Minecraft Waypoint Command: Full /waypoint Syntax and Examples

Full Minecraft /waypoint command reference for Java 1.21.6+ — every subcommand, argument and color name, plus the 26.2 change that breaks old color args.

Last updated: 2026-07-23

The Minecraft waypoint command is /waypoint, and it is the only vanilla command that touches the Locator Bar directly. Mojang added it in Java Edition 1.21.6 (the "Chase the Skies" drop, released 17 June 2025), first behind an experimental data pack in snapshot 25w15a and then in normal gameplay from snapshot 25w17a onward.

Two things surprise almost everyone who searches for it. First, /waypoint does not create waypoints — it only queries and re-skins waypoints that already exist because some entity is transmitting one. Second, it is Java Edition only. There is no /waypoint in Bedrock Edition at any version; Bedrock exposes the same system through a scripting API instead, which is covered on the Minecraft Locator Bar on Bedrock page.

Requirements before the command will run

Edition: Java Edition only.
Version: 1.21.6 or later.
Permission level: 2.
Cheats: must be enabled in the world, or you must run the command from a server console, a command block, or a function.

If /waypoint does not autocomplete when you type it, you are on Bedrock, on a pre-1.21.6 client, or you do not have permission level 2. That is the whole list of causes.

Full /waypoint syntax

There are exactly six forms. Everything else is a variation of an argument.

waypoint list
waypoint modify <waypoint> color <color>
waypoint modify <waypoint> color hex <hex_color>
waypoint modify <waypoint> color reset
waypoint modify <waypoint> style set <style>
waypoint modify <waypoint> style reset

waypoint list prints every tracked waypoint. Player entries show the player name; other entities show their entity type. Each entry is printed in that waypoint's assigned color, and entries with no explicitly set color print as white — regardless of the color actually drawn on the bar or the entity's team color. The command's success count is the total number of tracked waypoints.
waypoint modify ... color <color> takes one of the 16 named colors and overrides the default.
waypoint modify ... color hex <hex_color> takes a 6-digit hexadecimal value in RRGGBB web order. The official 25w17a notes give FF0000 and the shorthand F00 for red, and 6495ED for cornflower blue.
waypoint modify ... color reset drops the override and returns the waypoint to its default color.
waypoint modify ... style set <style> points the waypoint at a waypoint_style definition supplied by a resource pack. The default is minecraft:default.
waypoint modify ... style reset restores default icon behaviour.

The `<waypoint>` argument is an entity, not a location

This is the single biggest misconception about the Minecraft waypoint command. The <waypoint> argument is an entity selector, and it must resolve to exactly one entity that is a waypoint transmitter. A selector like @e[type=creeper] fails outright if more than one creeper exists — you need limit=1.

Only living entities can transmit: armour stands, mobs, and players. A dropped item, a minecart, or a block cannot become a waypoint no matter what you do to it.

An entity counts as tracked when either of these is true:

Its waypoint_transmit_range attribute is greater than 0, or
Its waypoint color has been explicitly set with /waypoint modify ... color during the current session. This second route is temporary: the entity stops being tracked once the world is reloaded, and it never appears on the Locator Bar from color alone.

That second condition is why people report that /waypoint modify "did nothing." Setting a color on a mob with a transmit range of 0 makes it show up in waypoint list and nowhere else. See the Minecraft Locator Bar range page for how the two range attributes actually gate visibility.

Working examples

Change one player's marker to gold:

/waypoint modify Steve color gold

Change your own marker to a custom hex color:

/waypoint modify @s color hex 6495ED

Color a single creeper lime green:

/waypoint modify @e[type=creeper,limit=1] color hex 00FF00

Reset a zombie back to its default color:

/waypoint modify @e[type=zombie,limit=1] color reset

List everything the server is currently tracking:

/waypoint list

Making a mob actually appear on the bar

Coloring a mob is only half the job. To put a mob on other players' Locator Bars you have to give it a transmit range first, using /attribute:

/summon zombie ~ ~ ~ {attributes:[{id:"waypoint_transmit_range",base:200}]}
/waypoint modify @e[type=zombie,limit=1,sort=nearest] color hex FF00FF

The first command spawns a zombie that broadcasts a waypoint to anything within 200 blocks. The second recolors it. Without the attribute, the second command still succeeds and still changes nothing visible.

