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How to get Minecraft Editor

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Minecraft's Bedrock Editor is a multiblock editing experience that helps you easily craft high-quality worlds in Minecraft Bedrock. The Editor is available in Retail and Preview editions of Minecraft Bedrock. You can access the Editor either through the Minecraft Launcher or a shortcut you create on your computer desktop.

Important

The Editor is in Beta and we're working to add more capabilities. It will change significantly as we get feedback from creators like you. Also, the images of Editor in this document might vary a little from what you have on your screen.

First, we are going to install Minecraft Bedrock. Then, we will create the shortcut that launches Editor. After that, we will open Editor and make sure it works.

In this tutorial, you will learn the following:

  • How to install Minecraft.
  • How to create the shortcut that launches Editor.
  • How to tell if everything is working correctly.

Requirements

To get started, you need the following:

  • A Windows 10 (or higher) computer
  • Keyboard and mouse

Important

Editor is PC only and not available on mobile or console.

Install Bedrock

The Bedrock Editor is a seperate mode of Bedrock. So if you already have Bedrock, you already have the Editor. If you do not, you will need the latest installation of Bedrock Retail and/or Preview. To learn more about what Preview is and where to get it, here is an article about Preview on Minecraft.net.

The easiest way to install either of these versions is from the Minecraft Launcher. You can get Minecraft Launcher from the Microsoft Store.

Image of Minecraft Launcher app in the Microsoft Store

Once you have the Minecraft Launcher installed, navigate to the "Creator Tools" tab. From here you can install Retail and Preview versions of Bedrock.

Image of Minecraft Launcher app to install versions of Bedrock

To switch what version you are targeting, select the version from the drop down.

Image of Minecraft Launcher app install versions

After you install Bedrock, the Launcher will update with a "Create" button under the "Creator Tools" tab.

Image of Minecraft Launcher app to launch Editor

To Launch Editor simply click the "Create" button and the Launcher will open Bedrock in Editor mode.

Make a Shortcut

Alternatively, if you already have Bedrock installed and want to create a shortcut to make accessing Editor easier in the future, follow these steps.

  1. Right-click on your desktop, select New from the dropdown, and choose to create a new Shortcut.

Windows new shortcut creation

  1. For the location of the item, enter the following:

    minecraft:?Editor=true

    or

    minecraft-preview:?Editor=true

    This is case-sensitive and needs to match exactly.

Editor create shortcut path

  1. Click Next and give your shortcut a name like Minecraft Editor.

  2. Click Finish. Your Editor shortcut has been created!

You should see the shortcut created on your desktop and it should automatically have the Minecraft icon if you set it up correctly. If the icon does not populate, don't worry.

Image of the Minecraft Editor desktop shortcut

  1. Double-click the shortcut to launch the Editor.

You should see Editor launch and display the "Create New Project" screen.

Great job! You're ready to create a project!

Note

If you uninstall Bedrock, but you plan on installing a newer version later, you can leave the Editor shortcut on your desktop and it should work with the new version.

Troubleshooting

I can't get into the Editor when I open Minecraft

You can only access the Editor through the desktop shortcut and only if you have Bedrock. If you are attempting to access the Editor through Bedrock directly (not using the shortcut), it will not work.

I added the desktop shortcut, but it won't open the Editor. What's going on?

Three things to check:

  • Is the desktop shortcut set up correctly? Remember it is case-sensitive and needs to match exactly. Ensure it says the following: minecraft:?Editor=true.

  • Did you install Bedrock? If not, you need to do that.

  • Do you have both Bedrock Preview and Bedrock (Retail) installed? You may have selected a checkbox that says "Always open" for Bedrock (Retail) even if you are trying to open a Preview version. To fix this, perform the following steps:

    1. Press Windows + I to open the Settings app.

    2. Select Apps and click Default apps.

    3. Scroll down to Minecraft and select it.

    4. Scroll down and find the MINECRAFT entry (it should also say Minecraft | URL:minecraft) and click it.

    5. In the pop-up, select Minecraft and click OK.

Apps > Default Apps window where you can set Minecraft Preview as the default app.

  • If you would like to open Editor a different way, you can open a file explorer window and enter minecraft:?Editor=true into the path:

File explorer window with the Editor shortcut as the path