How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

  • You can download "Minecraft" maps that others have made and play on them yourself.
  • "Minecraft" maps can be downloaded for free from community sites like Minecraft Maps or CurseForge.
  • Once you've downloaded a "Minecraft" map, you can play on it by placing it in your game's "saves" folder.

"Minecraft" — and in particular the original, mod-friendly "Java" edition — is a game that offers its players near limitless creativity.  No two worlds are alike, and starting a new one can sometimes seem like a daunting task.

Fortunately, you don't have to start from scratch. Thanks to a benevolent community eager to show off their masterpieces, you can download an expert-level Minecraft map and start playing right away.

And these downloadable maps are often more than mere templates: They can offer adventurous puzzles, jump-scare horror experiences, scavenger hunts, multiplayer games, and more. As long as the map you download is compatible with the version of Minecraft you run, just about every theme and type of map imaginable is at your fingertips.

Here's where you can find amazing custom maps, and how you can add them to your slate of playable Minecraft worlds.

How to download a 'Minecraft' map and add it to your game

1. When you find a map you want to download that's compatible with the version of Java you run, download, unzip and drag the file to your desktop (or any location on your computer that you can find again quickly).

2. Next, you'll find and open your Minecraft folder.  If your Minecraft folder is saved in the default location for your device, then you can find it by:

  • Windows: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run menu. In the text field, enter "%appdata%\.minecraft" and press Enter.
You'll find the right folder buried deep in your computer's files. Emma Witman/Insider
  • Mac: Open a Finder window and click "Go" at the top of the screen, and then "Go to Folder." In the pop-up that appears, enter "~/Library/ApplicationSupport/minecraft" and press "Go."
The saves folder can be hard to locate. Emma Witman/Insider
  • Linux: In your Home directory, Minecraft can be found in "/home/YOURNAME/.minecraft/."

3. In your Minecraft folder, find the "saves" folder. When you open it, you'll see the names of all your existing worlds.

4. Grab the map you downloaded and drag and drop the file into the Minecraft "saves" folder. Make sure to drag the entire folder for the map download file, and not just contents within the folder.

Drag and drop the map download into your Minecraft directory's "saves" folder. Emma Witman/Insider

5. Open the Minecraft Launcher and start "Minecraft."

6. Select "Singleplayer," find your new map, and click "Play Selected World." 

Your new maps will appear in the list. Emma Witman/Insider

From here, brace yourself for the exquisitely cultivated world you're about to be loaded into —  just be sure to give credit to the world's actual creator when your multiplayer friends compliment your world.

Flying around in "Future City 4.5," a sleek futuristic cityscape created by user "Zeemo" and downloaded from MinecraftMaps.com. Emma Witman/Insider

Emma Witman is an Asheville, NC-based freelance journalist with a keen interest in writing about hardware, PC gaming, politics, and personal finance. She is a former crime reporter for a daily newspaper, and has also written extensively about bartending for Insider. She may or may not judge your drink order when behind the bar. Follow her on Twitter at @emwity.

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Minecraft offers a ton of ways to explore the game. You can create a new world to enter a completely alien territory. Or, you can use one of the best Minecraft seeds to already have an idea of what to expect. But if you want to take it up a notch, trying out the best Minecraft maps is the only way. If you know how to download and install Minecraft maps, that is. Lucky for you, that’s exactly what we will cover in this guide today. From a city created by professional builders to a model of the whole Earth, the Minecraft community won’t disappoint you in terms of their custom maps. And now, you can explore them all and a lot more on every platform, including PC, console, and mobiles. So, without further ado, let’s dive in and learn how to download and install any Minecraft map in 2022.

The process of downloading maps might look similar for all platforms, but installing them is a completely different feat. So, we have split the guide into separate sections on the basis of platforms. You can use the table below to explore the one that fits your needs.

Table of Contents

  • What are Minecraft Maps?
  • Download Minecraft Maps for Java Edition
  • How to Install Minecraft Maps on Java Edition
  • Download Minecraft Maps for Bedrock Edition
  • How to Install Minecraft Maps on Bedrock Edition for PC
  • Install Maps in Minecraft Pocket Edition (MCPE) on Android/ iOS
  • How to Play Installed Custom Maps on Minecraft
  • How to Remove Custom Maps from Minecraft
  • Frequently Asked Questions

What are Minecraft Maps?

