| Type | Command |
|---|
Data checked Oct 21, 2026
The /time command changes or checks the time of day in a Minecraft world. Use it to skip a dangerous night, freeze the world at noon for building screenshots, set up custom maps, or check how many days a world has existed. This command reference covers the full syntax in Java and Bedrock, every named time value, tick numbers, adding time, querying time, freezing the daylight cycle and common errors.
Syntax
| Use | Java | Bedrock |
|---|---|---|
| Set time | /time set <value> | /time set <value> |
| Add time | /time add <amount> | /time add <amount> |
| Check time | /time query <daytime|gametime|day> | /time query <daytime|gametime|day> |
The value can be a named time or a number of ticks. In Java you can also add units: d for in-game days, s for seconds and t for ticks, for example /time add 1d.
Named time values
| Name | Ticks | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| day | 1000 | Early morning, safe to go outside |
| noon | 6000 | Sun at its highest point |
| sunset (Bedrock) | 12000 | Sun going down |
| night | 13000 | Dark enough for mobs to spawn |
| midnight | 18000 | Middle of the night, moon overhead |
| sunrise (Bedrock) | 23000 | Dawn |
Java accepts day, noon, night and midnight as names. Bedrock adds sunrise and sunset. In Java you can type the tick numbers directly for sunrise and sunset, such as /time set 23000.
How Minecraft time works
A full Minecraft day lasts 24,000 ticks, which is 20 real minutes at 20 ticks per second. Time 0 is sunrise in the internal clock, 6000 is noon, 12000 is sunset, 18000 is midnight, and the cycle returns to 0. Daytime lasts about 10 minutes, night about 7, and sunrise and sunset fill the rest. For the full breakdown, see how long is a Minecraft day.
Examples
| Command | Result |
|---|---|
| /time set day | Jumps to morning |
| /time set noon | Sun overhead, best light for screenshots |
| /time set night | Starts the night; mobs begin spawning |
| /time set midnight | Darkest point, full moon visible on some nights |
| /time add 12000 | Skips half a day |
| /time add 1d | Java: skips a full day, changing the moon phase |
| /time query daytime | Shows the current time of day in ticks |
| /time query day | Shows how many days the world has existed |
Querying time
- daytime: the time of day, from 0 to 23999.
- gametime: the total number of ticks the world has run, which never resets, even when you change the time with commands.
- day: the number of in-game days that have passed. This is a fun stat for long-term survival worlds, and Bedrock can also show it on screen with the showDaysPlayed setting.
Command block creators use /time query with /execute store to save the time into a scoreboard, then trigger events at certain times of day, such as opening a shop at dawn.
Freezing time
To stop the sun moving completely, set the time you want and turn off the daylight cycle game rule:
- Java: /gamerule doDaylightCycle false
- Bedrock: /gamerule dodaylightcycle false, or turn off Daylight Cycle in world settings
Turn it back on with true. Frozen time is popular for building, creative servers and adventure maps. Note that random ticks, crop growth and mob spawning still happen while time is frozen; only the sun and moon stop. A frozen night still spawns monsters. See the /gamerule reference for more rules.
Time and gameplay
- Mob spawning: skipping to day makes zombies and skeletons burn, but spiders and creepers stay. Caves are dark at any time.
- Phantoms: phantoms spawn based on how long you have gone without sleeping, not the time itself. Using /time set day does not reset that counter; sleeping in a bed does.
- Moon phases: the moon phase changes each in-game day. Adding full days with /time add changes the phase, which affects slime spawning in swamps and the chance of black cats in villages.
- Villagers: villager schedules follow the time of day, so changing it can confuse their routine briefly.
- Crops and furnaces: skipping time with /time does not make crops grow or furnaces smelt faster. Only real ticks passing do that.
Time vs sleeping
In Survival without cheats, the normal way to skip the night is to sleep in a bed. Sleeping skips to morning, resets the phantom counter and sets your spawn point. On servers, the number of players who must sleep is set by the playersSleepingPercentage game rule in Java. /time set day skips the night instantly for everyone but does none of the other things, so many servers give regular players a vote-to-skip plugin instead. See how to make a bed.
Permissions
/time requires cheats in single player or operator permission on servers. In Bedrock, using it with cheats on disables achievements in that world. On Realms, the owner or operators can use it.
Common errors
- Unknown or incomplete command: forgot set, add or query after /time.
- Invalid value: used sunrise or sunset in Java; use 23000 or 12000 instead.
- Time keeps moving: doDaylightCycle is still true.
- Phantoms still spawn: /time does not count as sleeping.
Related commands
- /weather: change rain and thunder.
- /gamerule: freeze the day cycle.
- /difficulty: make nights more or less dangerous.
/time FAQ
How do you make it day in Minecraft?
Type /time set day with cheats enabled.
What time is night in Minecraft?
Night starts at 13000 ticks; midnight is 18000.
How do you stop time in Minecraft?
Use /gamerule doDaylightCycle false.
How long is a Minecraft day in ticks?
24,000 ticks, or 20 real minutes.
Using /time on servers and Realms
On multiplayer worlds, /time affects everyone at once, so operators should use it carefully. Setting the time to day in the middle of a group’s night-time mob hunt or a raid can ruin their plans, and setting it to night can surprise players who are far from shelter. Many servers keep the daylight cycle running normally and only use /time for events, such as a midnight boss fight or a sunrise ceremony. On Realms, the owner can change the time from the world settings as well as with commands.
Building and screenshots
Lighting changes completely through the day. Builders often freeze time at noon to see true block colors while building, then switch to sunset around 12000 ticks for warm screenshots, or to night at 18000 to show off lanterns and glowing windows. With shaders installed in Java, sunrise and sunset look especially dramatic, which is why many showcase videos use /time set 23000 or 12500 as their starting point. Combine this with /weather clear so rain does not spoil the shot.
Time in the Nether and End
The Nether and the End do not have a day-night cycle. The sky never changes there, beds explode, and clocks and compasses spin randomly. /time still changes the world clock, which affects the Overworld when you return, but you will not see any change while standing in the Nether or End. Time also keeps passing in the Overworld while you are in another dimension.
Clocks and time without commands
In Survival, a clock crafted from 4 gold ingots and 1 redstone dust shows the position of the sun and moon, so you can tell the time underground. A daylight detector outputs a redstone signal that changes with the sun, which can switch lamps on at night automatically. These are the vanilla tools for tracking time without /time query.
A /time set command also resets nothing about the moon cycle unless you add or skip full days, so use /time add with multiples of 24000 if you need a specific moon phase.