/spectate

Causes a player in spectator mode to spectate (follow the viewpoint of) another entity. Running without arguments stops spectating.

Overview

Causes a player in spectator mode to spectate (follow the viewpoint of) another entity. Running without arguments stops spectating. In vanilla Minecraft Java Edition it is one of the player commands and has been available since version 1.8.

It is invoked as /spectate [] [] and accepts 2 optional arguments ([target] and [player]).

The spectating player sees through the target entity's viewpoint. Press Shift (Sneak) in-game to stop spectating. The command form without arguments also stops spectating.

The spectating player must already be in Spectator mode; sneaking in-game, or running /spectate with no arguments, ends the spectate.

Syntax & Arguments

/spectate [<target>] [<player>]

The full syntax is /spectate [] []. Angle brackets < > mark required arguments and square brackets [ ] mark optional ones; a vertical bar | between words means you pick exactly one of those literals. Every argument is optional, so the bare command is valid on its own. The arguments [target] and [player] may be omitted, in which case the documented default applies.

target: Optional, of type an entity. The entity to spectate. Must be a single entity.
player: Optional, of type an entity. The spectating player. Must be in spectator mode. Defaults to self.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
target	entity	Optional	The entity to spectate. Must be a single entity.
player	entity	Optional	The spectating player. Must be in spectator mode. Defaults to self.

Examples

The 3 examples below are ready to copy and adapt. For instance, /spectate @p start spectating the nearest player (you must be in spectator mode). Each example varies the arguments to show a different real use of /spectate; read the note under every snippet to see exactly what changes.

/spectate @p

Start spectating the nearest player (you must be in spectator mode).

/spectate

Stop spectating and return to free-camera spectator mode.

/spectate @e[type=bee,limit=1,sort=nearest]

Spectate the nearest bee entity.

Permission Level & Requirements

/spectate sits at permission Level 2 - Game Master / Cheats, which means it needs permission level 2, the level cheats grant to single-player worlds and that operators hold by default.

In a single-player world you must have "Allow Cheats" turned on (or open the world to LAN with cheats) before it will run; on a multiplayer server the player needs to be an operator at the matching level.

This reference describes the Java Edition 1.21 form of the command; Bedrock Edition may use slightly different argument formats.

Common Mistakes

Trying to use /spectate while not in spectator mode, the executing player must be in spectator mode.
Targeting more than one entity, the target must resolve to exactly one entity.

Notes

The spectating player sees through the target entity's viewpoint. Press Shift (Sneak) in-game to stop spectating. The command form without arguments also stops spectating.

Related Commands

If /spectate is part of your toolkit, the commands below are the ones you will most often reach for alongside it: /gamemode and /tp. They cover closely related tasks, so the links above jump straight to each one.

/gamemode

/tp

Frequently Asked Questions about /spectate

What does the /spectate command do in Minecraft?

Causes a player in spectator mode to spectate (follow the viewpoint of) another entity. Running without arguments stops spectating. It belongs to the player command group and was added in Java Edition 1.8.

What is the correct syntax for /spectate?

/spectate [] []. The required arguments are none, and the optional ones are target and player.

What permission level does /spectate need?

It requires permission Level 2 - Game Master / Cheats. On a server the player must be an operator at that level, or have cheats enabled in single-player.

What is a common mistake when using /spectate?

Trying to use /spectate while not in spectator mode, the executing player must be in spectator mode.

Can you give an example of /spectate in use?

Yes. /spectate — stop spectating and return to free-camera spectator mode.

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