Minecraft: How to build under bedrock

Minecraft allows you to build almost anything at any Y-level height, in any biome of any realm. I know. A whole lot of "any"s! Since the game is a sandbox, you can let your imaginations run wild and create truly unique builds anywhere in the vast world. However, there are a few areas where the game simply does not allow players to place blocks, let alone build structures. One of these is under the bedrock layer.

The bedrock layer is present in both the Overworld and Nether realm. Though players can build structures over the Nether realm's bedrock layer, they cannot do so underneath one in both realms.

That said, the community has found a method to place blocks underneath the Overworld's bedrock layer in the latest Minecraft version as well. This article presents a simple guide to doing so.

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Steps to build under the bedrock layer in Minecraft

1) Create a superflat world in the 1.17 update

You first need to download the old 1.17 update and create a superflat world (Image via Mojang Studios)

First, open the official Minecraft launcher and create a new installation for the 1.17 update. This is because, before the 1.18 update, the Overworld realm did not have any blocks below Y level 0. In 1.18, Mojang added a whole new layer of caves below Y level 0, shifting the bedrock layer to Y level -64. Because of this change, there exists a glitch that will allow you to build underneath the bedrock player.

To create a new installation, you need to head to the Java Edition section of the launcher, select the installation tab, create a new installation, and find 1.17 update from the version list. Once created, you can find it in the installation list and hit play. The launcher will download the old version of the game and open it.

Once you are in the 1.17 version, go ahead and create a new world in the single-player tab. While doing so, make sure that the world is set in creative mode. Next, go to Extra World Options and make the world superflat. It is essential for the world to be superflat for it to work properly.

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2) Open 1.17 world in the latest version of the game

Jump back to the latest version of the game and open the old world (Image via Mojang Studios)

Once the world has been created and you have entered it, you can close the world and exit the 1.17 version. After this, you need to open the latest version of Minecraft, which is 1.21.3, as of this writing.

Once the new version of the game opens, head back to the superflat world that you created in the 1.17 version. The world list should show it with the 1.17 version written in its description. The superflat world should look the same as not a lot will change on the surface.

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3) Place blocks below the bedrock layer

Enter creative mode and start building below the bedrock layer (Image via Mojang Studios)

While you won't see a lot of change on the surface, you will be able to place blocks beneath the bedrock layer of the superflat world. You can break a few grass and dirt blocks to reach the bedrock layer since it is a superflat world. After that, you can break through the bedrock and start placing any block.

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