Let’s be real. Mining for netherite or diamonds the old-fashioned way is a massive grind. You spend hours strip mining at Y-level -59, your pickaxe breaks, and you’ve got nothing to show for it but three stacks of deepslate. It’s boring. That’s why you’re here looking for how to get x ray in minecraft bedrock.
People think Bedrock is harder to mod than Java. They're kinda right, but also totally wrong. You can't just drop a Forge mod into your folder and call it a day. But Bedrock has its own quirks. Whether you're on a phone, an Xbox, or a PC, seeing through walls is possible. You just have to know which "legal" glitches still work and which texture packs are actually worth your time.
Why traditional X-Ray mods don't work on Bedrock
Java Edition runs on code that's basically a playground for modders. Bedrock? Not so much. It's written in C++. It’s locked down. If you’re searching for an "X-Ray mod" that requires you to install a separate client, be careful. Most of those are just malware traps for desperate players.
The most common way people achieve this is through Resource Packs.
These packs tell the game to render "useless" blocks like stone, dirt, and gravel as transparent. Meanwhile, ores like diamond and gold stay solid. It sounds simple, but Bedrock’s rendering engine—especially with the newer "RenderDragon" update—has made this a huge pain in the neck for developers.
The RenderDragon Problem
A few years ago, Mojang introduced RenderDragon. It changed how lighting and textures work across all Bedrock platforms. Suddenly, all those old-school X-ray packs stopped working. They just showed up as solid black or bright pink "missing texture" blocks.
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To get around this now, you need a pack specifically updated for the current version of Minecraft. You can't just grab a file from 2021 and expect it to work. If you find a pack that claims to work, check the comments or the update date. If it hasn't been touched in six months, it's probably junk.
How to install an X-Ray texture pack on Bedrock
If you're on PC or Mobile, it's easy. On console? It's a nightmare, but I'll get to that.
- Find a reputable site like MCPEDL. Search for "X-Ray" and filter by the most recently updated.
- Download the
.mcpackfile. - Double-click it. Minecraft will open and import it automatically.
- Go to your World Settings.
- Find "Resource Packs" and activate it.
- Crucial Step: Most packs require you to turn off "Smooth Lighting" in the Video settings. If you don't, the ores will just look like black cubes because the game isn't calculating light inside the walls.
Top-tier X-Ray Glitches (No Downloads Required)
Maybe you don't want to mess with files. Maybe you’re on a Realm where the owner hasn't enabled resource packs. You can still use glitches. These change every few updates, but a couple have stayed consistent because of how Minecraft handles player "suffocation."
The Piston and Compost Method
This is the classic. It's been around forever. You dig a small hole, place a composter, hop inside, and have a piston push a solid block (like glass or even another composter) onto your head.
Sometimes, the game gets confused. It tries to push your camera outside the block boundaries. For a split second—or sometimes permanently until you move—the nearby caves will pop into view. It’s finicky. It’s janky. But in a pinch, it works.
The Crawling Glitch
In Bedrock, you can force yourself into a "crawling" state using a trapdoor or water. If you manage to crawl into a space that is exactly one block high and look toward a corner while moving a certain way, the camera can clip through the block. This is a "pixel-perfect" trick. It’s not reliable for long-distance scouting, but it’s great for finding that hidden cave system you hear zombies groaning in.
Is it cheating? (The Ethics of the X-Ray)
Honestly? It depends on who you ask.
On a single-player world, do whatever makes you happy. It’s your game. If you only have two hours a week to play, spending them all digging a straight line is a waste of time. But on a multiplayer server? That's a different story.
Most Bedrock servers (like The Hive or Mineplex) have anti-cheat plugins. They don't just "see" that you're using a texture pack. Instead, they track your mining patterns. If you're digging straight to every diamond vein without any "misses," the server's AI will flag you. You’ll get banned. Don’t do it on public servers.
The Console Struggle: Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch
Getting an X-ray pack onto a console is basically a heist. Since you can't just browse files on a Switch or a PS5, you have to use a "middleman."
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The most common method involves a mobile phone and a Realm. You buy a Realm (even the cheap 2-player one), join it on your phone, and upload the X-ray pack to the Realm's "Global Resources." Then, when you log into that same Realm on your Xbox or PlayStation, the console is forced to download the pack so you can play.
It’s a lot of hoops to jump through. Is it worth the $3.99 a month for a Realm subscription just to find diamonds? Probably not. You’re better off just learning how to read "ore distribution" charts.
Better alternatives to X-Ray
If you’re tired of the grind but don't want to risk your save file or get banned, there are "legit" ways to speed things up.
- Night Vision Potions: These are underrated. If you use a night vision potion while inside a glitchy area, the "darkness" of the caves disappears.
- Chunk Borders: While Bedrock doesn't have the "F3" menu like Java, you can use certain resource packs that just show chunk borders. Ores often generate on the edges of chunks.
- TNT Mining: It’s faster than a pickaxe. If you have a creeper farm, just blow the world up. You’ll find the diamonds eventually.
Common misconceptions about Bedrock X-Ray
People think "X-Ray" means everything becomes invisible. It doesn't. A good pack makes stone look like a faint wireframe. If everything was 100% invisible, you'd fall into a lava pit every five seconds because you couldn't see the floor.
Another big myth is that "Fullbright" is the same thing. Fullbright just makes everything bright so you don't need torches. It won't help you see through walls. You need a specific "Subpack" or "Shader" (though shaders are currently broken on most Bedrock versions) to get the true X-ray effect.
Setting up your X-ray for success
If you've decided to go the resource pack route, follow these steps to make sure it actually works.
First, make sure your game version matches the pack. If you're on 1.20.x, find a 1.20 pack.
Second, check your "Experimental Toggles." Sometimes packs need "Holiday Creator Features" turned on to override the default block rendering.
Third, look at your "Gamma" settings. Some players go into the game files (options.txt) and manually crank the gamma to 100.0. This makes the "wireframe" stone much easier to see through.
Dealing with the lag
X-ray packs can be surprisingly heavy on your GPU. Why? Because the game is suddenly trying to render every cave, every lava lake, and every ore vein within your simulation distance all at once. Usually, the game hides those things to save power.
If your frame rate drops to 10 FPS, lower your render distance. You don't need to see diamonds 20 chunks away. You just need to see what’s in the next room.
Practical Next Steps
Stop looking for a "magic button." Start by downloading a verified pack from a community site like MCPEDL. If you're on a console, skip the mods and practice the "composter glitch"—it’s safer and won't cost you a monthly subscription.
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Check your world settings. Ensure "Smooth Lighting" is OFF. If you’re on a PC, try the "Gamma" trick in your options.txt file. Once you find your first vein of diamonds, turn the pack off. Playing with X-ray on all the time actually ruins the fun of the game pretty quickly. Use it as a tool, not a lifestyle.
Go into your world, back up your save file (seriously, do this before messing with packs), and test the composter method first. It's the quickest way to see if your specific version of Bedrock is still exploitable.