How to Make a Map in Minecraft

Making maps in Minecraft requires 8 paper and 1 compass arranged in a crafting table. This creates an empty map that becomes a locator map when first used, showing your position and surroundings for navigation and exploration.
Host exploration servers where players can create detailed map walls, share cartography knowledge, and embark on collaborative mapping expeditions across vast worlds.

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Budget Minecraft Hosting
Great for users on a tight budget - starting at $1/GB, the Budget hosting plans are great for running a private/community server
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Perfect for large servers, modpacks, and public servers, who need the power of the Ryzen 7900 @ 3.7 / 5.4Ghz CPU for best-in-class performance.
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Start Your Adventure Server

Not sure which plan to pick?

Create servers perfect for exploration, cartography, and adventure gameplay where players can map unknown territories together.


Map Crafting Recipe and Materials

Creating maps in Minecraft requires specific materials and a straightforward crafting process:

Materials Needed:
• 8 Paper (crafted from 3 sugarcane each, so 24 sugarcane total)
• 1 Compass (crafted with 4 iron ingots and 1 redstone dust)
• Crafting table for the 3x3 recipe

Crafting Process:
1. Gather sugarcane - Find it near water sources in most biomes
2. Craft paper - Make 8 paper from sugarcane (3 sugarcane = 3 paper)
3. Create a compass - Combine 4 iron ingots with 1 redstone dust
4. Arrange in crafting table - Place compass in center, surround with 8 paper
5. Result - One empty map ready for exploration

Pro Tip: Empty maps can be crafted without the compass for cheaper map-making, but they won't show your location marker when used.

UNIVERSAL MINECRAFT MODPACK SUPPORT

PebbleHost now supports any modpack with our modpack installer.
Our system automatically handles client-side mod filtering and builds directly from source, giving you unlimited compatibility with modpacks from CurseForge, FTB, Modrinth and more.

Key Features
  • Client-side mod filtering
  • Complex dependency resolution
  • Forge, Fabric, and NeoForge support
  • Custom configuration options
  • Automatic updates available
  • Full server-side optimization
Supported Platforms
  • CurseForge - 10,000+ modpacks
  • Feed The Beast - 300+ modpacks
  • Modrinth - 500+ modpacks
  • ATLauncher - 200+ modpacks
  • Custom - Build your own pack
1
Choose Any Modpack

Select any modpack from any platform or build your own custom configuration

2
Automatic Server Pack Creation

Our system automatically filters client-side mods and builds a server pack for you.

3
Instant Deployment

Your server is ready to play within minutes with optimal settings and the modpack of your choce!

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Using and Expanding Maps

Once crafted, maps become powerful tools for navigation and world documentation:

First Use: Right-click with an empty map to initialize it, creating a Level 0 map covering a 128x128 block area around your current position.
Map Expansion: Combine your map with 8 paper in a crafting table to create a larger Level 1 map covering 256x256 blocks. This can be repeated up to Level 4.
Map Copying: Place an empty map next to a completed map in a crafting table to create identical copies for sharing with other players.
Cartography Table: Use this specialized block for advanced map operations like locking maps to prevent changes and creating banner markers.
Map Walls: Place maps in item frames to create large-scale map displays showing vast areas of your world.

Many servers feature community map rooms where players contribute to massive collaborative mapping projects, documenting entire continents and sharing discoveries. Our hosting supports large map data files and smooth rendering for extensive cartography projects.

Advanced Mapping Techniques

Strategic Exploration
Plan mapping expeditions to cover maximum territory efficiently, using boats for ocean mapping and elytra for aerial surveys.

Banner Markers
Use banners as map markers by right-clicking maps on placed banners, creating custom waypoints for important locations.

Map Libraries
Organize maps by region and zoom level, creating comprehensive atlases of your server's world for navigation and planning.

Collaborative Mapping
Coordinate with other players to map different regions simultaneously, sharing copied maps to build complete territorial knowledge.

Perfect Servers for Mapping Adventures

Map-making thrives on servers that encourage exploration, discovery, and community collaboration. Whether you're running a survival server where players chart unknown territories, an adventure server with hidden treasures to map, or a creative server focused on large-scale cartography projects, our hosting provides the performance needed for extensive map generation and storage.

