Skin

Original default skins
Steve‌^{[JE only]}	Steve‌^{[BE only]}	Alex‌^{[JE only]}	Alex‌^{[BE only]}

Skins refer to the textures that are placed onto a player or mob model.

Default skins[]

Steve was first introduced in Java Edition pre-Classic, wearing a cyan t-shirt, blue pants, and gray shoes, initially serving as the model for the human mob. Later in Java Edition Classic, Steve's texture was updated to have no beard; despite this, Steve still maintained the beard in many pieces of merchandise, marketing material, and official artwork.

Alex was later introduced in Java Edition 1.8-pre1, functioning as the default for the slim arms skin model.

In 2022, trailers and artwork for The Wild Update revealed Sunny, Noor, and Efe, though they went unnamed and weren't officially usable in the game at the time.

On August 20, 2022, Minecraft Now announced seven new default skins. The seven new default skins were revealed during Minecraft Live 2022, three of which were the new characters from The Wild Update trailers. The names of the skins were announced in a Minecraft Live 2022 Recap article. The new skins were released for players to use on October 20, 2022, being selectable from the Skins tab on the launcher and the character creator on Bedrock Edition.

Skins with Classic Arms
Steve	Alex	Ari	Kai	Noor	Sunny	Zuri	Efe	Makena

Skins with Slim Arms
Steve	Alex	Ari	Kai	Noor	Sunny	Zuri	Efe	Makena

Properties[]

Skins are divided into areas that act as the surface area of the character (for example, the front head area, left leg area, etc.). There are a total of 3,264 pixels that can be customized, with 1,632 on each layer. The second layer can be used to give the character glasses, hats, or other accessories (even a bigger head).

In Java Edition, a skin allows only a solid color; transparency is not allowed on the skin file except on the second layer, which is transparent by default; playing offline, pixels can be left free resulting in "holes" in the skin. If a skin with transparent pixels on the first layer is uploaded, the transparent pixels render as black pixels in-game.

In Bedrock Edition, skins can have double the resolution of a normal skin. This means the skin template can be up to 128×128 instead of just 64×64. The normal templates still apply, but players get 4× the amount of pixels to work with, since both dimensions have been doubled. Transparency can be used, even on the first layer, though there needs to be at least one visible pixel, so a fully invisible skin can't be made. The transparency must also be 0% or 100% as translucent colors are not allowed in either layer.

Pixel size of the 2nd layer on body, arms and legs is 0.25 pixel bigger than the skin pixel (inner layer). For head 2nd layer (Hat layer) it is 0.5 pixels bigger than the skin layer (inner layer).

World textures[]

A skin can also refer to other textures in the game, such as block textures, item sprites, mob skins, etc. A list of these can be found here.

It is worth noting that a zombie and its variants can use typical player skins (and vice-versa). Skeleton mobs can use typical player skins as well, but keep in mind that they have their skinny arms and legs. If a skeleton mob skin is used as a player's skin, their legs and arms do not appear skinny.

In order to use the player skin for zombies, the user must align it to the correct place on the .png to avoid a visual break in the texture.

Changing or installing player skins[]

Java Edition[]

Only players who have purchased Minecraft can change their character's skin. This is done on the profile page or in the Minecraft Launcher by uploading a valid .png texture that is 64×64 pixels, or a legacy texture that is 64×32 pixels, which then replaces the default skin.

Skins also have the option of having either 3 or 4 pixel wide arms, which can be changed on the profile page as well.^[1]

The steve.png and alex.png files in client.jar can also be changed and replaced via a resource pack, but the effects are visible only to players using the resource pack, and affects all players with the default skin.

This page would benefit from the addition of more images.

Please remove this notice once you've added suitable images to the article.
The specific instructions are: Steve and Alex renders and textures from newer various skin packs and official texture packs.