For an existing entity, set the attribute on it directly:

/attribute @e[type=armor_stand,limit=1,sort=nearest] minecraft:waypoint_transmit_range base set 150

Armour stands are the practical way to fake a fixed-position waypoint in Java, because Java has no location-based waypoint of its own. Place a marker armour stand, give it a transmit range, and recolor it with /waypoint modify.

The 16 named colors

The <color> argument accepts the standard Minecraft color set. As of Java Edition 26.2 (released 16 June 2026) these arguments accept only lowercase names with underscores — dark_purple is valid, darkpurple and DarkPurple are not. The same tightening applies to team modify <name> color. If a command that worked on 1.21.x suddenly errors after updating, this is usually why.

black — #000000
dark_blue — #0000AA
dark_green — #00AA00
dark_aqua — #00AAAA
dark_red — #AA0000
dark_purple — #AA00AA
gold — #FFAA00
gray — #AAAAAA
dark_gray — #555555
blue — #5555FF
green — #55FF55
aqua — #55FFFF
red — #FF5555
light_purple — #FF55FF
yellow — #FFFF55
white — #FFFFFF

If you would rather not hand-write these, the waypoint command generator builds valid /waypoint modify lines for you, including the hex form.

Waypoint styles and resource packs

style set swaps the icon sprite set and the distances at which the icon changes size. Styles live in the waypoint_style/ asset directory of a resource pack. The vanilla default is defined as:

{
  "near_distance": 128,
  "far_distance": 332,
  "sprites": [
    "minecraft:default_0",
    "minecraft:default_1",
    "minecraft:default_2",
    "minecraft:default_3"
  ]
}

near_distance and far_distance are optional and fall back to 128 and 332; far_distance must be greater than near_distance. Each sprite name is resolved under the prefix hud/locator_bar_dot/, that is, the directory textures/gui/sprites/hud/locator_bar_dot.

Two practical notes. The game does not validate that the style you name exists — setting a nonexistent style gives you the missing-texture icon rather than an error. And the icon data (color and style) is stored on living entities in a locator_bar_icon NBT compound, with an int color in two's-complement form and a string style name.

What the waypoint command cannot do

It cannot create a waypoint at a coordinate. Java has no LocationWaypoint equivalent; use an armour stand with a transmit range instead.
It cannot target more than one entity per call.
It cannot turn the Locator Bar on or off. That is the Locator Bar gamerule, a separate switch.
It cannot make a hidden player visible. Sneaking, a head-slot item, or Invisibility zero out the transmit range through attribute modifiers, and no color override overrides that.
It cannot be used by ordinary players on a server. Permission level 2 means operators only.

Common failures and what they mean

"Unknown or incomplete command" — you are below 1.21.6, on Bedrock, or missing permission level 2.
The selector resolved to no entities / more than one — add limit=1 and usually sort=nearest.
"Not a waypoint transmitter" — the target is not a living entity, or in practice you targeted something that cannot transmit at all.
Unknown color — on 26.2 and later, check for camel case or a missing underscore.
Command succeeds, nothing changes on screen — the entity has a transmit range of 0, you are outside its range, or your own waypoint_receive_range is 0.
Color reverts after a restart — expected for entities that were only tracked because you set a color. Give them a transmit range to keep them tracked.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Minecraft waypoint command in Bedrock Edition? No. /waypoint is exclusive to Java Edition. Bedrock exposes waypoints through the @minecraft/server scripting API (player.locatorBar), which became stable in Bedrock 26.30.

Can I set a waypoint at coordinates like in a minimap mod? Not with a vanilla Java command. The closest vanilla approach is an armour stand at those coordinates with waypoint_transmit_range set above 0.

Does /waypoint work in single player? Yes, with cheats enabled — but with no other players in the world the Locator Bar mostly stays hidden, so you will only see the effect on mobs or armour stands you have made into transmitters.

What is the difference between color <color> and color hex <hex_color>? The named form is limited to the 16 built-in colors; the hex form accepts any RGB value in RRGGBB order. Both override the default UUID-derived color and both are cleared by color reset.

Why is my player's color different from what a color lookup predicts? Because a team color or an explicit /waypoint modify overrides the default. Check the locator bar color finder for the default a UUID produces, then compare it against the team and command overrides described in how to change locator bar color.

Does the waypoint command need a data pack? Not since 25w17a. In 25w15a it was behind an experimental data pack; from 25w17a it ships in normal gameplay.