Each time you close Minecraft, your world, your progress, and your creations are saved in an external folder in the game’s directory. These saved files can be exported, shared online, and lucky for you, downloaded, and imported too. Such saves files with custom creations, planned areas, and even resource packs are known as Minecraft maps. Players across the world have created a variety of such maps, and most of them are available to use for free.

Download Minecraft Maps for Java Edition

There are multiple sources you can use to download custom maps for Minecraft, including:

  • MinecraftMaps
  • MCPEDL
  • Planet Minecraft
  • Noxcrew
  • MinecraftSix

For the Minecraft Java edition, we will use “MinecraftMaps” in this tutorial, as it is one of the most popular sites among its peers. As for the Bedrock edition, the most reliable option, other than the official marketplace, is “MCPEDL“, which you will see below. First, let’s start with the process to download maps on the Java Edition:

1. To begin, open MinecraftMaps.com (visit) in your browser. On its home page, you will see a list of features and the latest maps. You can click on any category from the top navigation bar to load up maps that fit those themes.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

2. We will select the city sub-category under the builds option for this tutorial. As you scroll through the newly opened page, you will notice various Minecraft versions to choose from at the top. It helps you avoid compatibility issues. Once you find a map you like, click on the map’s name. We are installing the Bayville Map for this tutorial.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

3. On the next page, you can find the map’s description and screenshots. There is also a massive “Download” button. Click on it to start downloading the map as a zip file.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

4. You need to make sure that the downloaded file is a zip file. You can then right-click on the downloaded file and choose the “Extract All” option to get its contents into a separate folder on your Windows PC. Click on the “Extract” or “OK” button if prompted. For Mac users, you can double-click the zip file to unzip it into a new folder.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

5. Finally, open the newly created folder and copy the main folder (name of the map) by pressing Ctrl + C or Cmd + C (on Mac) keyboard shortcut. The main folder is the one that contains all the map-related files.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

How to Install Minecraft Maps on Java Edition

Now that we have our desired Minecraft map downloaded, extracted, and copied, we can install it in the game. Just follow the below steps to learn how to do that:

1. First, open your Minecraft “saves” folder. To do so, use the Win + R Windows 11 keyboard shortcut and type the following in the Run window “%appdata%\.minecraft\saves”. Then, click the “OK” button.

Mac users can search for ~/Library/Application Support/Minecraft/saves in the Finder window to reach the Minecraft directory.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

2. Once you have opened the saves folder, right-click and select the “paste” option or use Ctrl + V/ Cmd + V keyboard shortcut. Doing so will bring the copied map folder to your saves directory.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

With that, your Minecraft custom map has been successfully imported into your game. But before we test it out, let’s learn how to download and install maps on the Minecraft Bedrock Edition.

Download Minecraft Maps for Bedrock Edition

Note that Minecraft Java worlds are downloaded in .zip format, while Minecraft Bedrock edition maps are downloaded in .mcworld or .mctemplate file format. You cannot use them interchangeably. 

1. To begin, you need to open mcpedl.com (visit) in the browser of your choice. On the website, you will find the “Maps” option in the top menu. Click on it to open up the list of available Minecraft maps.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

2. On the next page, you can find multiple map options to choose from. Click on the map name to check out its details and download it.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

3. Once the map page loads up, scroll to the bottom. Here, you will see all the compatible Minecraft versions, along with the download options. Click on the Download button with the “.mcworld” extension in its name.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

As the site is community-based, sometimes you might get external links without direct download options. So, you need to make sure that the downloaded file is either in .mcworld or .mctemplate file format.

