If you’ve ever played Minecraft with friends, there’s a good chance you’ve had this conversation:
“Where are you?”
“Here!”
“…Where’s here?”
Trying to track down your friends in Minecraft. has always been more complicated than it needs to be. Sure, you can share coordinates or use a map, but both options take you out of the moment. Thankfully, Mojang is finally addressing this with a new feature: the Player Locator Bar.
It’s a simple idea with a lot of potential. When you’re in a multiplayer world, the Player Locator Bar appears just above your hotbar—taking over the space where your XP bar normally sits. It displays small, colored indicators showing where other players are, including whether they’re above or below you, thanks to handy little arrows.
No more guesswork, no more shouting across voice chat and asking for coordinates. Just look down and follow the icons.
How the Player Locator Bar Works in Minecraft
The Player Locator Bar activates when you’re in a multiplayer world. Each player gets a randomly assigned icon color that shows up when they’re in your field of view—roughly within a 120-degree cone in front of your camera.
If someone is above or below you (like in a cave or base), a small arrow appears to indicate their height relative to you. It works even if they’re behind walls or hidden by terrain, making it super useful for locating friends quickly.
The catch? The locator only appears when you’re not actively gaining XP. The moment you collect experience orbs or interact with an enchanting setup, the familiar XP bar returns—temporarily hiding the player indicators.
Ways to Hide from the Minecraft Player Locator Bar
Not everyone wants to be found—especially in PvP worlds or prank wars. Thankfully, Mojang thought about that too. Here’s how you can hide your position from the Player Locator Bar:
- Sneak (crouch) to disappear from the bar.
- Wear a mob head or carved pumpkin to stay hidden, though you’ll lose helmet protection.
- Use a potion of Invisibility for guaranteed stealth.
- Approach from behind, since the bar only shows players in front of you.
- Sneak up while they’re earning XP—the locator won’t show during that time.
With a bit of timing and creativity, you can stay completely undetected, even with the feature enabled.
Can You Disable the Player Locator Bar in Minecraft?
Currently, players cannot disable the Player Locator Bar individually, but server owners and map creators can turn it off entirely. This is great news for PvP servers, factions, or anyone who prefers a more traditional multiplayer experience.
By default, the Player Locator Bar is enabled in Bedrock beta/preview and will be available in Java snapshots soon. In Minecraft Bedrock beta/preview, you can use locatorBar gamerule command to turn Player Locator Bar on or off.
Why the Player Locator Bar Improves Minecraft Multiplayer
The Player Locator Bar might seem like a small feature, but it’s a big step forward for Minecraft multiplayer. No more sharing coordinates over chat or getting lost during adventures. It’s intuitive, immersive, and makes finding your friends feel effortless.
Since it’s still in testing, there’s plenty of room for improvement—like adding a player toggle or allowing both the XP and locator bars to display together. But even now, it’s a welcome upgrade that brings Minecraft’s UI into the modern age.