Player

The player is the main character who can be controlled in Minecraft. The two default player skins are known as Steve (a name suggested by Notch as a joke but later confirmed in the "change skin" menu on minecraft.net, in-game as the default name $$, and his name in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) and Alex, with all unchanged skins being split between the two default skins.

Appearance
There are two default player skins, typically known as Steve and Alex, assigned to each player based on their account ID if they do not use a custom skin.

Steve has dark brown hair, dark skin, nose and mouth, and white eyes with blue-purplish pupils, with a light blue shirt (draping on the left-hand side), a pair of blue jeans, gray shoes, and 4px arms.

Alex has long bright orange hair hanging to the left side, pale fair skin, and white eyes with dark green pupils, with a light-green shirt (draping on both sides, and a dark green belt wrapped around it), a pair of brown pants, grayish boots, pinkish lips, and 3px arms.

Both player skins are intended to be generic representations of a human being, although the player's skin can be changed. Steve is also the shape of a "classic" skin, and Alex is the shape of a "slim" skin.

Drops

 * Contents of their inventory and armor unless has been set to


 * Current XP points minus current XP level times 7, capped at a total of 100 XP points, unless has been set to

Java Edition
$$, the player can choose from either Steve or Alex. These two models can be customized by downloading free skins from trusted websites or making using an editing program, but in the demo, or when playing offline, the game randomly chooses either Steve or Alex as the current skin.

Bedrock Edition
$$, the player can choose between Steve and Alex in-game, which sets both the skin and the model for custom skins. However, Bedrock Edition also allows the usage of skin packs, each of which has a selection of free skins. On Windows 10, Android and iOS, skins can also be imported from a PNG file. Some skins can be purchased as DLC. Bedrock Edition also features a skin creation system with purchasable apparel and features.

Java Edition versions of the Steve and Alex skins are automatically available for free in Bedrock Edition.

Unlike the Java Edition counterparts, the Bedrock Edition Steve and Alex are texture updated, and their models periodically blink. This feature does not apply to custom skin models.

Health and hunger meters
The player has 10 full hearts or 20 health points. One full heart represents two health points. When the player's hunger bar is at or higher, health slowly regenerates by  every four seconds, but when it is at  with saturation remaining, health regenerates by  every half second. The hunger bar depletes faster from energy-intensive activities like sprinting, jumping, attacking mobs, and mining, and it can be refilled by eating food. If the hunger bar is at or lower, the player does not regenerate health unless in Peaceful difficulty (or under the effect of certain potions). While the hunger bar is at, the player is starving and proceeds to lose health. On Hard difficulty, starvation kills the player. On Normal difficulty, it brings health down to. On Easy difficulty, it brings health down to. On Peaceful difficulty, the health bar recovers regardless of hunger, but still depletes from starvation damage, and the hunger bar does not lose any points even when under the effect of hunger.

Movement
The player walks at a nominal rate of 4.317 meters (blocks) per second. That's about 15.5 kph or 9.7 mph, which is a 3:51 kilometer or a 6:12 mile. This means that the player can walk a total of 5181 blocks (5.2 km) in one Minecraft day, if walking in a straight line, ignoring hunger, and not sprinting or sneaking. For sneaking and sprinting statistics, see below.

Sprinting
The player can sprint, draining the hunger bar considerably while doing so. The player sprints approximately 5.612 blocks per second, as opposed to the regular pace of 4.317. That's 20.2 kph or 12.6mph, which is a 2:58 km or a 4:46 mile. The player can usually jump four blocks horizontally when sprinting, although they can jump five blocks with a correctly timed jump and enough momentum. The player cannot sprint if the hunger bar is at or less. Sprinting is activated by double-tapping the forward key (default ), then holding it, or by holding the sprint key ( [ if using a Mac] by default) while pressing the forward key. Holding the sprint key in creative mode while flying causes the player to fly faster.

