How to get and use light blocks in Minecraft

Introduced in Minecraft 1.17, light blocks are invisible items that produce light levels ranging from zero to 15. At their core, they can be used to effectively illuminate a location without requiring one to place any tangible or visible blocks on the landscape.

Light blocks see extensive use in Minecraft when it comes to creating maps or just keeping hostile mobs away in a world. However, players won't be able to obtain these items through standard Survival or Adventure Mode gameplay. Instead, players can utilize commands to acquire them in both Java and Bedrock game versions.

Since Minecraft's two primary editions have slightly different console command structures, it may not be a bad time to review how to obtain light blocks in both.

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Using commands to get light blocks in Minecraft 1.19

A light block placed and visible in Minecraft's Creative Mode (Image via Mojang)

Even though commands have changed somewhat since Minecraft's Caves and Cliffs update, which is when light blocks were included, adding them to your inventory is still a relatively easy process.

You can even customize the intensity of these items to ensure the right level of illumination for your purpose. There's also no limit to how many light blocks you can create with commands, meaning you'll have an infinite supply of these items fully accessible to you as long as cheats are enabled.

With that said, here are the commands that will get you these blocks in both editions:

• Java Edition - /give <target> minecraft:light{BlockStateTag:{level:"<int>"}}
• Bedrock Edition/Pocket Edition - /give <target> light_block [amount: int] {data: int (0 - 15)] [components: json]

For players who may not be familiar with how commands work, the ones listed above can be a little tricky to use. However, they're not as complex as they may seem, as several parts of their syntaxes aren't necessary to spawn light blocks. For example, you can enter the first command in Java Edition without setting the "BlockStateTag" field and still obtain one of those items with a particular light level if you replace the integer field (int) with a number.

The same can be said for Bedrock Edition. The "amount" field doesn't necessarily need to be filled, and choosing not to do so will give you a stack of the light block they have specified in the command console. Likewise, the "components: json" field isn't mandatory, and you can forego it if you'd like.

Simply put, it's even possible for you — in both versions of the game — to use a command like "/give <target> light" to supply yourself with light blocks at level 15 by default.

With these commands, you should be able to effectively create these energy-emitting items for a multitude of purposes. Once you have these objects, you can use them like any other block by aiming at a location and right-clicking or pressing the Place Block button.

Light blocks, in particular, don't need to be attached to existing blocks in the environment — like torches or lanterns — so you have plenty of creative ways to use them. The best part is that once players enter Survival or Adventure Modes, they won't even notice the blocks are there.