How to crawl in Minecraft

There are two main methods of moving in Minecraft: walking and sprinting. Sprinting often involves running and jumping, but there's still just two ways for players to adequately get around on their own.

Crawling is technically another way, but it's incredibly rare and not that useful overall. Here's how to do it in Minecraft if players ever find themselves in a situation that does call for it, though.

---

Guide to crawling in Minecraft

Crawling in Minecraft is a game mechanic that prevents one from suffocating when inside small gaps. Crawling covers a player's pose that occurs when they are in an area less than 1.5 blocks high, which is considered a small gap.

This is a Java Edition feature only, Bedrock users don't have the same access to this move.

Unfortunately, crawling can't be initiated at any time. A Minecraft player cannot crawl when there is no risk of suffocation in a block, which will quickly eliminate them.

Crawling is initiated automatically in any situation that would cause the player's head to intersect with a block in a way that would cause suffocation.

Crawling is essentially swimming on the ground where no water is. (Image via Mojang)

Essentially, if a player finds themselves in a situation like that, they will automatically crawl. The following situations will automatically result in crawling:

• Closing a trapdoor on a player
• Closing a fence gate when it is at the same Y level as the player's head
• Using a piston to push a block into the player
• Exiting water into a one block high space
• Exiting elytra mode in a one block high space
• Having a tree grow above a player
• Throwing an Ender Pearl into a one block space
• Having a shulker box push the player down
• Getting off a pig with a saddle under a one block high space
• Having a boat land on the player's head

Minecraft Bedrock players can crawl in only one of these ways: exiting water into a one block space.

This only works if they are swimming and their body is horizontal. It's more of a glitch, though, because the player's body doesn't move up or down. Doing any of the rest in Bedrock will probably result in death.