Other versions of Steve and Alex in officially-released skin packs and other Minecraft media exist:

Default skin variations

Name	Player	Notes
Steve		The original Steve texture taken from Notch's old game Zombie Town. The texture is still in use in various Minecraft Media.
Alex		An unused Alex texture found in the Minecraft Launcher.
Tennis Steve	Player 2's Skin	A blond Steve in a tennis outfit and a sweatband.
Tuxedo Steve	Player 3's Skin	Steve in a fancy-looking tuxedo.
Athlete Steve	Player 4's Skin	A darker version of Steve with a sleeveless top, a gold medal necklace, and track pants. Absent from Bedrock Edition's Legacy Skin Pack.
Scottish Steve^{[note 1]}	Player 5's Skin	Steve in a kilt with fancy hair and clothing.
Prisoner Steve	Player 6's Skin	Steve as an escapee from prison in a bright-colored, prison uniform. It seems as if he resembles an albino, with red eyes and off white hair.
Cyclist Steve	Player 7's Skin	A Steve with bicycling shorts, a jacket, and shoes.
Boxer Steve		A Steve with boxing gloves, a belt with short shorts, no shirt, and fancy boots. There is an error with the arm texture where shoulder and hand textures occupy each other's location resulting in shoulder being on hand and boxing glove being on shoulder. This error applies only to the Xbox 360 Edition.
Tennis Alex		A darker Alex in a tennis outfit and a sweatband.
Tuxedo Alex		Alex in a fancy-looking dress.
Athlete Alex		A dark haired Alex with a running shirt and track pants. Absent from Bedrock Edition's Legacy Skin Pack.
Swedish Alex^{[note 1]}		Alex in the Sweden suit^{[more information needed]} with blonde hair.
Prisoner Alex		Alex that has escaped from prison in a bright-colored prison uniform with brown hair.
Cyclist Alex		An Alex with blue glasses, bicycling shorts, a jacket, shorts, and shoes
Boxer Alex		An Alex with boxing gloves, short shorts, red boots and sleeveless shirt.
Developer Steve		Steve with gray Mojang t-shirt.
Developer Alex		Alex with gray Mojang t-shirt.
Party Steve		From the MINECON 2017 skin pack.
Party Alex		From the MINECON 2017 skin pack.
Jumper?		From The Holiday Skin Pack 2015.
Warm Wooly		From The Holiday Skin Pack 2015.
Parka?		From The Holiday Skin Pack 2015.
Winter Steve		From the Festive Skin pack.
Santa Steve		From the Festive Skin pack.
Parka Steve		From the Festive Skin pack.
Birthday Party Steve		From 1st Birthday skin pack.
Steve Creeper		From 1st Birthday skin pack.
Plastic Party Steve		From 2nd Birthday skin pack.
Plastic Steve		From the Plastic texture pack.
Wolf T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Wolf T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Chicken T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Chicken T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Creeper T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Creeper T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Guardian T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Guardian T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Slime T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Slime T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Ghast T-Shirt		From 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Ghast T-Shirt		From 4th Birthday skin pack.
Sheep T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Sheep T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Ocelot T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Ocelot T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Wither T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Wither T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Skeleton T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.
Alex Skeleton T-Shirt		From the 4th Birthday skin pack.

Bedrock Edition[]

Since Pocket Edition v0.11.0 alpha, players can choose one of the two default skins either Steve or Alex, and can apply their own custom skin. (Uses the same format as the Java edition). The player must select a valid skin image from their photo library, and must choose between the two main models. Players can also spend Minecraft Coins to buy skin packs. The Legacy Skin Pack was also implemented in Bedrock Edition, but the player has to sign in to Xbox Live to access all the skins. It also includes five anonymous skins. Players can also make their own skin packs, which must include a manifest.json file, a skins.json file, and all the desired skins. An additional .lang file can be added inside a folder labeled texts to display the skin names, but the game can register the skins without it.

Character creator[]

This feature is exclusive to Bedrock Edition.

The character creator is a feature in Bedrock Edition (and was in Minecraft Earth until discontinuation) that lets players customize their skins with free and paid-for cosmetic items. It can be accessed by selecting the character profile button on the main menu. It can also be used to equip capes. Many clothing items cost Minecoins (Tokens on PlayStation 4), or can be earned by completing certain achievements.

Skin packs[]

This feature is exclusive to Bedrock Edition.

Skin Packs are available in Bedrock Edition as downloadable content. They can be aquired:

through the Marketplace. Most of them cost Minecoins (Tokens on PS4), but some have been released for free.
through .mcskin files put in the skin_packs or development_skin_packs folder in the game files (accessible only on Windows 10, Android, iOS, iPadOS, and Fire devices).

Java Edition Skin Packs[]

The following skin packs were released on minecraft.net by Mojang Studios for certain events.

There might be more Java Edition exclusive skin packs released by Mojang Studios not yet listed in this table.