Our hosting ensures smooth chunk generation during exploration, reliable map data persistence, and stable performance even when players are creating massive map walls or sharing dozens of map copies. Create servers where cartography becomes a central community activity that drives exploration and brings players together around shared geographical knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to connect a domain

If you own your own domain from a Domain Registrar such as Namecheap or Google Domains, you can set it up by following our guide on setting up DNS records.

All servers have the ability to make a free subdomain ending in .my.pebble.host through their gamepanel.

What's the difference between Budget and Premium

Our Premium hosting uses the faster Ryzen 7900 CPU, which means it's able to handle higher playercounts and more intensive servers than on Budget. The 5x faster NVMe SSDs improve chunk loading speeds, and the extra features such as free automatic backups and automatic one-click modpack installations allow peace of mind and save time setting up your server.

Do I have to port forward?

No, none of our services require port forwarding. The Minecraft server is hosted on our own computers in a datacenter so we handle all of the networking aspects for you. If you require an extra port to use for plugins such as Votifier or Dynmap this can be added in one click inside of our gamepanel

How long does setup take?

Our billing system instantly provisions orders as soon as the payment receives. This means that, as long as you use a payment method which works instantly such as PayPal Balance or Credit/Debit Card, you should receive the service within a few minutes.

It's possible the order details might go to your Spam folder so make sure to check that!

What does 'Unmetered Disk Space' mean?

This means that you can use as much space as you need for your server as long as you follow our Fair Usage Policy which essentially states that any files on the server must be essential to the server's operation.

Can I use a custom modpack/Forge/Fabric/Spigot version?

All PebbleHost services come with full access to all server files. This means you can upload any custom modpacks or JAR files you wish to use, through our gamepanel.

To use a custom JAR file, just select any version at purchase then inside of your gamepanel you will be able to choose the "Custom JAR" option.

Can I use a MySQL Database for my plugins?

Yes, all plans include a free MySQL Database which can be used with plugins such as LuckPerms, Dynmap, CoreProtect, Litebans etc. Additional databases are charged at $1/database/month and can be enabled in your gamepanel under the "MySQL Database" page.

Where is my server located?

We operate in a number of datacenters around the world for the best possible ping. Note that locations marked Premium are only available on Premium plans.

  • North America - Montreal, Canada
  • Europe - Coventry, United Kingdom
  • United Kingdom - Coventry, United Kingdom
  • Australia Premium - Sydney, Australia
  • Singapore Premium - Singapore, Asia
  • Flordia Premium - Flordia, United States
  • United States Premium - Hillsboro, Oregon, United States
  • India Premium - Mumbai, India

Why Choose PebbleHost?

What's the difference between empty maps and locator maps?

Empty maps are crafted with just 8 paper and show terrain but no player position marker. Locator maps include a compass in the recipe and display a white dot showing your current location on the map.
Both types function identically for mapping terrain, but locator maps provide the crucial navigation feature of showing where you are relative to mapped areas.

How many times can you expand a map?

Maps can be expanded 4 times total, from Level 0 (128x128 blocks) up to Level 4 (2048x2048 blocks). Each expansion requires 8 paper and doubles the map coverage area.
Higher level maps show larger areas but with less detail, so choose expansion levels based on whether you need detailed local information or broad regional coverage.

Can you share maps with other players?

Yes, you can copy maps by placing an empty map next to a completed map in a crafting table. This creates an identical copy that updates simultaneously with the original when new areas are explored.
Map sharing is essential for collaborative exploration projects and allows teams to coordinate mapping efforts across large server worlds.

How do map walls work?

Map walls are created by placing maps in item frames arranged in grids. Adjacent maps automatically align to show continuous terrain coverage when properly positioned.
Large map walls can display entire continents and serve as impressive community navigation centers on multiplayer servers.

Setting Up Exploration-Focused Servers

For servers emphasizing mapping and exploration, ensure adequate world generation for diverse terrain to map, provide community areas for map sharing and collaboration, create exploration challenges and mapping competitions, maintain stable performance for chunk generation during expeditions, and establish guidelines for collaborative mapping projects and territorial documentation.