How to Install Minecraft Maps on Bedrock Edition for PC

The way both Minecraft Bedrock and Java edition handle their files is different in technical terms but quite similar in terms of access and storage. That means installing maps is even easier than copy-pasting in the Bedrock edition. Here’s how it works:

1. Go to your “downloadsfolder and locate the Minecraft world file there. Then double-click to open it. Or, you can right-click and select open.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

2. As soon as you try opening the file, it’s going to launch the Minecraft Bedrock Edition. Then, you have to wait for the loading to finish, and either the world will load automatically, or you will find it in your existing list of worlds.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

Don’t worry if the loading screen feels stuck. World creation and texture loading can take some time in the case of heavier worlds.

Install Maps in Minecraft Pocket Edition (MCPE) on Android/ iOS

Since Minecraft Pocket Edition (MCPE), i.e. the version of Minecraft on Android, iOS, and Fire OS, uses Minecraft Bedrock as the base, you can use the same .mcworld files to load maps in your game. So, first, copy your Minecraft map (.mcworld file) to your device or download it on your device directly from any of the aforementioned websites.

Then, on devices other than the iPhone and iPad, you simply need to find the file in your file explorer and open the .mcworld file with Minecraft. Meanwhile, Apple users have to use the share file option and choose the “copy to Minecraft” option from the share sheet, as shown below. Choosing to copy to/ open with Minecraft will load up your game with the new map ready for exploration.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

How to Play Installed Custom Maps on Minecraft

Irrespective of the edition or platform you use to play Minecraft, the process to play on it is simple once you have installed the map. It will most likely load up automatically upon installation, but if it doesn’t, you can find it in the following manner:

1. To try your newly installed maps, launch Minecraft and select the “Singleplayeroption from the homescreen. This will load up a list of worlds or saved games you have.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

2. From the list of your existing Minecraft worlds, look for the name of the map you just installed. Then, select it and click the “Play Selected World” option.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

3. Not to forget, these downloaded maps can take a little longer than usual to load. But once they do, you are free to play, edit, and roam around as you want. Saving it will replace the original map file.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

How to Remove Custom Maps from Minecraft

1. To delete your installed Minecraft maps, load up your game and select the “Singleplayer” option from the homescreen.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

2. Then, from the list of loaded save files or worlds, select the world you want to delete. Then, click on the “Delete” button at the bottom. Once you confirm the deletion, the world will be gone for good.

How to download Minecraft maps on Windows 10

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can You Get Minecraft Maps for Free?

Most Minecraft Maps are available for free online. They are community-based and usually regularly updated.

Q. Can I Use Minecraft Java Maps on Bedrock?

There are ways to convert the maps, but none are very reliable. We recommend sticking with separate custom maps for each game version and platform for better stability. Or you can request the developers to create a separate version of that map.

Q. What Will Happen If I Use a Map with an Incompatible Version?

Usually, most Minecraft Maps work even if you use them on an older or newer version of the game. Though, there might be some features malfunctioning or missing. Not having items in any in-game chests is a common error that players find.

Q. Can I Export Minecraft Maps?

To export Minecraft maps in Java edition, you need to archive your save folder as a .zip file. Other players can use that zip file to install your world in their game.

Install Custom Maps in Minecraft

With that, you are now ready to find, download, and install custom Minecraft Maps. The community is ready with tons of amazing content and maps waiting for you to explore. Moreover, you can turn on RTX in Minecraft Bedrock to take these already amazing maps to the next level. As for the Java players, the best Minecraft shaders can offer the same high-fidelity experience. With that said, there’s nothing to wait around for. You can start downloading and making the best out of these Minecraft maps. Do tell us about the custom maps you use in the comments below!

How do you download Minecraft maps on Windows?

Alternate Instructions.
Download the world file (usually in .zip or .rar ) format. ... .
Extract to a new folder (WORLD).
Find the .minecraft or com.mojang folder..
Look for the saves or minecraftWorlds folder..
Copy-paste the (WORLD) to that folder..
Open up Minecraft and find it in your selection of saved worlds..

How do I import a Minecraft world to Windows 10?

Part 2: How to transfer Minecraft worlds in Windows 10 (Complex).
Start up the Minecraft launcher and log in. ... .
Export the world folders that you want to transfer to a flash drive or external hard drive..
Re-download Minecraft on the new computer, and import the world folder to the new computer's saves folder..