Free Java Edition tools

What color is your Locator Bar marker?

Minecraft gives every player a marker color derived from their UUID, and never shows it to you. Type a Java username or UUID to see it.

Try an example

Nothing to show yet

Enter a username or UUID above and the exact marker color appears here.

How this color is decided

Java Edition takes UUID.hashCode(), keeps the low three bytes as red, green and blue, then shades every channel to 90% before drawing the marker. Same UUID, same color, every single world.

See it in action

If you have not met the Locator Bar yet, these explain it faster than any wall of text. The first is Mojang's own announcement.

Try the new Locator Bar now

Official

Mojang's announcement. The bar helps you find friends in multiplayer — even when they wander off, or try to hide.

via Minecraft

Everything about the new Locator Bar

A quick tour of the mechanic, including how a marker's shape changes with distance: square, circle, small square, small circle.

via Yrrah

How to use the Locator Bar in 1.21.6

A longer walkthrough — turning it on, reading the markers, and what the /waypoint command does.

via RajCraft

Common questions

The four things people ask Google most about the Locator Bar. Each answer names the version it applies to, because this mechanic has been renamed twice.

What is the Locator Bar?
A strip across the top of your HUD, added in Java Edition 1.21.6, that shows where other players are. Each player appears as a colored marker positioned by their direction from you, and the marker changes shape as they get further away. The color is not chosen by the player — Minecraft derives it from their UUID, which is why it is the same in every world. Full explanation.
Is the Locator Bar a gamerule?
Yes, and its name has changed twice. On Java it is locator_bar from 1.21.11 onward, and was locatorBar in 1.21.6 to 1.21.10 (and useLocatorBar in the 25w15a snapshot). Bedrock uses playerWaypoints since 26.30, replacing the old locatorbar. Java game rule names are case-sensitive, so the old name simply fails. Which name for which version.
How do I enable the Locator Bar?
Run /gamerule locator_bar true on Java 1.21.11 or later, or /gamerule locatorBar true on 1.21.6 to 1.21.10. On Bedrock use /gamerule playerWaypoints everyone — and unlike most Bedrock rules, that one does not require cheats, so achievements survive. If it is on and still shows nothing, work through the checks here.
How far can the Locator Bar reach?
Further than you will ever need by default: the reach is set by the waypoint_transmit_range and waypoint_receive_range attributes, and players start with a base value of 60,000,000 blocks. What actually changes with distance is the marker itself — it is drawn as a square up close, then a circle, then a small square, then a small dot as the player gets further away. The numbers behind it.