg[entity_data={id:"minecraft:cat"}]. See /give.
What happens if you rename a spawn egg?
The mob spawns with that name, though a renamed hostile egg does not stop the mob despawning like a name tag would. Special names work: Toast for a rabbit skin, Dinnerbone or Grumm to flip a mob upside down, jeb_ for a rainbow sheep. See name tags.
Can you get spawn eggs in Survival?
No, but you can use them in Survival if someone gives them to you. To spawn mobs without eggs, use /summon.
Does ArtemisPvP have special spawn eggs?
Frequently asked questions
Can you get spawn eggs in Survival?
No. They come from Creative or commands.
How do you change what a spawner spawns?
Use a spawn egg on it.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.