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/worldborder

Manages the world border, its size, center, damage, warning distance, and warning time.

Category
World
Permission Level
Game Master
Version Added
1.8

Overview

Manages the world border, its size, center, damage, warning distance, and warning time. In vanilla Minecraft Java Edition it is one of the world commands and has been available since version 1.8.

It is invoked as /worldborder ... and accepts one required argument () and one optional argument ([arguments]).

The world border is a square, not a circle. Players outside the border take damage. The border can gradually expand or contract over a specified time.

The border is a square defined by its diameter (not radius) and centred on 0,0 until you move it; a second time argument to 'set' animates the resize over that many seconds.

Syntax & Arguments

/worldborder <add|center|damage|get|set|warning> ...

The full syntax is /worldborder .... Angle brackets < > mark required arguments and square brackets [ ] mark optional ones; a vertical bar | between words means you pick exactly one of those literals. You must always supply . The argument [arguments] may be omitted, in which case the documented default applies.

subcommand
Required, of type a literal. The world border operation: add, center, damage (amount|buffer), get, set, or warning (distance|time).
arguments
Optional, of type a various. Depends on the subcommand chosen.

Parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
subcommandliteralRequiredThe world border operation: add, center, damage (amount|buffer), get, set, or warning (distance|time).
argumentsvariousOptionalDepends on the subcommand chosen.

Examples

The 3 examples below are ready to copy and adapt. For instance, /worldborder set 1000 sets the world border to a 1000-block diameter square centered on the world border center. Each example varies the arguments to show a different real use of /worldborder; read the note under every snippet to see exactly what changes.

/worldborder set 1000

Sets the world border to a 1000-block diameter square centered on the world border center.

/worldborder center 0 0

Centers the world border on coordinates 0, 0.

/worldborder set 100 60

Gradually shrinks or expands the world border to 100 blocks diameter over 60 seconds.

Permission Level & Requirements

/worldborder 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

Notes

The world border is a square, not a circle. Players outside the border take damage. The border can gradually expand or contract over a specified time.

Related Commands

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

Frequently Asked Questions about /worldborder

What does the /worldborder command do in Minecraft?

Manages the world border, its size, center, damage, warning distance, and warning time. It belongs to the world command group and was added in Java Edition 1.8.

What is the correct syntax for /worldborder?

/worldborder .... The required argument is subcommand, and the optional one is arguments.

What permission level does /worldborder 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 /worldborder?

Confusing diameter and radius, the set command takes the total diameter, not the radius.

Can you give an example of /worldborder in use?

Yes. /worldborder center 0 0 — centers the world border on coordinates 0, 0.

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