How to organize your inventory in Minecraft

A fully kitted-out survival inventory (Image via Minecraft)

One of the most important aspects for survival players in Minecraft is managing their inventory. Players have a finite number of inventory slots, and there are hundreds, if not more, items, tools, and blocks found within the game. This makes efficient inventory management a requirement for actual survival.

Detailed below are some tips and tricks for organizing the inventory to ensure that players are able to make the most of the limited space they have. This is especially helpful in the early game before players can make ender chests, shulker boxes, or until Mojang finally adds bundles to the game.

---

The best way for Minecraft players to organize their inventories

1) Hotbar spots one to five

An example of hotbar slots one to five (Image via Minecraft)

The first handful of spots in the player’s hotbar should go to the most important items that players carry around regularly. This should be the full set of Minecraft’s basic tools and the player’s weapon of choice. These items should be ordered with the more important items placed closer to slot one.

For example, the best setup for most Minecraft players would look like this:

• A sword, trident, bow, or crossbow in the one slot
• A pickaxe in the two slot
• A shovel within the three slot
• An axe in the four slot
• A hoe in the fifth slot.

These tools ensure that no matter what the player needs to do, they will have the means to do it. Placing the items on these keys also means that they are quickly within reach of the player’s movement keys, assuming that the player is on keyboard and mouse.

---

2) Hotbar spots six to nine

An example of hotbar slots six to nine (Image via Minecraft)

The second half of the hotbar should be filled with situationally useful items that can be switched out depending on what the player is currently doing. For example, players that expect to spend a lot of time exploring the surface should keep a bed, food, and firework rockets in these slots to quickly move around the overworld and stay safe.

Players expecting to do a lot of building should fill these slots up with the major blocks needed for whatever build they are working on. Players can store wood for rustic buildings and log cabins, stone for castles, redstone for engineering contraptions or automated farms, etc.

---

3) The main inventory

An example of a good way to sort the inventory (Image via Minecraft)

The main inventory can be subdivided into four quadrants, with each quadrant being dedicated to certain kinds of items.

The top-left quadrant of the inventory is best suited to items and blocks that players might need to restock while exploring. This includes things like logs, wooden planks, coal, and a crafting table. It's beneficial to keep these items in the inventory at all times because certain areas, such as deep underground or the end dimension, lack renewable wood for players to make new tools or weapons.

The bottom-left of the main inventory should be used for spare tools, extra weapons, and ammunition, including arrows, tipped arrows, and firework arrows. This will ensure that players can quickly rearm themselves depending on the situation they find themselves in. This configuration also allows players to replace any tools that might break while they are exploring or mining.

The bottom right of the main inventory is best suited for items that players might need situationally. Players can keep storage solutions in this area of the inventory, such as shulker boxes for blocks and loot or an ender chest. Players can also place situational items such as spyglasses, flint and steel, compasses, and clocks so they can quickly be moved to the hotbar if needed.

The top right of the inventory is best used for random items and loot that players acquire over their adventures. This should be where players store things such as ores they find while mining and loot they get from structures such as villages, desert temples, end cities, etc.