A compass is a simple tool with an important job: it always shows you the way back. In a world that stretches for millions of blocks, getting lost is easy, and a compass in your hotbar points home. It is also an ingredient for maps and, once you link it to a lodestone or turn it into a recovery compass, it becomes one of the most useful navigation tools in the game. This guide explains how to make a compass in Minecraft, where it points, how to use lodestones, how to make a recovery compass and how to use a compass for maps.
Quick answer: compass recipe
| Empty | Iron ingot | Empty |
| Iron ingot | Redstone dust | Iron ingot |
| Empty | Iron ingot | Empty |
4 iron ingots and 1 redstone dust make 1 compass. The recipe is the same on Java Edition, Bedrock Edition and every console.
How to get the ingredients
Iron ingots
Mine iron ore with a stone pickaxe or better to get raw iron, then smelt the raw iron in a furnace. Iron ore is common in caves and mountains at most heights. See where to find iron and how to make a furnace. Iron golems also drop iron ingots, and iron often appears in chests in villages, shipwrecks and mineshafts.
Redstone dust
Mine redstone ore with an iron pickaxe or better. Each block drops 4 or 5 redstone dust. Redstone ore is found deep underground, most commonly near the bottom of the world in deepslate layers. Clerics sell redstone dust, and witches sometimes drop it too.
Where does a compass point?
- In the Overworld: a normal compass points to the world spawn point, the place where new players first appear. It does not point to your bed or your personal respawn point.
- In the Nether and the End: a normal compass spins randomly, because there is no world spawn in those dimensions.
- Linked to a lodestone: it points to that lodestone instead, in any dimension where the lodestone is.
If your base is at the world spawn, the compass leads you home. If your base is elsewhere, link your compass to a lodestone at your base, or set the world spawn there with the /setworldspawn command if cheats are on.
How to link a compass to a lodestone
- Craft a lodestone: 8 chiseled stone bricks around 1 iron ingot. In older versions the center was a netherite ingot. Lodestones also appear in bastion remnant chests.
- Place the lodestone at your base, your portal or anywhere you want to return to.
- Use the compass on the lodestone. It becomes a lodestone compass with an enchanted glint.
A lodestone compass points to its lodestone in the dimension where the lodestone is placed, including the Nether, which makes it perfect for finding a Nether portal or a fortress base. If the lodestone is broken, the compass starts spinning. You can link several compasses to different lodestones and name them with an anvil.
How to make a recovery compass
A recovery compass points to the place where you last died, which helps you get your items back.
- Recipe: 1 compass surrounded by 8 echo shards.
- Echo shards: found only in chests in ancient cities deep in the deep dark. See how to find an ancient city.
- How it works: it spins until you die, then points to your last death location in that dimension.
Compasses and maps
On Java Edition, 8 paper around a compass make an empty map that shows your position. On Bedrock Edition, 9 paper make an empty map without a position marker, while 8 paper around a compass make an empty locator map with a marker. Either way, a compass is the key to a useful map. See how to make a map.
Other uses for compasses
- Trading: cartographer villagers buy compasses for emeralds once they reach the journeyman level.
- Item frames: a compass in an item frame on a wall works like a signpost pointing toward spawn.
- Speedrunning and exploration: a lodestone compass lets you drop a marker anywhere and find it again across the world.
Compass vs clock vs map vs F3
| Tool | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Compass | Direction to world spawn or a lodestone |
| Recovery compass | Direction to your last death |
| Map | Your position on a drawn map of the area |
| Clock | Time of day, useful underground |
| Coordinates | Your exact position. See how to turn on coordinates |
Compasses in Java vs Bedrock
The compass recipe, lodestone linking and recovery compass work the same in both editions. The main difference is the map recipe, explained above. On Bedrock you can also turn on the Show Coordinates world option, which many players use instead of a compass for exact navigation.
Tips
- Craft a compass as soon as you have iron and redstone, before your first long trip.
- Place a lodestone right next to your Nether portal so you can always find it again in the Overworld.
- Rename lodestone compasses with an anvil, for example Home, Portal and Mine, so you never mix them up.
- Keep a recovery compass in your ender chest so it is not lost when you die.
How to navigate without getting lost
A compass works best as part of a simple routine. Before you leave on a long trip, write down your base coordinates or link a compass to a lodestone at home. Mark big landmarks such as villages, portals and mountains as you pass them, either on a map or in a notebook. When you build a Nether portal far from home, place a lodestone next to it on both sides so you can find each portal again in either dimension. If you ever get completely lost in the Overworld, a normal compass will still bring you back to the world spawn, which is often close to where your first base was built. From there you can retrace your steps or use your coordinates to get home.
Common compass problems
- The compass points the wrong way: it points to world spawn, not your bed. Link it to a lodestone instead.
- The lodestone compass stopped working: the lodestone was broken or moved by a piston. Place a new one and link the compass again.
- The recovery compass spins: you have not died yet in this world, or you are in a different dimension from your death point.
FAQ
What do you need to make a compass in Minecraft?
4 iron ingots and 1 redstone dust on a crafting table.
Does a compass point to your bed?
No. A normal compass points to the world spawn point. Link it to a lodestone to make it point somewhere else.
Why is my compass spinning?
You are in the Nether or the End, where normal compasses do not work, or the lodestone it was linked to was destroyed.
How do you make a recovery compass?
Surround a compass with 8 echo shards. Echo shards come from ancient city chests.
How do you make a compass point home?
Place a lodestone at your home and use the compass on it.
Checked by the Game Respawned editorial team against the current Java and Bedrock versions. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.