Sneaking
Sneaking is a feature activated by pressing and holding the sneak key (default is ). Sneaking prevents players from falling more than half a block, making it highly useful for building horizontally outward over space. Going past the edge of a block and stopping sneaking, does not result in falling off that block. Additionally, the player can still dismount blocks while sneaking by jumping over the block's edge. In Multiplayer Mode, a player's name will be grayed out when they sneak, to relate to the fact that sneaking will make you harder to see.

Jumping
The maximum height a player can jump without the jump boost effect is about 1.2522 blocks.

Crawling
Crawling occurs when the player is in an area less than 1.5 blocks high, and prevents suffocation.

Gameplay HUD
The onscreen heads-up display (HUD) consists of the player's health bar, hunger bar, experience bar, and hotbar. The armor rating bar appears above the health bar if the player is wearing armor and the oxygen bar appears if the player is submerged in water or is suffocating in a block. The HUD also contains the crosshair and a held object (or fist). The HUD can also be toggled by.

Experience
Experience points (XP) can be gained via experience orbs when killing mobs or mining certain minerals. The current level is indicated by a green number above the HUD, and the experience points can be used to enchant weapons, tools or armor with different useful attributes and skills (see enchanting table.) Anvils require experience to use.

The level increases by obtaining enough experience points. All levels and experience are lost upon death but can be partially restored by picking up the experience orbs at the place of death.

Experience is also obtained through activities such as fishing, animal breeding, trading or smelting.

Gamemodes

 * In Survival mode, the player can place and destroy most blocks, and use all tools available. The player has limited health ( icons), hunger ( icons), and oxygen (bubble icons)
 * In Creative mode, the player can fly by double-tapping the jump key (default ) and place an infinite number of blocks, but with limited use of crafting and tools. All mobs won't attack the player. The player cannot take damage (at all $$, and $$ only when falling into the Void or, with cheats enabled, typing the command ), has no hunger and has unlimited oxygen, and breaking blocks is instantaneous.
 * In Hardcore mode, the player can respawn only in Spectator mode, and the difficulty level is locked on Hard mode.
 * In Adventure mode, there are no changes from Survival mode aside from being unable to break or place blocks unless they possess a tool with the  NBT data tag for that block, or have a block with the   tag. This game mode can be played only by having cheats enabled and typing the command, , , or by opening a multiplayer (including LAN) world.
 * In Spectator mode, the player can spectate almost all mobs, ride them as if the player were in a minecart, fly through blocks, and open inventories, but cannot break blocks or change inventories. Along with Adventure, it can be accessed by typing in, press + while cheats are enabled, or dying in Hardcore mode. However, with the Debug Mode world type, the gamemode is locked as Spectator mode unless changed with cheats enabled.

Username
Players in-game are referred to by a username. These are used to target the player with commands and differentiate other players.

$$, usernames must be 3–16 characters, although there are exceptions of players with under 3 characters, who bought the game early in its development. Players can change username no more than once every 30 days. When the player changes their username, the previous username is available for other users to claim after 37 days. Because players can change usernames every 30 days, a player can manage two usernames without anyone able to take either of them. If the player has a username under 3 characters and changes it, the old sub-3-character username is permanently unable to be obtained again. This also applies for symbol names. The username can be changed on the preferences page of minecraft.net.

$$, usernames chosen in-game must be 3–32 characters. Users can choose a username and change it unlimited times from Settings -> General -> Profile. Alternatively, users that sign in with a Microsoft account will have the username set to match their GamerTag. GamerTags can be modified on the Choose your new gamertag page of xbox.com for a fee except if changing from the GamerTag generated upon account creation

Player names appear above their head as nameplates, typically in white letters within a dark transparent rectangle, though the use of mods can alter this. Player nameplates can also be seen through solid blocks and other obstructions, although a player can sneak to dim the nameplate's visibility when in sight, or hide it completely when out of sight.