Name	Download Links	Article	Notes
MINECON Earth 2017 Skin Pack	minecraft.net Mirror	Slip on some MINECON Skins!	This Skin Pack is the same as in Bedrock Edition.
Striding Hero Skin Pack	minecraft.net Mirror	Community Celebration: Simburbia and Striding Hero	Includes six player skins from the Striding Hero Minecraft: Java Edition map.

Templates[]

Many players prefer their own unique skin. While many premade skins can be found online, many players prefer to create their own.

A custom skin is a way to personalize the player model and can be done either by using a variety of community-made skin editors, or by editing the steve.png or alex.png file manually with an image editor like Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.net or similar image editors. The steve.png file can be downloaded here and the alex.png file here. When editing the steve.png or alex.png file manually, be sure to keep the original image dimensions and make the background of the skin (the unused pixels) completely transparent. Otherwise, Minecraft may fail to recognize the skin as intended.

Alternatively, some may find it easier to use a program, either downloadable or in-browser, which provides a live view of their character on a three-dimensional model as they are editing the skin. For example, programs may further assist players by providing them with a wide variety of pre-made selections (such as hats, boots, sweaters, etc.), to give the skin creator exactly what they want, even if the creator has little to no artistic skill.

After making a custom skin, either by using a skin editor or by editing the steve.png file directly, one still needs to upload the .png file at the Skin section of the Profile page on Minecraft.net (found here) before the skin is applied. Other players in multiplayer can also see this skin. Note that players cannot see the custom skin if they are not logged in or when playing offline.

Official skin templates[]

Minecraft Help Center Article

Other templates[]

The modern layered skin template; every body part can have a second layer.
An adaptation of the previous template, color-coded to match the appropriate faces of the skin: front, back, left, right, top and bottom. The checked areas represent the secondary layer.
A template for the slim arms/"Alex" model.
An adaptation of the slimmer arms template, color-coded to match the appropriate faces of the skin: front, back, left, right, top and bottom. The checked areas represent the secondary layer.
Color-coded old skin template with all faces labeled.
Another skin guide, but on a black background. For the arm and leg sections only, "right" indicates those facing outward, and "left" indicates inward.
Deadmau5's skin^[2] (not a guide). Notice the ears. See also: Easter eggs § deadmau5's ears
Template for deadmau5's ears. Use other templates listed here for the skin.

The modern templates can be used for old (pre–Java Edition 1.8) skins on the skin server, but only the top half of the image is used. (i.e., not the individual arms and legs on the bottom and no overlay on any layer except the head). If the skin is for Java Edition 1.7, the old system must be used exactly.

To 6 significant figures, there are 3.06013×10^23,581 possible unique Minecraft skins.

History[]

