How to get dynamic lighting features in Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition

Minecraft's lighting system is good, but it certainly has room for improvement. For example, adding dynamic lighting to the game can be quite helpful for players.

What is dynamic lighting in Minecraft exactly? To elaborate, dynamic lighting allows sources of light to change position and shift depending on certain factors. For fans of the beloved sandbox game, this would typically mean that held items like torches, lanterns, and glowstone blocks (as well as other light sources) will emit light even when they aren't placed in the environment.

This feature isn't available in the vanilla build of Java and Bedrock Edition, but there are ways to acquire it.

For Minecraft fans who want to enhance their lighting, it's worth taking a look at how to do so with dynamic lighting.

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Steps to add dynamic lighting to Minecraft's Java and Bedrock Editions

Java Edition

One of the most straightforward ways to enjoy dynamic lighting in Minecraft: Java Edition is to install the Optifine mod. This mod introduces shader compatibility and post-processing effects to the game, including having dynamic lighting activated by default.

Optifine is one of the most popular mods in the community and is updated almost as quickly as the game itself. Installing it for Java Edition is also a fairly easy undertaking, so players shouldn't have a hard time installing it and enjoying the updated light effects.

Here's how to install Optifine in Minecraft Java Edition:

1. Head to the URL https://www.optifine.net/downloads and select the Optifine download that fits your version of the game. Select "show all versions" if you're using a non-current version, but otherwise, click the download button of "OptiFine HD U I4" for version 1.19.4.
2. Wait five seconds for the advertisement to pass, then click the skip button in the top-right of the window. This advertising window may not appear depending on whether you're using certain adblocking software.
3. Click the download button to save a .jar file to your machine.
4. Run the .jar file and select your Minecraft root folder. Typically, the installation wizard finds this folder on its own. If it does, simply press install.
5. After the wizard reads "Optifine has been successfully installed," open your Minecraft Launcher.
6. Select Java Edition from the left side of the launcher window.
7. Next to the green play button, you should see a small icon that reads "Optifine." If it doesn't, click the icon to open a dropdown menu, then select the Optifine build from the dropdown list.
8. Press the play button and enjoy!

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Bedrock Edition

Since the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft uses add-ons instead of mods, players will need to use different files to acquire dynamic lighting. Fortunately, a great add-on known as Dynamic Lighting Plus is available for free and is quite easy to install.

This add-on won't add all the bells and whistles that Optifine does, but it will directly add dynamic lighting to the game. This shouldn't cause any performance issues for players running on Bedrock-compatible devices like mobile phones.

Here's how to install Dynamic Lighting Plus in Bedrock Edition:

1. Head to the URL https://mcpedl.com/dynamic-lighting-plus/ and scroll down to the downloads section.
2. Select one of the three mirror links provided to download the .mcpack file.
3. Find the .mcpack file on your device and open it. Minecraft: Bedrock Edition should open and begin importing the .mcpack file.
4. After the import is finished, either create a new world or edit an existing one in your in-game settings. Scroll down to the Behavior Packs tab and open the list of available behavior packs. Press the activate button next to Dynamic Lighting Plus.
5. Create your world if you're making a new one, or return to the game if you're editing an existing one, and enjoy.

There are certainly other methods to obtain dynamic lighting, but these are two simpler examples. If these methods aren't ideal, there are many other mods and add-ons, as well as third-party game clients, offering dynamic lighting that may suit players better.