How to turn on hitboxes in Minecraft 1.19 update

Hitboxes in Minecraft, much like in other video games, are measurable parameters that indicate when an object or entity is hit by something.

The boxes vary depending on the entity utilizing them, but players can activate them and see how they operate for themselves.

Activating hitboxes in vanilla Minecraft is only performable by Java Edition players, though there may be Bedrock Edition mods or add-ons that also allow for them to be activated.

In Java Edition, players can press the F3 and B keys simultaneously to display all active hitboxes. They can be deactivated by pressing the key combo again.

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Functions of hitboxes as of Minecraft 1.19

A player's hitbox visible in the debug menu (Image via Mojang)

When Minecraft players activate their hitboxes in-game, they'll be presented with quite a bit of visual information.

Entity hitboxes are denoted by the white rectangular areas placed around mobs as well as players. There is also a red, flat rectangle that marks the entity's eyes. This marks a mob or player's line of sight, keeping track of where their eyes are currently facing.

The fact that the red marking wraps all the way around an entity's head explains how players are technically incapable of sneaking up to mobs and will trigger them to turn around.

Hitboxes in Minecraft measure several different metrics. A player or mob's hitbox marks where they will take damage from melee attacks and projectiles like arrows.

This is important as certain mobs' have parts of their bodies excluded from their hitboxes, making it impossible for players to damage them in those areas. When taking on enemies like blazes or ghasts, having hitboxes enabled can help players tweak their battle strategies.

Certain mobs have more unique hitboxes, including Minecraft's Ender Dragon, which marks each of its distinct body parts. When its shield from the end crystals is disabled, the green areas on the dragon's hitbox are the available areas where it can take damage from the player.

Hitboxes can also explain other phenomena in the game, such as suffocation and line of sight. Players can see how suffocation works by seeing a solid block encompass the head area of a mob or player's hitbox. Without space for a player or mob's head to breathe, they begin to take suffocation damage quickly.

Line of sight can be particularly helpful using hitbox measurements. When a player is in combat and needs to flee, they'll want to break an opponent's line of sight.

Line of sight is broken when the distance between two entities' flat red markings is obstructed. This can be achieved by hiding behind structures or large collections of blocks. Crouching down can also potentially break line of sight, as it compresses a player's hitboxes to help them fit behind blocks that can obstruct a mob's sight lines.

Hitboxes can also be beneficial when building farms. Players can see how large independent mobs are and how high a containment area must be built to keep them in a desired place. Once players have learned what they need from hitboxes, they can disable them by pressing F3 and B together once more.