Java Edition pre-Classic
rd-132328					Humans were added with their skin and model from Zombie Town. These are later used for the player.
Java Edition Classic
June 13, 2009					Custom player skin test.
0.0.18a					Custom skins released.
0.24 SURVIVAL TEST					The player skin originally had a beard, which was removed in this version.
Unknown
?					The arms and legs of the player are now mirrored on opposite sides; they were previously not.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.2					Player skins can be modified.^{[more information needed]}
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4			All "bottom" textures (including hand and foot) have been flipped 180 degrees. It's worth mentioning that the textures were specifically flipped and not rotated because an updated texture with the bottom surface rotated as opposed to flipped may display incorrectly depending on the intended alignment with relation to the rest of the skin.
April 1, 2014					On April 1st, all skins applied to players were changed and locked to Villager skins as an April Fools' prank. Capes were still shown, however, if the user had one.
1.8		14w03a			Skins have received an overhaul; right and left legs/arms can now be edited independently and the hat layer now counts for the whole body, meaning overlays can now be added on skins. This means there are now 3.06013 × 10^23,581 unique Minecraft skins instead of 2.29507 × 10^11,328 previously.
		14w04a			Now displays the right arm's second layer in first person view.
		pre1			Added a new player model with smaller arms, and a new player skin called Alex.
1.9		15w47a			Overlay layers (hat, jacket, sleeves, and pants) correctly render semitransparent pixels, instead of just fully opaque and fully transparent pixels.
August 20, 2022					New skin textures for Steve and Alex were added in the Minecraft Launcher, including classic and slim versions.
October 20, 2022					Added seven new default skins: Sunny, Efe, Zuri, Noor, Ari, Makena, and Kai.
October 20, 2022					New skin textures for Steve and Alex were added in the Minecraft Launcher.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.11.0		build 1			Added skins. Players can choose 'Steve' and 'Alex' models or their own custom skin (uses the same format as in Java Edition).
v0.11.0		build 10			Added the first two skin packs: City Folk and Town Folk. Each skin pack has 5 free skins, and purchasing the skin pack unlocks the rest of the skins. Skin packs cost USD $0.99.
v0.12.3					Added the Halloween Costumes skin pack.
v0.13.0		build 5			Added the "Biome Settlers" skin pack.
v0.13.1					Added the Holiday Festival 2015 skin pack.
v0.13.2					Added the Journey to The West skin pack.
v0.14.0		build 7			Added the Redstone Specialists skin pack.
v0.14.1					Added Minecraft: Story Mode skins.
v0.14.3					Added Biome Settlers Pack 2 Skin pack.
v0.15.4					Added Villians Skin pack.
v0.15.9					Added MineCon 2016 Skin pack, available for a limited time.
30 September 2016					The Minecraft twitter starts tweeting out teasers for skins planned to be added in the Campfire Tales Skin pack in v0.15.10
v0.15.10					Added Campfire Tales Skin pack.
4 October 2016					The last 'teaser-tweet' for the Campfire Tales Skin pack is sent, after the skin pack was released.
7 October 2016					The limited-time offer for the MineCon 2016 Skin pack is over, it has been removed from all app stores and its redemption code is now expired. Players who obtained it while it was available are still able to use it.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0		alpha 0.17.0.1			Added Festive 2016 Mash-up pack.
1.0.4					Added Strangers "Biome Settlers Pack 3" Skin pack.
1.0.5					Added Power Rangers Skin pack.
1.0.6					Added Chinese Mythology Mash-up pack.
1.0.7					Added Fallout Mash-up pack.
1.0.8					Added Magic: The Gathering Skin pack.
1.0.9					Added Greek Mythology Mash-up pack.
1.1.0					Added Minecraft Marketplace, which has the community skin packs.
1.1.0					Added Skyrim Mash-up pack.
1.1.3					Added Adventure Time Mash-up pack.
Bedrock Edition
1.13.0		beta 1.13.0.15			The character creator has been added in-game.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
1.19.50		beta 1.19.50.21			Added seven new default skins: Sunny, Efe, Zuri, Noor, Ari, Makena, and Kai
Legacy Console Edition
TU3	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	The first skin pack is available as downloadable content.
TU24	CU12	1.16	Patch 1	1.0.1	8 'Alex' model skins added to default skin pack.

Historical Images[]

The first skins being tested in Minecraft Classic.
A camouflage skin in Minecraft Classic.
The first image of a skin's hat layer, from Notch's blog.

Trivia[]

There are about 9.571 656 652 × 10³¹⁴⁴¹ possible skins in Java Edition, with 5.412 073 956 × 10²⁷⁵¹¹ compatible online.

Gallery[]

Official artwork showing Steve and Alex variants from Minecraft: China Edition's website.
Marc's Heads are accounts with specific skins made for decoration.
Deadmau5's unique skin with ears.
An example of a custom skin.
A variety of Alex skins available in the Legacy Console Edition. Left to right: Tennis, Tuxedo, Athlete, Default, Swedish, Cyclist, Prisoner, and Boxer.

Renders[]

Testvan's skin as seen in an early skin test screenshot.
Mezo's skin as seen in an early skin test screenshot.
Mezo in a camouflaged skin.
Notch's hat layer test skin.
Steve's friend from the Official Minecraft Trailer.
Notch's skin.
Jeb's skin.
C418's skin.
Jappa's skin.
Slicedlime's skin.
MrHenrik's skin.
LadyAgnes's skin.
Kingbdogz's skin.
Searge's skin.
Dinnerbone's skin.
Grum's skin.
mollstam's skin.
ExcitedZe's skin.
Deadmau5's skin (blue version).
Deadmau5's skin (red version).
The base villager skin out of the 7 villager skins that all players wore during April Fools 2014.
The butcher villager skin out of the 7 villager skins that all players wore during April Fools 2014.
The farmer villager skin out of the 7 villager skins that all players wore during April Fools 2014.
The librarian villager skin out of the 7 villager skins that all players wore during April Fools 2014.
The priest villager skin out of the 7 villager skins that all players wore during April Fools 2014.
The smith villager skin out of the 7 villager skins that all players wore during April Fools 2014.
One of the 7 Villager skins that all players wore during April Fools 2014. The green nitwit villager is unimplemented at the time.