Customization
$$, players can change skins on the preferences page of minecraft.net or the launcher by uploading a PNG image file, which then replaces the default skin. Players also have the option to have three or four pixel wide arms on the character model.

$$, players can change their character's appearance from the Main menu or Pause menu -> Character where 5 character slots are shown. Edit Character will open the Character Creator where a skin, which synchronises between signed in devices and Minecraft Earth, can be created by selecting pre-made components, altering their height, and select a slim or wide arm width. Players alternatively have the option select from Classic skins within Skin packs obtained from the Marketplace or, for the Windows 10, iOS/iPadOS, and Android versions of the game, import a PNG image file. Classic Skins will not synchronise between signed in devices and Minecraft Earth. Players can also choose 6 Emotes per character slot and select or remove a cape.

ID




Entity data
Players have entity data associated with them that contain various properties.

Trivia

 * The player's eye level (according to coordinates on the debug screen) is 1.62 meters. Since their eyes are 28 pixels above their feet, leaving 4 pixels above their eyes (0.23m), this makes them 1.85 meters tall and 0.925 meters wide. However, the player's hitbox is 1.8m tall and 0.6m wide, the hitbox of a crouching player is 1.5m tall, and the hitbox of a player gliding with elytra or swimming is 0.6m tall.
 * In the July–August 2016 issue of Lego Club Magazine, it is mentioned that Steve is Alex's boyfriend. It is also mentioned that Steve is a miner, builder, and alchemist, while Alex is a builder, explorer, and hunter.
 * In Minecraft: Pocket Edition Lite, the name of the player was "Stevie" instead of "Steve".
 * The Alex skin is heavily implied to be female in the description of a video from Minecraft's official YouTube channel, though never said outright through the use of pronouns or other methods.
 * The official Minecraft Instagram account has used gendered pronouns to describe Steve and Alex occasionally.
 * In the moveset explanation video regarding their inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mr. Sakurai Presents "Steve & Alex", the English subtitles referred to Steve and Alex with male and female pronouns respectively, although because Japanese omits pronouns, Sakurai didn't use any gender pronouns to refer to Steve or Alex.
 * The player's legs do not line up perfectly with the torso; this is an intentional feature to prevent z-fighting when wearing armor.
 * $1 3/16$, a dead player can still collect experience orbs near their death location until they choose to respawn.
 * Before Java Edition 1.14, the camera was located at the player's feet; the world is therefore rendered 1.8 blocks below what it should be at to counteract this.
 * Likewise, when the player slept in a bed, the world revolved around the player during the animation instead of the player's camera rotating, which led to some visual bugs.
 * Steve was first named via his appearance in Super Meat Boy. Prior to this, the player was nameless.
 * Steve's original model had a beard. Despite the removal, the beard is still used in artwork and merchandise.

Publicity

 * Steve is featured as a Micro Mob along with a creeper in the LEGO set 21102 LEGO Minecraft Micro World, as well as a Minifigure (along with Alex and many other skins) in several other LEGO Minecraft sets.
 * Steve is an unlockable character named "Mr. Minecraft" in the Steam version of Super Meat Boy. The character has a shorter jump height than other characters but can mine squares from the level and place them as platforms.
 * Steve's head is an unlockable helmet in the Xbox Arcade game, Hybrid.
 * Steve's head is a wearable item in Borderlands 2.
 * Steve's head is a wearable hat in DinoRun SE.
 * Steve's head is a wearable hat in Transformice.
 * Steve is a playable character in Retro City Rampage.
 * Steve is a uniform named "Craft Miner" in Saints Row 4.
 * Steve is an unlockable character with a projectile that looks like a stone pickaxe in the game Alone in the Park.
 * Steve is an outfit named "Pitman", wielding an iron pickaxe and able to break barriers, in the flash game Strikeforce Kitty 2.
 * "Mr. Pixel" in Createrria: craft your games has a face similar to Steve's.
 * Steve appears to be an unlockable character in "BowMasters".
 * Steve's head is a wearable hat in "Supreme Duelist Stickman" along with a the "pickaxe" weapon that can place blocks such as cobblestone, TNT, and a piston.
 * Steve and Alex are playable DLC characters in the crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with the Zombie and Enderman as alternate costumes.
 * Steve is seen in the poster for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, breaking up from the ground with a pickaxe.